KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Quinton Lucas, a councilman and attorney, will be the next mayor of Kansas City, Missouri.
Lucas advanced out of a crowded field of primary candidates to face off against Jolie Justus in the general election.
On Tuesday night, Lucas knocked off Justus with 59 percent of the vote to her 41 percent.
INSTANT REACTION: Quinton Lucas wins race to be KC’s next mayor
He grew up on the east side of Kansas City. While attending the Barstow School on scholarship, Lucas often found himself homeless. He hopes his victory shows young people their options are limitless.
"I never could have imagined being mayor of Kansas City," Lucas said, "At the end of the night I have to go pinch myself, thank my mom, thank my sisters, thank so many people who made the difference for me in life, and I want to make sure we have more opportunities like that for children in the future in Kansas City."
At just 34 years old, Lucas will be the youngest mayor in living memory. In fact the man who was mayor when Lucas was born attended his watch party Tuesday night.
"He's got good experience. He has the right vibes, the right tone," said former Mayor Dick Berkley, "He just is an excellent, excellent mayor."
Mayor Sly James, who endorsed Justus, stopped by the party to congratulate Lucas on his victory.
The mayor elect said his first priority once taking office is addressing the violent crime problem in Kansas City. Lucas was endorsed by the police and fire unions. Affordable housing was also a pillar of his campaign.
At a forum hosted by 41 Action News and the Kansas City Public Library, Lucas was asked what he promised to achieve in his first year in office.
Lucas promised to address public safety and help get Kansas City off of the top 10 most dangerous cities list. He said community policing would be central to his plan as well as hiring more detectives to clear homicides and addressing mental health within criminal justice.
When asked about infrastructure, Lucas mentioned accountability.
"We need the Department of Public Works to do its job," he said. "It's not just getting it done; it's getting it done right."
Lucas also stressed affordable housing to help revive the city's east side, and discussed making sure that developers should have to help provide options for affordable living if they want to come to the city.
One of the main points Lucas made at the forum is a desire to increase community policing and have officers that get to know members on neighborhoods and build relationships, rather than driving from the opposite side of the city to respond to a crime.
He believes that having officers present and building relationships could deter crime and homicides.
Lucas talked about how he is the product of good mentors and opportunities, and how he wants to provide that for others.
"I'm tired of being an exception," he said. "What I'm focused on is making sure Kansas City works for you."
Lucas will be sworn into office on August 1.
