Block parties, bike lanes & maybe baseball? Meet North Kansas City’s new mayor

North Kansas City’s new mayor claims he isn’t your typical suit-and-tie politician.

Jesse Smith, the newly elected mayor of the small but growing city of about 5,500 people made history by winning his race by just 36 votes, one of the largest margins in the city’s history. Now he’s looking to bring back the qualities that made him fall in love with the town just north of the Missouri River.

Smith said residents can get used to seeing their new mayor walking around in jeans and a T-shirt with the name of a local business on it, what he describes as a small testament to his love for the tight-knit community.

His leadership comes at a time when North Kansas City has caught the eyes of the Kansas City Royals, and an influx of small business owners are choosing to open up shop in the area instead of downtown or in other parts of the metro. The momentum is reflected in its changing demographics — North Kansas City’s population grew by 24% from 2020 to 2023, according to census data.

While he said at this point he doesn’t know much about the Royals’ rumored consideration to bring the team to North Kansas City, he said his opinions on major projects like that will be shaped by his constituents.

Smith, a Georgia native, moved to North Kansas City in 2013 to be with his wife, who is from the area. He said he went from being hesitant about moving to Missouri to really enjoying and caring about North Kansas City, serving on its City Council, and now being the mayor.

Smith served nearly six years on the City Council before defeating former mayor Bryant DeLong. Ahead of the election, Smith held several open meetings and town halls to hear from residents, a communication style he thinks the city could improve on.

“My number one piece of my campaign was communication,” he said. “My tagline was ‘leadership that listens.’ Finding a centralized communication solution is like my number one goal right now.”

In Kansas City proper, the city uses the myKCMO app, which connects residents to city services and opens up a channel for residents to file complaints. Smith is hoping to explore similar options for North Kansas City to establish a two-way communication system.

“I want to be out meeting with people, meeting with groups, holding town halls, going to apartment complexes, sitting in their common room and answering questions, asking what’s on their minds,” Smith said.

He said he won’t be starting those efforts from scratch, because he had already started doing similar things as a council member.

After a shooting outside of North Kansas City High School last year, Smith arranged a town hall focusing on gun violence, an issue that he said really fired him up.

With the backing of City Council, he’s hoping to find more similar opportunities to talk with residents and get creative with grants to connect the community more.

Bringing back block parties

One big reason Smith said he fell in love with North Kansas City was its small-town, family feel.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he remembers going to houses, having cookouts and meeting his neighbors. Now, he said he feels like the social aspect in the small town has gotten lost. He’s hoping his mayoral tenure could bring that back.

The city has already tried to encourage more social gatherings through its neighborhood block party grant, which provides up to $400 in reimbursement for supplies for block parties.

Last year, Smith said, the city gave fewer than five block party grants. During his time in office, he said he’s hoping to spread the word about the grants and continue to find more ways to unite neighborhoods.

“I want to shout from the rooftop so people are using these, meeting their neighbors and building community,” he said.

While campaigning, Smith knocked on doors in the city and said he heard many people say they do not know their neighbors well enough. He’s hoping to change that mindset through more community engagement events sponsored by the city in partnership with local businesses.

One of his ideas, which he said is still cooking, would involve local restaurants providing a special, limited menu for city-backed events. This way more people will be inclined to meet not just their next-door neighbors, but families throughout the city as well.

Walkability and bike lanes

Smith said North Kansas City has so much potential with its relatively flat terrain, especially compared to other hillier parts of the metro.

The City has already implemented more pedestrian-friendly areas, particularly the project along Armour Road with more decorative crosswalks and a bus stop island. Smith said while on the campaign trail he received mixed emotions about what the city is doing in regards to bike lanes.

Now the city is looking to connect the bike infrastructure all the way down to 32nd Avenue in a joint effort between Parks and Recreation, city staff and residents.

But for those who aren’t fans of the city’s plans, Smith said he’s doing his best to hear them out too.

His hope is to make sure the city can make local cyclists pleased with trails and lanes but also accommodate those who prefer to drive around the city.

“I’m not trying to get rid of bike lanes,” he said. “I’m also not necessarily trying to shove new ones in unless that’s what residents are looking for.”

He said that talks of new development in the city often make residents concerned about increasing taxes, but Smith said his goal is to get more creative with grant funding opportunities to offset that possibility.

Smith said North Kansas City has a fund for capital improvements but he said the city is very selective on how it uses those funds. However, if residents overwhelmingly support a project, he is open to looking into city funds to pay for bike lanes and other improvements.

Whether it’s about infrastructure, political engagement or something else, Smith said he’s committed to listening to what residents want from his administration as the city continues to grow and change.

This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 6:00 AM.