Kansas City’s Quinton Lucas named to prime leadership post for national mayors group
Kansas City’s success in eliminating bus fares has catapulted Mayor Quinton Lucas into a leadership position among U.S. mayors, his office announced Monday.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors nominated Lucas to be the vice chair for transit on the organization’s transportation and communications committee. That means Lucas will help represent the more than 1,400 member cities in advocating for more federal spending on public transportation infrastructure.
“As someone who grew up taking the bus to school during periods when my mom didn’t have a car, I know firsthand how vital safe and reliable public transportation is to so many in our community, and I am proud to fight for families like mine in this new role as we continue our work to increase mobility for all Kansas Citians, all Missourians and all Americans,” Lucas said in a statement.
The announcement comes in a year with several major transit victories for Kansas City. This spring, Lucas and transit officials found funds in the budget to eliminate bus fares citywide. The streetcar, a legacy project for Lucas’ predecessor Mayor Sly James, will be extended both north and south with the help of two federal grants.
Though it sprawls across four counties and countless miles of roads, Lucas called Kansas City “a public transit city” and proud to be one.
“In a year when it would have been perhaps easier to slice transit budgets or delay transit projects, Kansas City has provided zero-fare transit to all residents; has secured local and federal funding to expand our fare-free streetcar in both directions, months ahead of schedule; and has made substantial progress on our new state-of-the-art airport terminal, which remains on time and on budget,” Lucas said.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a non-partisan organization, representing about 1,400 American cities with populations greater than 30,000. The group takes positions on key tenets of urban policy before Congress and the White House.
In the position, Lucas said he’ll strengthen relationships with the Kansas and Missouri congressional delegations and push for further accomplishments.
Robbie Makinen, CEO of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, another key driver of the push for zero-fare busing, said the transit community was proud of Lucas’ appointment.
“It’s clearer than ever that people are paying attention to Kansas City — particularly as it relates to public transportation and mobility for our residents,” Makinen said. “I look forward to working with the mayor to share our Zero Fare Transit initiative with communities across the country.”
