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41 Action News and Kansas City Public Library host mayoral forum ahead of election

Posted at 11:12 AM, Jun 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-12 15:53:10-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri municipal general and special election will be held on Tuesday, and the question at the center of discussion is who will be Kansas City's next mayor?

41 Action News has teamed up with the Kansas City Public Library to host and moderate a forum for the two mayoral candidates to discuss hot topics and answer community questions.

A crowded April primary left two candidates in the race: Jolie Justus and Quinton Lucas.

Justus has served in the Missouri Senate and sits on the Kansas City Council. She has the endorsement of outgoing Mayor Sly James.

“We have to focus on affordable housing, equitable transportation options, educational opportunities,” Justus said one day after her primary victory. “All of those things feed into public safety, which is our No. 1 issue in the city.”

Lucas has also sits on the Kansas City Council. He is endorsed by the KCMO fire unionand the Kansas City Fraternal Order of Police.

“You have this new-school approach with what I am trying to do,” Lucas said after the primary. “Making sure that we are reaching out to every community, that we are bridging divides, that before we talk about big-ticket items, big projects, we are also talking about making quality of life better for every person living in Kansas City.”

Both candidates have endorsements from other council members as well.

Some popular topics within the community include infrastructure (specifically potholes), public safety and affordable housing.

The mayoral candidate forum will be held at the Kansas City Public Library Plaza Branch on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. with a reception preceding the event at 6 p.m.

Visit the library's website or the Facebook eventto RSVP, or catch the debate live on KMCI-TV 38 the Spot, stream it on any 41 Action News streaming service, or watch live on the 41 Action Newsand Kansas City Public Library Facebook pages.

The Municipal General and Special Election will be held on June 18 and polling will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Kansas City residents can vote for mayor, city council (districts 3 through 6), city council at large (districts one through six), municipal judges for the 16th Judicial Circuit and KC Question 1, which has to do with property taxes.

Sample ballots and additional information can be found on the election board website.