Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Municipal elections in Kansas City, Missouri (2015)
2016 →
← 2014
|
 |
2015 Elections By Date Recent News |
Arlington • Aurora • Boise Boston • Buffalo Charlotte • Chicago Cleveland • Colorado Springs • Columbus • Dallas • Denver Durham • El Paso Ferguson • Fort Wayne Fort Worth • Garland • Greensboro Henderson • Hialeah Houston • Indianapolis Irving • Jacksonville Kansas City • Laredo • Las Vegas • Lincoln • Los Angeles • Long Beach • Louisville • Madison Memphis • Miami Milwaukee • Nashville North Las Vegas Oklahoma City • Orlando Philadelphia • Phoenix Pittsburgh • Plano • Raleigh Riverside • Sacramento San Antonio San Francisco San Jose • Seattle St. Louis • St. Paul St. Petersburg • Tampa Toledo • Tucson Washington, D.C. Wichita |
| Note: Cities listed in this box are those among the 100 largest in the United States that held elections in 2015. |
The city of Kansas City, Missouri, held nonpartisan elections for mayor and city council on June 23, 2015. A primary election took place on April 7, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was January 13, 2015. All 12 city council seats were up for election.[1][2]
Incumbents ran for re-election in the races for Districts 1 and 3 as well as At-large District seats 1, 4 and 6.
Major issues in Kansas City's 2015 election cycle included a streetcar extension plan, renovation of the Kansas City International Airport and the future of Kemper Arena. You can read more about these issues below.
Mayor
Candidate list
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- Vincent Lee
- Sly James
- Incumbent James was first elected in 2011.
- Clay Chastain
- Vincent Lee
- June 23 General election candidates:
Election results
| Mayor of Kansas City, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
 Sly James Incumbent |
87.3% | 29,830 | |
| Vincent Lee | 12.7% | 4,337 | |
| Total Votes | 34,167 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Cumulative general election results," accessed January 26, 2016 | |||
| Mayor of Kansas City, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Sly James Incumbent |
84.8% | 19,884 | |
| Vincent Lee |
9% | 2,112 | |
| Clay Chastain | 6.2% | 1,456 | |
| Total Votes | 23,452 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official primary election results," accessed May 20, 2015 | |||
City council
Candidate list
District 1
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- Dick Davis
- Jane Rinehart
- Heather Hall
- Louie Wright
- Dick Davis
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 1 At-large
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- Scott Wagner
- Jeffrey Roberts
- Scott Wagner
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 2
- Note: Incumbent Russ Johnson was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits.
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- Note: Bill Super withdrew from the race on March 4, 2015.[3]
District 2 At-large
- Note: Incumbent Edward F. Ford was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits.
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 3
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- Shaheer Akhtab
- Jermaine Reed
- Jamekia Kendrix
- Bryan Dial
- Rachel Riley
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 3 At-large
- Note: Incumbent Melba J. Curls was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits.
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 4
- Note: Incumbent Jan Marcason was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits.
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 4 At-large
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- Jared Campbell
- Jim Glover
- Bryan Stalder
- Katheryn Shields
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 5
- Note: Former District 5 representative Michael Brooks resigned from office on January 2, 2015.[4]
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 5 At-large
- Note: Incumbent Cindy Circo was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits.
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 6
- Note: Incumbent John A. Sharp was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits.
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- June 23 General election candidates:
District 6 At-large
- April 7 Primary election candidates:
- Scott Taylor
- Incumbent Taylor was elected to the council in 2011.
- Scott Taylor
Election results
General election
| Kansas City City Council, District 1, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Heather Hall |
54.2% | 2,388 | |
| Dick Davis Incumbent | 45.8% | 2,014 | |
| Total Votes | 4,402 | ||
| Source: Clay County Board of Election Commissioners, "Official general election results," accessed August 17, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 3, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Jermaine Reed Incumbent |
72% | 3,701 | |
| Jamekia Kendrix | 28% | 1,436 | |
| Total Votes | 5,137 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official general election results," accessed August 17, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 4, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Jolie Justus |
76.4% | 4,714 | |
| John Fierro | 23.6% | 1,458 | |
| Total Votes | 6,172 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Cumulative general election results," accessed January 26, 2016 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 5, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Alissia Canady |
51.4% | 3,396 | |
| Ken Bacchus | 48.6% | 3,214 | |
| Total Votes | 6,610 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official general election results," accessed August 17, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 6, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Kevin McManus |
75.1% | 6,042 | |
| Terrence Nash | 24.9% | 2,001 | |
| Total Votes | 8,043 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official general election results," accessed August 17, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 1 At-large, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Scott Wagner Incumbent |
79.7% | 24,003 | |
| Jeffrey Roberts | 20.3% | 6,122 | |
| Total Votes | 30,125 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Cumulative general election results," accessed January 26, 2016 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 2 At-large, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Teresa Loar |
66.4% | 20,849 | |
| Jay Hodges | 33.6% | 10,553 | |
| Total Votes | 31,402 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Cumulative general election results," accessed January 26, 2016 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 3 At-large, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Quinton Lucas |
73.8% | 22,677 | |
| Stephan Gordon | 26.2% | 8,055 | |
| Total Votes | 30,732 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Cumulative general election results," accessed January 26, 2016 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 4 At-large, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Katheryn Shields |
50.2% | 16,544 | |
| Jim Glover Incumbent | 49.8% | 16,412 | |
| Total Votes | 32,956 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Cumulative general election results," accessed January 26, 2016 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 5 At-large, General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Lee Barnes |
77.1% | 23,124 | |
| Dennis Anthony | 22.9% | 6,885 | |
| Total Votes | 30,009 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Cumulative general election results," accessed January 26, 2016 | |||
Primary election
| Kansas City City Council, District 1 Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Heather Hall |
31.1% | 1,380 | |
| Dick Davis Incumbent |
28.6% | 1,267 | |
| Jane Rinehart | 27.9% | 1,235 | |
| Louie Wright | 12.4% | 551 | |
| Total Votes | 4,433 | ||
| Source: Clay County Board of Election Commissioners, "Official primary election results," accessed May 20, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 3 Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Jermaine Reed Incumbent |
57.2% | 2,752 | |
| Jamekia Kendrix |
17.5% | 842 | |
| Rachel Riley | 11.1% | 535 | |
| Bryan Dial | 7.5% | 363 | |
| Shaheer Akhtab | 6.6% | 319 | |
| Total Votes | 4,811 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official primary election results," accessed May 20, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 3 At-large, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Quinton Lucas |
51.8% | 10,646 | |
| Stephan Gordon |
11.2% | 2,305 | |
| Virginia Dee Evans | 11.2% | 2,293 | |
| Karmello Coleman | 9.5% | 1,958 | |
| Carol Gatlin | 9.4% | 1,940 | |
| Forestine Beasley | 6.8% | 1,402 | |
| Total Votes | 19,142 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official primary election results," accessed May 20, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 4 At-large, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Katheryn Shields |
42.7% | 9,423 | |
| Jim Glover Incumbent |
42.3% | 9,321 | |
| Jared Campbell | 9.9% | 2,182 | |
| Bryan Stalder | 5.1% | 1,128 | |
| Total Votes | 22,054 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official primary election results," accessed May 20, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 5, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Alissia Canady |
37.7% | 2,355 | |
| Ken Bacchus |
37.5% | 2,342 | |
| Lance Conley | 11.5% | 717 | |
| Edward Bell | 8.6% | 534 | |
| Bilal Muhammad | 4.7% | 295 | |
| Total Votes | 6,243 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official primary election results," accessed May 20, 2015 | |||
| Kansas City City Council, District 6, Primary Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Kevin McManus |
48.5% | 2,013 | |
| Terrence Nash |
29.1% | 1,207 | |
| Henry Klein | 22.5% | 933 | |
| Total Votes | 4,153 | ||
| Source: Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners, "Official primary election results," accessed May 20, 2015 | |||
Issues
Streetcar extension
In August 2014, Kansas City voters shot down a proposal to expand the city's streetcar routes. At the time of the vote, streetcar routes in Kansas City consisted of approximately two miles of track and focused primarily on the downtown area, as seen on the map to the right. The proposal in August would have extended this route to other neighborhoods and regions of the city. Incumbent Mayor Sly James was a strong supporter of the proposal and continued to advocate for extending streetcar routes in 2015.
Several 2015 candidates, including one of James' opponents, Clay Chastain, were highly critical of the streetcar project, advocating, instead, for extension and improvement of the city's bus lines or the creation of a new light rail system.[5][6]
Airport renovations
A second major issue in Kansas City's 2015 election cycle concerned the renovation of the Kansas City International Airport. The conversation revolved mostly around converting the airport from a three-terminal plan to a single-terminal plan with an overall price tag estimated at around $1.2 billion.[7][8]
Kansas City voters and elected officials alike were divided on the issue—especially in regards to the cost. Some argued for maintaining the three-terminal plan, while others pushed for the new single-terminal renovation. A lease agreement between the city, the airport and associated airline partners required a new plan to be established and put into motion by April 2016.[9]
Kemper Arena
A third issue involved the future of Kemper Arena, a multi-use event complex that has housed college and professional basketball games, professional hockey matches and concerts since the 1970s (see image on the right). In 1976, it hosted the Republican National Convention.[10] In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the arena slowly began to fall into a state of disrepair.
The American Royal Association, a development company associated with the arena, submitted a $60 million plan in 2014 to replace the aging arena with a smaller complex to be used for trade shows and youth sporting events. American Royal requested Kansas City to cover approximately $30 million of the total costs. At a city council meeting on November 13, 2014, however, the council elected to seek out competing proposals, which caused American Royal to withdraw their plan.[11] Consequently, the issue was left unresolved at the end of 2014 and made its way into the 2015 election cycle.[12]
Ballot questions
- See also: Jackson County, Missouri ballot measures
Question 1 and Question 2 were on the citywide ballot on April 7, 2015:
Question 1
Question 1 was approved.
Question 1 removed a vacant lot located at 534 Highland Avenue from the city's park system. The Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners stated the property in question was no longer appropriate for park use.[13]
The question was designed to allow the city to sell the land for an estimated $150,000 to the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, helping the university to carry out its campus improvement plan.[14]
Question 2
Question 2 was approved.
Question 2 authorized the city to renew an annual fee of $1,000 on short term loan businesses in order to fund administrative expenses to be used for the regulation, inspection and approval of permits for such businesses.[13]
Kansas City voters originally approved this fee in 2008. Question 2 was also designed to update language and expand the fee to include certain businesses that had changed their business models and claimed they no longer needed to pay the city's fee established in 2008.[14]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kansas City Missouri Election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Missouri Secretary of State - 2015 Missouri Election Calendar
- Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners - Sample Ballot: Municipal Primary, School and Special Election, April 7, 2015
- Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners - Official primary election results
- Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners - Unofficial general election results
- Clay County Board of Election Commissioners - Official primary election results
- Clay County Board of Election Commissioners - Unofficial general election results
- The Kansas City Star, "As big issues loom, the Kansas City Council faces a major turnover," January 13, 2015
- The Kansas City Star, "Sly James, Vincent Lee win in Kansas City mayoral primary," April 7, 2015
Footnotes
- ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "2015 Missouri Election Calendar," accessed September 19, 2014
- ↑ Kansas City Board of Elections, "Home," accessed January 23, 2015
- ↑ Kansas City Star, "Bill Super withdraws from KC council race," March 4, 2015
- ↑ The Pitch, "Michael Brooks announces resignation of his Kansas City Council seat," December 17, 2014
- ↑ KansasCity.com, "Kansas City Streetcar Plan stopped in its Tracks," August 5, 2014
- ↑ Kansas City Business Journal, "Chastain will launch mayoral campaign in KC," December 18, 2014
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Task Force backs single terminal for Kansas City International Airport," May 7, 2015
- ↑ Kansas City Business Journal, "KCI discussion will reopen after months of radio silence," January 9, 2015
- ↑ Kansas City Business Journals, "10 to Watch: KCI terminal debate is far from over," January 2, 2015
- ↑ KCUR, "TIMELINE: A Look Back At 40 Years Of Kansas City's Kemper Arena," July 11, 2014
- ↑ Kansas City Business Journals, "American Royal shelves plan to raze, replace Kemper Arena," November 24, 2014
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "American Royal halts plan to raze Kemper Arena and replace it with events center," November 25, 2014
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 KCEB, "Kansas City Sample Ballot," accessed April 1, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Kansas City Star, "Vote ‘yes’ on KC questions to sell parkland and impose payday loan fee," March 30, 2015
 |
State of Missouri Jefferson City (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |