Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas to Visit St. Louis

ST. LOUIS - This Thursday and Friday, October 28 and 29, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas will visit Mayor Tishaura O. Jones in St. Louis for a two-day tour touching on important issues for both cities and emphasizing the importance of collaboration. This visit is a continued effort by both administrations to promote regionalism among leaders in the state of Missouri and share best practices for public safety, equitable development, and more.

“With our world-class health systems, top-tier universities, and incredible sports scene, St. Louis is the cultural and economic hub of our region,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “Our collective success depends on regional collaboration, even from across the state. I’m excited to welcome my brother and close friend from Kansas City to highlight the important work we’re doing here in St. Louis around equitable development for our neighborhoods, addressing root causes of crime to improve public safety, and increasing access to quality, affordable childcare.”

“Mayor Jones is my trusted friend and colleague. She knows our communities and I appreciate our discussions related to the work in Kansas City and St. Louis to make our streets safer and to reduce the tragic violence affecting too many of our families,” said Mayor Quinton Lucas. “I look forward to visiting Mayor Jones and the people of St. Louis this Friday to discuss ways we can work together to curb gun violence in Missouri, bolster quality and affordable childcare opportunities, and foster thriving neighborhoods.”

On Thursday, Mayor Jones and Mayor Lucas will attend the St. Louis Blues home game, followed by a ride-along with the Cops and Clinicians program, which this year has taken more than 2,100 unique cases to help connect the right professional to the right call. On Friday, the two leaders will start their day with a walking tour of the historic Old North neighborhood, one of the communities adjacent to the planned $1.7 billion NGA West campus. Joined by St. Louis Development Corporation Chair Neal Richardson, the leaders will discuss the city’s neighborhood planning process to harness development as well as an upcoming economic justice plan for disinvested neighborhoods.

They will later be joined by the US Department of Justice and community groups for a public safety roundtable and neighborhood walk through Dutchtown, which utilizes community violence interruption programs to help reduce gun violence. Through the American Rescue Plan, Mayor Jones has allocated $5.5 million to expand such programs, and St. Louis has joined the White House’s Community Violence Intervention Initiative and was featured by the US Treasury in its early recovery highlights.

Following lunch, the mayors will stop by a childcare facility to highlight the need to expand childcare options for working families through the passage of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda and Bipartisan Infrastructure package. Mayor Jones has allocated $2 million in American Rescue Plan funds for early childhood education.

The visit is the result of invitations sent by the two leaders in June following in response to the possibility of a special legislative session. Mayor Jones and Mayor Lucas are committed to collaborating on the shared issues facing our metropolitan areas to improve life for residents in their respective cities.