Sylvester "Sly" James, Jr. (born December 9, 1951), is the Mayor of Kansas City,
Missouri. James lives in Kansas City's Union Hill neighborhood. He was inaugurated as Mayor on May 2, 2011.
James grew up on the East side of Kansas City, at 44th Street and Montgall Avenue. He graduated from Bishop Hogan High School in 1969. There, he was the lead singer of the Amelia Earhart Memorial Flying Band (later renamed Manchester Trafficway) from 1965 to 1970. The band was the opening act for Jefferson Airplane when it performed in Kansas City.
In 1971 James joined the Marines and served as a military policeman in California, Japan, and the Philippines; he was honorably discharged in 1975.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Rockhurst College in 1980, graduating cum laude. In college, he joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Thereafter, he attended law school at the Syracuse University College of Law from 1980 to 1981, but then transferred to the University of Minnesota Law School, where he received a juris doctor degree in 1983, again graduating cum laude.
In 2010, despite having held no previous public elected office, James announced his candidacy for mayor of Kansas City in the city's 2011 non-partisan election. In February 2011, he finished first in the primary with 27 percent of the vote; Kansas City attorney and Platte County resident Mike Burke finished second with 26 percent, and incumbent mayor Mark Funkhouser finished third, with 21 percent.
The race for the general runoff election on March 22, 2011, between James and Burke was described as low-key and cordial. Whereas James had been endorsed by the Kansas City Star, Burke had been endorsed by former mayors Charlie Wheeler, Richard L. Berkley, and Kay Barnes. Ultimately, with only 21 percent of the City's registered voters voting, James defeated Burke by 54 percent to 46 percent. James celebrated his victory at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City's 18th and Vine District.
James is the second African-American mayor in Kansas City's history after Emanuel Cleaver.
On August 13, 2011, James and entourage were touring the Country Club Plaza to investigate a request from Highwoods Properties (which manages the buildings in the Plaza) about imposing a 9 p.m. curfew on the Plaza because of unruly teens gathering there at night. During the tour about 11:30 p.m. gunfire broke out near 47th Street and Wyandotte Avenue, about 50 yards from the mayor. Three people were shot—two boys, ages 13 and 16, who were shot in the legs and a 15-year-old girl whose face was grazed by a bullet. Less than a week after the shooting the city council in a 13‑0 vote approved a curfew in the city. The curfew is 9 p.m. will apply from late May through September in five Kansas City entertainment areas (and 10 p.m. elsewhere) for children 15 and under, 11 p.m. for 16- and 17-year-olds. There is a 10 p.m. curfew elsewhere for children 15 and under and 11 p.m. for those 16 and 17. Other times of the year will have an 11 p.m. curfew on weeknights and midnight on weekends for everyone under age 18.
On January 21, 2016 James made an appearance during the White House daily briefing. Josh Earnest, the White House Press Secretary, is a native of Kansas City. Although he is a non-partisan mayor, during his speaking time, James said that "Kansas City has done quite well under this administration". James also complemented Barack Obama's role in preserving race relations within Kansas City. Kansas city's role in startups, such as Google Fiber, was boasted, along with the 2015 World Series victory of the Kansas City Royals.
Kansas City
Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. State of Missouri and the sixth largest city in the Midwest. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had an estimated population of 475,378 in 2015,making it the 36th largest city by population in the United States. It is the anchor city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Kansas–Missouri border. Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River coming in from the west. On June 1, 1850 the town of Kansas was incorporated; shortly after came the establishment of the Kansas Territory. Confusion of distinguishing the two ensued, and the name Kansas City was assigned to distinguish them soon thereafter.
Sitting on Missouri's western border, with Downtown near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, the modern city encompasses some 319.03 square miles (826.3 km2), making it the 23rd largest city by total area in the United States. Most of the city lies within Jackson County, but portions spill into Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. Along with Independence, it serves as one of the two county seats for Jackson County. Major suburbs include the Missouri cities of Independence and Lee's Summit and the Kansas cities of Overland Park, Olathe, and Kansas City.
The city has several distinguished neighborhoods, each with its own rich history, such as: one of America's largest public farmers' markets located in the River Market District in the north, the cradle of a distinctive form of jazz in the 18th and Vine District in the east, and the Spanish-styled architecture and upscale shops of the Country Club Plaza in the south. Kansas City is also known for its cuisine (most notably its distinctive style of barbecue), its craft breweries, and its major league sports teams.
James grew up on the East side of Kansas City, at 44th Street and Montgall Avenue. He graduated from Bishop Hogan High School in 1969. There, he was the lead singer of the Amelia Earhart Memorial Flying Band (later renamed Manchester Trafficway) from 1965 to 1970. The band was the opening act for Jefferson Airplane when it performed in Kansas City.
In 1971 James joined the Marines and served as a military policeman in California, Japan, and the Philippines; he was honorably discharged in 1975.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Rockhurst College in 1980, graduating cum laude. In college, he joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Thereafter, he attended law school at the Syracuse University College of Law from 1980 to 1981, but then transferred to the University of Minnesota Law School, where he received a juris doctor degree in 1983, again graduating cum laude.
In 2010, despite having held no previous public elected office, James announced his candidacy for mayor of Kansas City in the city's 2011 non-partisan election. In February 2011, he finished first in the primary with 27 percent of the vote; Kansas City attorney and Platte County resident Mike Burke finished second with 26 percent, and incumbent mayor Mark Funkhouser finished third, with 21 percent.
The race for the general runoff election on March 22, 2011, between James and Burke was described as low-key and cordial. Whereas James had been endorsed by the Kansas City Star, Burke had been endorsed by former mayors Charlie Wheeler, Richard L. Berkley, and Kay Barnes. Ultimately, with only 21 percent of the City's registered voters voting, James defeated Burke by 54 percent to 46 percent. James celebrated his victory at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City's 18th and Vine District.
James is the second African-American mayor in Kansas City's history after Emanuel Cleaver.
On August 13, 2011, James and entourage were touring the Country Club Plaza to investigate a request from Highwoods Properties (which manages the buildings in the Plaza) about imposing a 9 p.m. curfew on the Plaza because of unruly teens gathering there at night. During the tour about 11:30 p.m. gunfire broke out near 47th Street and Wyandotte Avenue, about 50 yards from the mayor. Three people were shot—two boys, ages 13 and 16, who were shot in the legs and a 15-year-old girl whose face was grazed by a bullet. Less than a week after the shooting the city council in a 13‑0 vote approved a curfew in the city. The curfew is 9 p.m. will apply from late May through September in five Kansas City entertainment areas (and 10 p.m. elsewhere) for children 15 and under, 11 p.m. for 16- and 17-year-olds. There is a 10 p.m. curfew elsewhere for children 15 and under and 11 p.m. for those 16 and 17. Other times of the year will have an 11 p.m. curfew on weeknights and midnight on weekends for everyone under age 18.
On January 21, 2016 James made an appearance during the White House daily briefing. Josh Earnest, the White House Press Secretary, is a native of Kansas City. Although he is a non-partisan mayor, during his speaking time, James said that "Kansas City has done quite well under this administration". James also complemented Barack Obama's role in preserving race relations within Kansas City. Kansas city's role in startups, such as Google Fiber, was boasted, along with the 2015 World Series victory of the Kansas City Royals.
Kansas City
Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. State of Missouri and the sixth largest city in the Midwest. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had an estimated population of 475,378 in 2015,making it the 36th largest city by population in the United States. It is the anchor city of the Kansas City metropolitan area, which straddles the Kansas–Missouri border. Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River coming in from the west. On June 1, 1850 the town of Kansas was incorporated; shortly after came the establishment of the Kansas Territory. Confusion of distinguishing the two ensued, and the name Kansas City was assigned to distinguish them soon thereafter.
Sitting on Missouri's western border, with Downtown near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, the modern city encompasses some 319.03 square miles (826.3 km2), making it the 23rd largest city by total area in the United States. Most of the city lies within Jackson County, but portions spill into Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. Along with Independence, it serves as one of the two county seats for Jackson County. Major suburbs include the Missouri cities of Independence and Lee's Summit and the Kansas cities of Overland Park, Olathe, and Kansas City.
The city has several distinguished neighborhoods, each with its own rich history, such as: one of America's largest public farmers' markets located in the River Market District in the north, the cradle of a distinctive form of jazz in the 18th and Vine District in the east, and the Spanish-styled architecture and upscale shops of the Country Club Plaza in the south. Kansas City is also known for its cuisine (most notably its distinctive style of barbecue), its craft breweries, and its major league sports teams.
No comments:
Post a Comment