The 2019 Kansas City mayor turn took another sharp turn early this morning.
Oddly, the turn didn’t take place in Kansas City but in downtown Lawrence, KS, where Councilman Quinton Lucas, who teaches at the University of Kansas School of Law, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
About 11:30 p.m. Thursday, a Lawrence police officer approached Lucas’ car, which was parked on Eighth Street, about a block from Massachusetts Street, Lawrence’s main drag.
Lucas may have been asleep at the wheel. I don’t know if the car was running, but I assume it was because if it wasn’t, he probably could not have been charged. Obviously, a vehicle that is running is more dangerous than one that is not.
This morning, Lucas issued a statement on Facebook, saying…
“Last evening, I attended a university event and a post event gathering. I consumed alcohol. At 10:45 p.m., I decided to leave. When I got to my car I decided that I was not prepared to safely drive home to Kansas City. I decided to behave responsibly and wait in my car until it was safe to drive. Apparently, while waiting, I dozed off. I never moved or attempted to drive my car.
“The car was legally parked in a metered parking spot. I never moved my car, never shifted a gear, never released my parking break, and never attempted to move the car in any manner.”
After being booked into the Douglas County Jail, Lucas was released on a $750 bond.
Lucas is one of nine candidates in the mayor’s race, but, obviously, this incident could dramatically change things.
“If he’s found guilty, I think it would doom his campaign,” Clinton Adams, an East Side civic and political activist told me in a phone conversation.
Quinton Lucas
Although Lucas had not established himself as a front runner in the mayor’s race, I wrote recently he was probably the most eloquent and charismatic candidate in the race and was “the kind of candidate who could make big strides in a short time.”
Indicative of his potential up-side, Lucas had been perhaps the candidate most likely to get the support of the black political organization Freedom Inc. With a large number of candidates dividing the vote citywide, Freedom’s endorsement could be crucial to getting a candidate past the April primary and into the June general election. Freedom will deliver thousands of votes for whomever it endorses. No other political organization can come close in terms of producing votes for a particular candidate.
If Lucas is found guilty of D.U.I., it would be very difficult for him to be competitive in the mayor’s race. He would be better off seeking a second term as councilman from the 3rd District at-large and using the next four years to repair the damage and restore his image.
I believe he would be able to bounce back from a D.U.I. conviction — maybe not in this election cycle, but certainly by 2023.
One of his strongest areas of qualification is his educational background. After graduating from the highly regarded Barstow School in south Kansas City, he got his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Then he went to Cornell Law School, in upstate New York, getting his degree in 2009.
If Lucas should withdraw from the race, it would seemingly bolster the prospects of City Council members Scott Taylor, the leading fund-raiser, and Jolie Justus, who got back in the race after Jason Kander bowed out recently because of depression and post traumatic stress disorder.
Clinton Adams, who has close ties to the Freedom Inc. board, said that if Lucas withdrew, it would improve Taylor’s chances of getting Freedom’s backing.
A major factor working in Taylor’s favor, as far as Adams is concerned, is his $13-million “Revive the East Side” proposal, which the City Council is now considering.
The measure, which last week was advanced by a City Council committee, calls for establishment of a $10-million home improvement fund for repair and rehabilitation and $3 million to preserve or reconstruct dangerous buildings. It would also create a tax credit for employers who hire within the investment area.
Taylor’s plan also has drawn praise from another influential East Side activist with close ties to Freedom. In a letter to the editor in Thursday’s Kansas City Star, Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League, said Taylor’s plan would be a big stop toward “creating one Kansas city where all communities thrive and everyone prospers.”
While he might have a good shot at Freedom’s endorsement, however, Taylor would not be assured of it. Like many other people, Adams is concerned about Taylor’s close alignment with developers and development-related entities. Developers and lawyers who represent them have contributed a significant amount of Taylor’s $350,000-plus campaign treasury.
“He’s never seen an (tax) incentive he didn’t like,” Adams said.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Unfortunately for Councilman Lucas, his statement didn’t also include these key words to describe his actions, “I had not yet placed the key in the ignition.”
A key in the ignition constitutes an attempt to move the vehicle.
Do you think he had the LPD deliver him back to his car to resume his slumber?
All kidding aside, the councilman made a good decision. Stuff happens. He knew driving was not a good option.
This won’t have any measurable effect on his campaign. It might even help. He followed a bad choice, with a reasoned, good one, he was honest in explaining it, and no one was harmed.
Good point — about the good choice he made — Richard. But I think it will all come down to whether or not he’s convicted of D.U.I. If he is, it’s a field day for his opponents — and very difficult for him to explain it away by saying, “I chose not to drive.”
Jimmy I enjoy your blogs especially when they cover the local political scene. My reaction is this. Councilman Lucas is still everything you said he was and more before and after said incident. But, ’tis the nature of politics today suffered by fools like you and me. We quickly adjust our handicapping of ones political future whenever a bad headline appears on said persons behalf. Yet in the new world of politics where we endure contemptible persons such as President Trump, Senator Cruz and so many others who spew venom and hate not to mention media types like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, we should never forget the good ones who are just getting started and need our encouragement if we want a better America. If he stays in or not he will always be a principled and honorable young man who gave up a far more lucrative job practicing law to serve the public. A public where he was raised and often chose to sleep in cars while still a young boy rather than sleep in the streets. Thanks, Quinton, for not drinking and driving. Best to you in the future.
Excellent points, partimus. I’m sure he’s kicking himself for starting the car (if, indeed, that’s what he did) and for having a few too many at the party.
I only came close to getting a D.U.I. once in my drinking days. It was in the early 70s, as I recall, and I was coming home from Westport, driving south on Brookside. I lived on Grand, a few doors south of 51st, and as I approached 51st, I saw the lights flashing behind me. I turned right on 51st, made an immediate left on Grand and stopped in front of my house. I got out of my car and, fumbling with my wallet, dropped my license on the ground. I told the officer, “I live right here,” pointing at my house. After verifying my address on the license, he looked at me, and in a slight tone of disgust, said “You’re drunk as a skunk, but since you made it home, I’m going to give you a break.”
It was one of the luckiest breaks of my life. Several years later I quit drinking, and for decades I’ve been the permanent designated driver for my wife and friends who like their wine.
1) I was very sad to see this story. I have viewed Lucas as a bright, conscientious public servant. Also, he has been very open to thoughtfully communicating with me and others on his Twitter account.
2) He is certainly entitled to the presumption of innocence until this matter is resolved in court.
3) That said, I have to admit to being troubled by a few items. For openers, I wish he had forthrightly admitted that his car was running when the police approached him. (The officer’s audio was played on TV yesterday, and the officer states that the engine is running.)
4) This is from the Star article: “(Lucas) said he had two beers before the event ended about 10 p.m.” “He said he had perhaps another half beer before getting in his car about 10:45 p.m.” In all candor, I have a hard time believing he only had 2.5 beers the entire evening.
You’ve put to rest a key issue, Mark — the fact that the engine was running. Thank you.
Boy, how Quinton must be kicking himself for starting the car!
…I did some online checking, and came across a website called Nolo, which publishes do-it-yourself legal books. According to Nolo, Kansas law appears to allow a charge even if the car is not running. Here’s what Nolo says…
The statute defines DUI as “operating or attempting to operate” a vehicle while under the influence or with a prohibited BAC. Kansas courts have said this includes any “overt act to engage” and does not require movement of the vehicle. So while driving is sufficient for a conviction, it isn’t required.
He must watch “Cops.” That’s what the perps always say: “two beers.”
Why doesn’t somebody just say, “I had two giant margaritas followed by a few Coronas”?
I’m so sick of all the boy scout politics. What bullshit. Is there anyone here who hasn’t driven after having “2.5 beers”? And the hypocrisy surrounding the Kavanaugh hearings was simply unbelievable. How many young boys haven’t tried to cop a feel or drink too much at a party? If you’re claiming you didn’t you’re either a liar or you had one pathetic childhood.
JFK was known as Mattress Jack as a senator. LBJ was a womanizer, a racist and a drunk. There’s a movie out about FDR’s infidelities and, of course, we’re all too familiar with Teddy, Bobby and Bill’s womanizing. Reverends King and Jackson were also known for being a little too randy with the opposite sex.
Bottom line, if this guy is honest (a rarity in KC) who cares if he gets convicted, or not as long as he’s sober when he makes political decisions? Incidentally, The Star must not care about drinking since they endorsed a WYCO judge in a race where the only issue was the many allegations that the judge was drunk on the bench.
It never fails to amaze me that so many people attempt to minimize the seriousness of impaired driving. We’re not talking about something trivial like tossing a candy wrapper on the sidewalk. In this particular case, we’re talking about getting in the driver’s seat and starting the engine even though Lucas admitted he was in no condition to safely drive.
Lucas himself stated the bottom line pretty well: “I do want to make clear that I certainly think driving under the influence is a serious charge, lest anyone think I’m saying this is unimportant. I don’t,” he said. He could have added drunk drivers kill about 10,000 people each year.