Tyrone Garner (politician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tyrone Garner | |
|---|---|
| 30th Mayor of Kansas City, Kansas | |
| In office December 13, 2021 – December 15, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | David Alvey |
| Succeeded by | Christal Watson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1968 or 1969 (age 56–57) Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | MidAmerica Nazarene University (BA) Ottawa University (MA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
Tyrone A. Garner (born 1968 or 1969) is an American politician and retired police officer who served as the 30th mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as the deputy chief of the Kansas City Police Department (KCKPD).
Garner was born in 1968 or 1969,[1] in Portland, Maine. He grew up in San Jose, California, before he and his family moved to Kansas City, Kansas, at the beginning of his freshman year in high school. He graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1987 and enlisted in the United States Army. Garner earned a bachelor's degree from MidAmerica Nazarene University and a master's degree from Ottawa University.[2]
Career
After being honorably discharged from the Army, Garner joined the Kansas City Police Department, where he would serve for over three decades, attaining the ranks of captain, major, and ultimately deputy chief.[3] Garner was the first and only African American Kansas City police officer to attend and graduate from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He retired in 2019, and briefly served on the Kansas City Kansas Community College board of trustees.[4] Garner served as a governor-appointed Kansas African American Affairs commissioner for the Kansas's 3rd congressional district.[5]
On November 2, 2021, Garner defeated incumbent David Alvey in a close election to become the first African-American mayor of Kansas City, Kansas.[6] He took office on December 13, 2021.[7][8]
Mayoral tenure
On January 10, 2022, Garner hired Wyandotte County's first black female interim county administrator, Cheryl Harrison-Lee.[9] Four months later, on April 21, 2022, county commissioners raised questions about Harrison-Lee's dedication to the job, citing her ongoing consultancy work with the neighboring city of Kansas City, Missouri, administering economic development tax revenues.[10] Garner "angrily stormed out of a special session"[11] of the unified government on May 3, 2022, refusing to answer commissioners' requests that he begin a nationwide search for a permanent county administrator. Commissioners cited the interim administrators' possible conflict of interest as reasons to begin the search.
In a Facebook post on January 29, 2024,[12] Garner announced he would temporarily step aside as mayor to undergo a medical procedure. Tom Burroughs, former Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives and current Unified Government At-Large District 2 Commissioner served as Mayor Pro Tempore during the recovery period and Garner returned to office on May 2, 2024.[13][14]
On November 19, 2024, Garner's office released a statement saying he would not seek re-election after his current term.[15]
Controversies
On December 16, 2021, Garner proposed ending the county's mask mandate early amid rising COVID-19 cases and against the appeal of county health officials.[16] The repeal of the mask mandate was one of Garner's first acts in office.
On December 27, 2021, Garner closed the county's sole cold-weather shelter.[17] After citizen protests and an emergency commissioners meeting, the cold shelter was eventually allowed to open.[18]
On January 18, 2022, KCTV broke the story that Garner charged county taxpayers $85,569 for a new Yukon Denali.[19] After widespread community debate, Garner returned the luxury SUV on February 8, 2022.[20]
In January 2022,[21] Garner opposed a $23 million downtown redevelopment project.[22] The proposed development had already been approved by the previous administration but Garner's opposition kept the project development agreement off the commission agendas. In April 2023, the Board of Commissioners approved a modified project that included $9.5 million in incentives and subsidies, which Garner did not oppose.[23] Ultimately, the project failed when the developer didn't meet financial milestones.[24]