Biography

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Mayor James A. McClinton's strong attachment to the community began when he moved here at the age of six and has continued ever since. Upon graduation from Washburn Rural High School, McClinton furthered his education locally, first at Washburn University, earning a minor degree in Psychology, an Associates of Arts Degree in Mental Health, and a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice, then receiving a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas with a concentration in local and state government. He graduated with honors in the masters program.

Over the years McClinton garnered experience while serving the State of Kansas in various leadership positions. In 1995 he was appointed to the Kansas State Board of Nursing as a mental health representative by then Governor Joan Finney. He later became the first president of the Board not holding a nurse's license. He has also worked for the Kansas Department of Corrections, the Kansas Insurance Department, and served as a top administrator for the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority.

However it is his service on a municipal level that has earned him the most recognition.

McClinton served on the Mayor's Crime Commission and three years on the Mayor's Affordable Housing Commission. He served eight years working with community development issues, particularly with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) process. He was also a hired personnel consultant for the City of Topeka.

Having spent so much time working with city government from the outside, McClinton decided to serve as part of city government from the inside. He was first elected a Topeka City Councilmember in 1991, completing two years of the unexpired term of a retiring member. In 1997 he went on to be elected to a four-year term representing Council District Three. During the intervening years he also served a three-year term as a Planning Commissioner for the Topeka/Shawnee County Metropolitan Planning Commission. This record of service prompted his peers on the City Council to select McClinton as the City's next mayor in December 2003. He completed the unexpired term of former mayor Felker, serving as Topeka's first African-American mayor until April 2005.

Over the years our mayor has earned many honors, including membership in the National Honor Society for Public Administration; Outstanding Young Men of America; Washburn University Alumni Fellow, 1999; Marquis Who's Who in the Midwest; Marquis Who's Who in America; and Marquis Who's Who in the World. He is a member of Antioch Baptist Church.

In his spare time, McClinton enjoys fishing and baseball. He and his wife Martha “Lee” live in Topeka and have four children, Tawana, Yamil, Jameika, and Jamal.