James Knowles III
| James Knowles III | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of the city of Ferguson, Missouri | |
|
Assumed office April 2011 |
James Wallace Knowles III (born 1979) is an American politician. He was first elected Mayor of the city of Ferguson, Missouri, in April 2011. Knowles, who was 31 years old at the time of his election, became the youngest mayor in Ferguson's history, as well one of the youngest mayors in Saint Louis County and the state of Missouri at the time.
Knowles received bachelor's degrees in political science and criminal justice from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri in 2002. He graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 2008 with a master's degree in public policy administration.
Knowles is a former chairman of the Missouri Young Republicans. Knowles was a staff member for former Missouri state Senator and Democrat Ted House. He is a former employee of the Ferguson Police Department, serving nearly four years in the department's communications division.
Knowles served on the Ferguson city council prior to becoming mayor. Knowles was elected Mayor in the nonpartisan election on April 5, 2011, winning 49% of the vote. He defeated two challengers, Pearce Neikirk, a realtor, and former Ferguson mayor Steve Wegert.Voter turnout for the April 2014 mayoral election was extremely low at just 12 percent. Knowles publicly expressed disappointment with the low voter turnout at an April 2014 city council meeting.
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