He was appointed by the city council to replace Butch Felker, who resigned amid a campaign finance scandal (Duane Pomeroy served as acting mayor from November to December 2003).
James McClinton was born in Milwaukee, then moved to Helena, Arkansas in early childhood, and then finally to Topeka.
The city was also honored by a visit from George W. Bush, Stephen Breyer and John Kerry, celebrating the anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision which ended racial segregation in schools and the renovated Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.
After leaving office in 2005, Mayor McClinton worked with a local developer in several states revitalizing inner cities.
At the age of 19, he began a long career of supervisory and management in both public agencies and in the private sector.
McClinton has in excess of twenty years of administrative and managerial experience managing people, projects, resources and a multitude of operational budgets.