Sylvester "Sly" James, Jr. (born December 9, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Kansas City, Missouri from 2011 to 2019.

[2][3] In 1971 James joined the Marines and served as a military policeman in California, Japan, and the Philippines; he was honorably discharged in 1975.

In 2002 he left to start the Sly James Firm, where he continued to specialize in personal injury and other civil litigation, as well as mediation.

[2][3] In 2012 Newsweek / The Daily Beast included James in its list of most innovative mayors for his work in turning Kansas City into the "Silicon Prairie," spurring its entrepreneurial development and for partnering with Google to bring their ultra-high speed broadband network to the city.

James celebrated his victory at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City's 18th and Vine District.

Josh Earnest, the White House Press Secretary at the time, is a native of Kansas City.

James also complimented Barack Obama's role in preserving race relations within Kansas City.

James defended the practice, arguing that the city had been unable to determine whether the meals were safe to eat.