A pair of top officials from Kansas City and Jackson County traveled to the Missouri Capitol on Wednesday to discuss the Kansas City Royals with the state’s governor, a gathering that Missouri leaders say conveys a unified front after the Chiefs’ announced move to Kansas.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota both confirmed to The Star that Gov. Mike Kehoe invited them to the closed-door meeting, which occurred Wednesday afternoon in Kehoe’s Jefferson City office.
Both officials touted the gathering as a sign that Kansas City, Jackson County and Missouri were united around a plan to keep the Royals inside state lines. That acknowledgement appears to center the state’s plan around Jackson County as opposed to another potential spot in Clay County.
LeVota, in an interview, pointed specifically at comments Chiefs CEO and Chair Clark Hunt made explaining the team’s decision to move to Kansas. Hunt told reporters, in response to a question from The Star, the team had to negotiate with the county, city and state in Missouri, but only had to deal with one entity in Kansas.
“When Clark Hunt said that, I know he was talking about in 2024 because everybody’s off the same page — the county was off bad, the city was talking this way and the state,” LeVota told The Star. “Now, we’re talking (with) one unified voice. There’s not three separate entities that are fighting this.”
The hourlong meeting and comments from both officials are noteworthy and suggest that Missouri leaders plan to do things differently after the Chiefs announced move. The meeting between two Democratic-leaning politicians, Lucas and LeVota, and Kehoe, a Republican, echoes Kansas’ bipartisan push to lure the Chiefs.
Lucas reiterated LeVota’s argument in an interview, saying that Kansas City’s bid to keep the Royals had strong support from both Kehoe and LeVota.
“I think it’s fair to say that we are trying to make sure we can come down the home stretch of this,” Lucas said of the protracted fight over the team. “And I think that we, frankly, are able to do so now.”
The meeting also signaled that Missouri’s stadium efforts will largely center on Jackson County. The Royals have explored stadium locations in Clay County and Kansas, but those options have appeared to dwindle over the past several weeks after deadlines in both locations lapsed.
“The road to Kansas having the Royals is done — and I think Clay County that’s done too,” LeVota said. “From our perception, the landing point is in Jackson County.”
The exact stadium location in Jackson County remains unclear, however. Both Lucas and LeVota did not reveal any specifics about local or state offers to the team or their preferred stadium locations, saying that decision would be left up to the team.
Lucas has long supported the idea of a Royals stadium in downtown Kansas City and the city’s preferred location for months has centered on a site at Washington Square Park. Lucas touted that location again on Wednesday, but reiterated that it was up to the Royals.
“Obviously, that would be a site that could work well, I think, for both what we’re trying to build out, but also what we understand to be the team’s needs,” Lucas said. “The team ultimately will decide what works best for it and we’ll be there to work with them no matter the site.”
A Royals spokesperson declined to comment on Wednesday’s meeting.
Lucas and LeVota also emphasized a speedy end to the protracted fight over the team between Missouri and Kansas, which has dragged on for more than 18 months. Both officials said they hope to strike a stadium deal before the end of spring training, which will finish in late March.
“I hope it’s resolved before spring training is concluded, which is kind of opening day,” Lucas said on Wednesday. “I think that what we’re all going to do is work our level best to make sure we can get there.”
LeVota said he shared the same expectation and optimism.
“Our message to the team is the same thing if we’re talking to them in a unified voice or we’re talking to them separately,” LeVota said. “Let’s make it sooner rather than later. We’re here to hear what you need and to respond with our package.”
If it materializes, the timeline touted by Lucas and LeVota would put officials on track to secure or announce a Royals stadium deal by the end of March. The Royals begin spring training next month and games will run through March 24.
That timeline would mark the culmination of a fight that has roiled local and state politics in Kansas and Missouri for months. The future of the Chiefs and Royals has raised the temperature along State Line Road and threatens to renew a bitter economic border war between the two states.
After the closed-door meeting among top Kansas City-area leaders in Jefferson City, Lucas said any Royals stadium deal would be transparent for taxpayers. He then took an apparent shot at Kansas’ bid for the Chiefs, which has faced intense criticism after state leaders unveiled it last month.
“I think that we will have a good deal more transparency in what the transaction looks like than what you might have seen in other stadium deals announced in our region, around the country,” Lucas said. “The taxpayers will always be centered in the decision-making process.”
LeVota was less diplomatic about the Chiefs stadium deal.
“I think (Kansas) had this…dog and pony show and ‘Kansas is a touchdown state’ and three people seemed to know about this deal,” LeVota said. “We’re here. They’re our tenant for the next five years, so we’re on board to welcome them back.”
The Star’s Sam McDowell contributed reporting.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.kansascity.com ’
