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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\u2019s governor, a gathering that Missouri leaders say conveys a unified front after the Chiefs\u2019 announced move to Kansas<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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\u2019s Jefferson City office<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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\u2019s plan around Jackson County as opposed to another potential spot in Clay County.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LeVota, in an interview, pointed specifically at comments Chiefs CEO and Chair Clark Hunt made explaining the team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen Clark Hunt said that, I know he was talking about in 2024 because everybody\u2019s off the same page \u2014 the county was off bad, the city was talking this way and the state,\u201d LeVota told The Star. \u201cNow, we\u2019re talking (with) one unified voice. There\u2019s not three separate entities that are fighting this.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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\u2019 bipartisan push to lure the Chiefs<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lucas reiterated LeVota\u2019s argument in an interview, saying that Kansas City\u2019s bid to keep the Royals had strong support from both Kehoe and LeVota.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s fair to say that we are trying to make sure we can come down the home stretch of this,\u201d Lucas said of the protracted fight over the team. \u201cAnd I think that we, frankly, are able to do so now.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The meeting also signaled that Missouri\u2019s 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<\/a> in both locations<\/a> lapsed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe road to Kansas having the Royals is done \u2014 and I think Clay County that\u2019s done too,\u201d LeVota said. \u201cFrom our perception, the landing point is in Jackson County.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lucas has long supported the idea of a Royals stadium in downtown Kansas City and the city\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cObviously, that would be a site that could work well, I think, for both what we\u2019re trying to build out, but also what we understand to be the team\u2019s needs,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cThe team ultimately will decide what works best for it and we\u2019ll be there to work with them no matter the site.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A Royals spokesperson declined to comment on Wednesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI hope it\u2019s resolved before spring training is concluded, which is kind of opening day,\u201d Lucas said on Wednesday. \u201cI think that what we\u2019re all going to do is work our level best to make sure we can get there.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LeVota said he shared the same expectation and optimism.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOur message to the team is the same thing if we\u2019re talking to them in a unified voice or we\u2019re talking to them separately,\u201d LeVota said. \u201cLet\u2019s make it sooner rather than later. We\u2019re here to hear what you need and to respond with our package.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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\u2019 bid for the Chiefs, which has faced intense criticism after state leaders unveiled it last month.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d Lucas said. \u201cThe taxpayers will always be centered in the decision-making process.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LeVota was less diplomatic about the Chiefs stadium deal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think (Kansas) had this\u2026dog and pony show and \u2018Kansas is a touchdown state\u2019 and three people seemed to know about this deal,\u201d LeVota said. \u201cWe\u2019re here. They\u2019re our tenant for the next five years, so we\u2019re on board to welcome them back.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Star\u2019s Sam McDowell contributed reporting.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n