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.
