The $1.5 billion–plus Kansas City Royals stadium subsidy plan sailed through its first city council committee hearing yesterday, with the Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee voting unanimously to approve $600 million in city funding plus hundreds of millions more in tax breaks. The vote sent Mayor Quinton Lucas into paroxysms of metaphor, declaring that “today is a home run for Kansas City” and that the approval “ensures today that we can walk and chew gum,” among other things.
The committee vote followed a contentious hearing where Kansas City residents, in their first opportunity to sound off on the stadium plan after details were released just the day before, spent hours taking two minute apiece at the microphone, with supporters mostly touting the stadium as a job creator (nope) while opponents mostly complained that billions of dollars in public expense was being rushed through in a matter of days in order to avoid a public vote. The most contentious moment ended with what KMBC, in a paroxysm of the passive voice, described as “one person ended up in handcuffs after being escorted out.”
What actually happened is made clearer in the video posted by KMBC. After testifying against the council approving the stadium funding without a public vote, Darrell Miller, a Kauffman Stadium worker who is a leader with the Missouri Workers Center that is behind the push for a November ballot measure, began complaining off-mic that pro-stadium-funding speakers were being allowed to go over time while opponents were being cut off. In the video, two security officers grab Miller while he’s speaking and begin dragging him off, as he declares, “Get your hands off me!” Eventually even more officers arrive and drag Miller out of the room and then wrestle him to the ground and handcuff him; Fox4KC reports that he was then charged with trespassing and assault, as one does.
The stadium funding next heads for a full council vote, which a city spokesperson said should take place later this week — presumably at its next hearing tomorrow at 2 pm, so get your stadium bingo cards ready — while a rezoning vote to allow for stadium construction will follow on September 3. It seems pretty unlikely that a significant number of councilmembers are going to step up to block the bill at this point, though at least one yesterday did object to the fact that plans were moving ahead without a promised fiscal impact study of spending so much money on the Royals while getting no rent and virtually no stadium revenues in return. The state of Missouri would still need to formally sign off on its $540 million share, but as the state has already set aside money for that, it seems a fait accompli as well.
While there’s still the possibility of a lawsuit from the workers’ center, which has previously called the rush to preclude a public ballot measure “legally questionable,” it seems entirely possible that Kansas City will approve its $1-billion-plus share of a Royals project just three days after the proposal was released, which would be in the running for shortest public discussion period ever for a stadium deal. That would certainly be a home run for somebody, but who exactly will be left as an exercise for the reader.
I am curious if KC cop pensions are fully funded. I always find it amusing when cops reveal who they work for by not opposing deals like this that transfer wealth from municipalities to businesses instead of being used to fund salaries and benefits. Cops aren’t really known for being pragmatic thinkers.
In fairness, the cops on duty at any public meeting/event are there to enforce the law, not to speak in favour of or against any business being transacted at the meeting. Just like when they are at a sporting event (and they always get in free if they are in uniform), they are supposed to be watching the crowd and “patrolling”, not watching the game itself.
I agree with your broader point… the dollars being committed at that meeting are going to come from somewhere, and it it just might be the general fund that pays the salaries/wages of all public employees.
But thinking about my own employment/business, there are lots of times when it can reasonably be said that the work I am doing works as much against my personal interests as it does for them (mainly, money).
Democracy is just a word in the dictionary
I absolutely thought the same thing! What the hell is happening in this country where city and state governments willingly give in to the lies that accompany billionaire sports owners who extort these governments of public funds. It’s reprehensible. Then again, a lot of the general public seems to be dumb enough to argue FOR giving billionaires what they demand
“What the hell is happening in this country where city and state governments willingly give in to the lies that accompany billionaire sports owners who extort these governments of public funds.”
It’s been like this for 35 years now (see: waves hands in the direction of this entire website), but welcome to the party! We have snacks and despair.
As for the general public, Jackson County voters did reject a Royals stadium funding plan that wasn’t even as expensive as this one — in fact, the main reason for the rush this time appears to be that councilmembers are afraid that the general public doesn’t share their enthusiasm. So while I’m no fan of the general public in every case, they are decidedly more skeptical of sports giveaways than most local legislators.
I would suggest that there is no evidence on record that Mayor Lucas or the KC council can walk and chem gum. I assume he meant at the same time, but even as standalone accomplishments, I don’t see any proof that these people can achieve such lofty goals.
What they can do, clearly, is utterly screw their own taxpayers to (temporarily) sate a billionaire.
This is precisely what they were elected not to do, but that doesn’t seem to bother Lucas and his band of Sherman sycophants.
The construction lobby raised several thousand dollars through some non profit and immediately gave the same amount to Mayor Lucas so he could go to a Super Bowl. Any doubt as to why he is willing to do whatever it takes to reward them? No word on whether the city will get a free suite at the ballpark like Jackson County did at Arrowhead. But I think the city gets 35 tickets to each game to reward all the political insiders.
Second prize: 70 tickets to Royals games!
Haven’t they suffered enough?
Rich people get what they want.
Also, this is not a new thing.