Frank White sheds more light on stadium site decision
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Executive Frank White told FOX4 Friday he hopes Question 1 fails Tuesday, April 2.
The Kansas City Chiefs want sales tax money from shoppers to go toward a renovation at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Royals want their half of the money to help build their new ballpark in the East Crossroads.
White, a Royals Hall of Famer, has been a vocal opponent of the team’s plans to go downtown though. He told FOX4 Friday it seemed like their plans are changing every other day.
“I remember being in a meeting where the mayor was actually talking to John Sherman. He said when they chose the Crossroads, the mayor gave him a deal he couldn’t refuse,” White said of Royals Chairman and CEO John Sherman. “Extending the cap three blocks over toward Locust, and so until they can finally work their things out, maybe the Royals should get more of a commitment from the city.”
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In August, the Royals publicly named just two sites they were considering building their new ballpark at, the East Village within the city’s downtown loop, and a site in North Kansas City.
In February of this year though, the Royals chose neither of those sites. Instead, they chose the East Crossroads in the city and Jackson County, at the site of the old Kansas City Star Press Pavilion.
Wednesday of this week, FOX4 went to City Hall and interviewed Mayor Quinton Lucas after the Finance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee meeting. We talked to him about business owners in that area who are upset that the ballpark’s going in the East Crossroads.
“You know I have heard hundreds of controversies, and I have literally talked to almost every person in this, although I never really get to be the final decision maker,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said Wednesday when asked if The Cordish Companies, Power & Light’s developer, was able to influence him to get the Royals to move to the East Crossroads as opposed to the East Village. “I don’t think Cordish is the final decision maker. The Royals make decisions that are based on what the Royals are doing.”
Thursday was Opening Day for the Royals. Jackson County legislators, former Kansas City mayors, Lucas, and the city council were at Kauffman Stadium.
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“Not to my knowledge no,” White said when asked if he was invited to Opening Day. “My sister didn’t get an invitation, so I assume that’s not an invite.”
A spokeswoman for the Committee to Keep the Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County disagreed with that though, saying White was invited. He threw out the first pitch in 2023. He told us Friday he listened to most of the game in his car and said he caught the end of the game at home.
Regardless, in a news release that day, he also floated the idea of splitting the team votes in the future, so the Royals and Chiefs are on ballot questions separately, if the April 2 vote fails. He said he’d be willing to explore a Chiefs only ballot question in August or November of this year “while the Royals finalize their planning.”
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White also said if the Chiefs went on the ballot again this year and by themselves, he’d want their sales tax money to be 3/16ths of a cent, not 3/8ths of a cent. An email to a representative from the Chiefs about this had not been returned Friday afternoon, so there’s no word from the team whether they’d even consider that.
Tuesday, both teams are on just one ballot question. Therefore if it passes, each team would get 3/16ths of a cent in sales tax money for their stadium plans.
White also told us he wants to run for reelection in 2026.
