‘Keep them here’ or preserve the Crossroads? Stadium tax voters divided on Royals’ move

Bitter wind stung the cheeks and noses of voters who filed in to polling locations throughout Jackson County Tuesday to weigh in on a much-anticipated tax measure that would raise funds for a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals and for renovations at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium.

If voters sign off on the ballot measure, the current 3/8th-cent sales tax that funds the Truman Sports Complex would be repealed, and a new 40-year, 3/8th-cent sales tax would be established.

Here’s a look at Election Day across Jackson County:

Voters turn out, speak up

Fawn Lies, 28, lives in the Valentine neighborhood, and has fallen in love with their hometown in a different way than previously thought possible. Lies wants to make sure others have the same opportunity, and wants to preserve the community and historic buildings that exist in the Crossroads neighborhood that’s been eyed as the site for the new Royals stadium.

“It’s also frustrating to see that the sports teams that we all champion are so ready to throw away that community for the sake of a few extra bucks,” Lies said. “They’ve got millions, they’ve got parking. Where the hell would one park to begin with?”

Raytown’s Dwayne Young, a big Chiefs and Royals fan, voted in favor of the ballot measure, pointing to Kauffman Stadium’s age and the importance of an upgraded and renovated stadium. The taxes that come with the teams are just part of life, he said.

“It was important for me to keep them here, not anywhere else,” he said of both teams.

“I don’t think they want to move, and I don’t think Kansas City wants them to move,” he said. “They kind of hold it over our heads that hey, we could, it’s a possibility. And it is a possibility, but I don’t believe that they want to move or will be forced to move.”

Lindsey Park, of Raytown, lamented the ask for taxpayer funds and the hit that jurisdictions like the Kansas City Public Library and Kansas City Public Schools would stand to take if a new Royals stadium owned by Jackson County were to be built at the Crossroads location.

“If they want a new stadium, they can pay for it themselves,” she said.

“Those people have more money than God, they can handle it.”

Mollie Stephens, 31, lives in North Hyde Park and came out to vote because she finds each local election to be important, especially given the current political climate, “I do feel like I have more of an impact in my local elections than I even do on a national stage, so I think it’s really important to show up, especially when it’s going to affect me directly, my friends and my community.”

Brian McMillan, 65, and Donna Boudreaux are active voters and local sports fans. They watched a recent town hall on the ballot measure and weren’t impressed by a presentation from the pro side, which they believed seemed unprepared and evasive when it came to difficult questions.

“I’m old enough to know when the stadium was downtown and I remember walking blocks and blocks and blocks because there was no parking,” Boudreaux said. “But the way this has been done is kind of rushed. And we watched the town hall on public TV and the questions were not answered.”

McMillan, who used to work in land development, spoke about the beauty in local businesses building a thriving community in the Crossroads neighborhood.

“The reason that (neighborhood) is alive and thriving is because of the sweat equity people put into it, and to bring a stadium in there ... you’re gonna go in there and kick all those people out and make them go reestablish and find something new,” he said.

Rebecca Sutton, of Raytown, voted in favor of the ballot measure, pointing to the economic impact of the teams.

“I know it adds up, but what is 3/8ths of a cent?” she said. “It’s a nominal give.”

“You always have to improve things,” she said. “Downtown or not, I don’t really care, but you have to improve things.”

Timothy Allen, of Raytown, voted against the tax extension: “We have enough taxes as it is,” he said.

“I don’t agree with moving the Royals downtown and displacing all of those businesses,” he added. “There’s going to be inadequate parking down there. What we have is great, why mess with it?”

Reports of voters turned away

A few reports came in Tuesday afternoon of prospective voters being turned away for wearing Chiefs or Royals gear. Kansas City Election Board director Shawn Kieffer said there was a, “little bit of confusion” from some enforcers.

“It’s okay for (voters) to wear Chiefs and Royals stuff to the polls,” he said. “They can not wear a ‘vote yes’ or ‘no on question one’ or anything like that, that tries to persuade the voters. It’s not considered electioneering and they’re welcoming to come in.”

Kieffer said the board contacted judges by email, phone and sent a letter in packets Tuesday morning with that message, but some locations ran into issues.

“We’ve called those places, we’ve actually went out to some of those places and went back through the rules again to let them know that it’s okay for them to wear that kind of stuff to the polls in Missouri,” he said. “I think we’ve sort of headed it off for the most part.”