Royals, Chiefs make final pitch to Jackson County voters
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Committee to Keep the Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County, held a Get Out the Vote Rally inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Monday.
The treasurer of that committee is Whitney Beaver, the chief financial officer of the Kansas City Royals.
The Chiefs want 3/8ths of a cent in sales tax money to renovate Arrowhead while the Royals want that money to help build their new ballpark in the East Crossroads.
Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said people all around the world know who the Chiefs are because of the team’s success as of late on the field.
Attorney of Chiefs WR Rashee Rice releases statement regarding Dallas crash
“The value, the meaning, the importance of these stadiums for Kansas City cannot be overstated, and we are thrilled to be in a position to keep them here for decades to come,” Hunt said Monday on stage inside the Ford Founders Club.
Hunt would not speak to reporters afterward. Neither would Royals Chairman and CEO John Sherman. Sherman also spoke on stage though.
“A ‘vote yes’ will ensure both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals remain at home in Jackson County, where we belong, and where we want to play ball,” Sherman said.
Polling obtained by FOX4 in March showed a close race as to whether voters will vote yes or no to Question 1 on the Tuesday, April 2 ballot.
Royals explain concrete cancer issue, fans weigh in on stadium debate
“I want to task everyone in this room to get their friends, their families that live in Jackson County, to go vote because when you vote tomorrow, you’re not just voting to keep the Chiefs and Royals here in Jackson County, you’re voting for people’s livelihood, you’re voting for jobs,” Jackson County Legislator DaRon McGee said on stage Monday too.
McGee’s ordinance is the one that made it to Tuesday’s, April 2 ballot. If voters say yes, the Royals would get a new 40-year lease in Jackson County. The Chiefs’ lease would be for 25 years with three additional, five year extension options.
Another one of the people at Monday’s event was Duke Dujakovich, the president of the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO.
“There are people on both sides who don’t live in Jackson County and actually don’t even live in the state, some of them,” Dujakovich said to FOX4 after the event when asked if a lot of the people supporting a ‘yes vote’ don’t even live in Jackson County.
Another one of the people willing to speak after the event was Royals Hall of Fame Third Baseman George Brett. FOX4 also asked him if he really thought there was a chance the teams would leave the metro if voters say no Tuesday.
Business owners, artists hold event opposing proposed Royals stadium
“So, we want Kansas [City], we want to remain the Kansas City Royals,” Brett said. “I don’t know what Mr. Sherman’s plans are. I don’t know what Brooks Sherman’s plans are. I don’t know what they’ve even talked about, but hopefully it passes, and we won’t have to worry about that.”
Polls open at 6 Tuesday morning. They close at 7 p.m.
