As Royals officials meet with Jackson County leaders in an attempt to work out a deal for a new stadium in downtown Kansas City, Mayor Quinton Lucas says there are signs that the county is not negotiating in good faith.
"To the extent there is blame on both sides — and there is — I think we have seen in recent weeks more challenges coming from the Jackson County side of the ledger," the mayor told KCUR's Up To Date.
"If the county executive [Frank White] is uninterested in public funding in any way to support a stadium, I think it is worthwhile for him to just say that."
Lucas says that he'd like to hear answers about what a community benefits agreement with the Royals might look like, and how much the county could reasonably invest in a project of this nature.
But, he argues, White — a former Royals second baseman and the current Jackson County Executive — has not focused on that.
"Instead, what we are debating is what seems to be a bit of a personality issue between the Royals and a former Royal, and we're all caught between," Lucas said. "And, I don't think that this is something that is good for the people of Kansas City, this region more broadly, or as getting to some finality on this issue for the Royals."
