Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. on Thursday vetoed his own recall election, angering county legislators who approved it and citizens groups who say he should resign.
White, who said the ordinance establishing the recall was unlawful and pricey, has long been under fire for a staggering property tax increase, refusing to build a new jail, vetoing the county's budget and not showing up at his office.
Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said White's veto just added more fuel to the fire for those who want him gone. She called the veto "a blatant performance of conflict of interest, trying to hang on to his job, trying to thwart the will of the people."
"Frank White, you are not Vladimir Putin!" Grant said. "This is not a dictatorship. This is a democracy."
White quickly shot back via news release, saying county legislators like DaRon McGee and Manny Abarca, who both said they would vote to override White's veto, could not lead.
"Let’s be clear: resigning wouldn’t save taxpayers a dime — it would cost them more, potentially billions over time," White's statement said. "And it would hand over the keys to people like DaRon McGee and Manny Abarca, who’ve shown they’re more interested in cutting blank checks to private billion-dollar corporations and rewarding political allies than protecting the public."
County legislators unanimously approved the ordinance for the recall election last week. Shortly afterward, the Jackson County Election Board said it wouldn’t have enough time to prepare for an Aug. 26 election.
“This ordinance is not just unlawful, but it’s also fiscally reckless and a dangerous misuse of the democratic process,” White said in a statement.
White said the $1.8 million price tag of an Aug. 26 election would waste taxpayer money and was illegal. Recall petitions failed to state any legal cause for his removal, he said.
During a Thursday news conference with lots of baseball metaphors, residents held signs that said, "#20, you're out," referencing White's number, and, "Frank White just ain't right!"
"Bench him," came a call from the crowd. "Get him out of the game!"
The Rev. Dr. Vernon Percy Howard, leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and others called on White to resign. White has harmed many homeowners and Black businesses with the property tax spike, Howard said.
"This county executive's governance has been callous, insensitive, out of touch, inhuman, unjust, injurious and we will not be silent," Howard said.
McGee, chair of the county legislature, said he believes the recall boils down to White's mishandling of the controversy surrounding property taxes.
Earlier this year, a judge ordered Jackson County to roll back recent property assessment increases that were greater than 15%.
"Every two years there has been a problem with property taxes in this county," McGee told KCUR's Up To Date," and I think the county executive has been somewhat deaf to that outcry by residents.”
White has previously said he thinks the recall ordinance is a vendetta against him, believing it gained traction after he opposed the Chiefs and Royals stadium sales tax vote in 2024, which voters rejected.
But many speakers at the news conference said their anger has nothing to do with the stadium issue. They said he just wasn't doing his job.
"He's attended only one legislative meeting this year but he picks up a paycheck on time," Grant said.
Abarca said in a statement Thursday that the county legislature will review the veto and consider its next steps, including whether to override the veto or move the election to another date.
McGee said in a statement Thursday that he will vote to override White’s veto of the ordinance.
If the veto override doesn't work, leaders of the citizens group vowed to take White out of office, saying there was a pending lawsuit and the possibility of setting another recall for September or November.
