Despite losing KCI contract, Burns & McDonnell gives $20,000 to airport campaign

Burns & McDonnell, the Kansas City engineering firm that sought but did not obtain a contract to design and build a new single terminal at KCI, has made a late contribution to the pro-KCI campaign.

Missouri Ethics Commission filings posted on Monday show that Burns & McDonnell gave $20,000 to the KC Transportation Transit and Tourism Committee on Oct. 27.

“Since the beginning, Burns & McDonnell has been committed to a new KCI,” the company said in a statement. “Even though we invested a significant amount over the past several months, we wanted to show our support for the new KCI campaign with another $20,000.”

Mark Nevins, a principal with the Dover Strategy Group, is running the pro-KCI campaign.

Burns & McDonnell, along with Americo Life Co., emerged in May as the potential recipients of a contract to build and privately finance a new KCI single terminal, a $1 billion project long sought by city and business leaders.

When the city reversed course and call for competing proposals, Burns & McDonnell was disqualified because outside attorneys advising the Kansas City Council had misgivings about the firm’s financing plan for the project. Burns & McDonnell has disputed the city’s conclusions.

Burns & McDonnell had been considered a potentially major funder of the pro-KCI campaign, had it received the contract for the terminal project.

Burns & McDonnell later suggested that it had already contributed to campaign through a series of television and radio commercials extolling the need for a new airport prior to city council picking Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate for the terminal job.

This story was originally published October 30, 2017 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Despite losing KCI contract, Burns & McDonnell gives $20,000 to airport campaign."