Frank White offers $10 million for COVID-19 fight, but legislators want to know more
Jackson County Executive Frank White on Monday proposed a $10 million coronavirus-related aid package, most of which would go for supporting health and medical services related to the spread of COVID-19.
But in announcing the package on the steps of the downtown Kansas City courthouse without first coming to an informal agreement with the county legislature on its details, White angered some of the county legislators who will decide the proposal’s fate.
“I asked Frank, why don’t you wait until it comes to the legislature,” chairwoman Theresa Galvin said in a phone interview, “but he said no.”
Said longtime legislator Scott Burnett: “We haven’t been consulted much at all.”
Calling White’s announcement premature, Galvin said legislators felt “sandbagged,’’ adding that White appears to feel he is in competition with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas to see which of them gets more TV face time on the local response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“They both try to see who can get before the cameras first,” she said. “He (White) seems to be in the middle of a pissing match with Quinton Lucas. You can quote me on that.”
White’s chief of staff, Caleb Clifford, called Galvin’s remarks “unfortunate” when informed of them by a reporter via text message.
“The County Executive is focused on doing whatever it takes to combat the disease, supporting our safety net providers, and delivery of food to those who can’t leave their homes,” Clifford wrote.
“We are working together with Mayor Lucas and his entire team day and night. I’d encourage you to reach out to them and see if we have been anything but good partners and allies in this fight.”
Lucas’ spokeswoman said the mayor has “worked hard to build strong relationships with his regional partners for the best interest of Kansas Citians. Like with the City Council and other regional leaders, Mayor Lucas has enjoyed getting to know Frank.”
Under White’s proposal, the county would earmark $3 million for the county’s public hospital, Truman Medical Center, which could use it to buy ventilators and personal protective equipment for hospital workers, as well as expanding bed capacity and testing for the virus.
The county health department and other health care providers would each get $1 million for testing and tracking spread of the disease. Another $2 million would be designated for temporary housing for people under quarantine who have no other appropriate shelter, as well as for increased hospital bed space.
The package also includes $1.5 million for food delivery to those unable to leave their homes and $1.5 million in matching funds to help cities within the county buy masks and other personal protective equipment for law enforcement, first responders and workers at the jail.
“This proposal will save lives,” White said in announcing the plan.
White said he was calling the plan the Runions Act in honor of Missouri state Rep. Joe Runions, a Grandview Democrat who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19 and remains hospitalized.
“My team started work on this emergency funding plan before hearing about Joe’s unfortunate diagnosis,” White said, “but as soon as I heard his call to action I thought it would be fitting to recognize his strength, courage and dignity in this way.”
The $10 million would come from the county’s emergency reserves fund, county administrator Troy Schulte said at the announcement, which was carried live on the county’s Facebook page, where it is archived.
But Burnett said the source of the funding is unclear. “We don’t know where it’s coming from,” he said.
White said legislators he has spoken with were supportive of the concept behind his proposal.
Legislator Crystal Williams put out a statement on Facebook shortly after the announcement.
“County Executive Frank White is proposing emergency expenditures of rainy day funds to prepare the county for what the pandemic could very well bring,” she wrote. “I support this approach, we simply need to discuss, as a legislature, the specifics.”
Galvin said a meeting to discuss the proposal has not been set and is unsure what the final package will contain or how it will be paid for.
“Of course, we all want to help,” she said. “We still need to delve into it.”
