Winning KCI food vendor gave Quinton Lucas campaign $1,000 in 2019, after election

State records show Mayor Quinton Lucas received a $1,000 campaign donation from the president of the food and beverage company recommended for the concessions contract at Kansas City International Airport.

In July 2019, records show, Milan Patel of OHM Concession Group LLC donated $1,000 to Lucas for KC, the mayor’s campaign committee. The donation was made roughly six weeks after Lucas defeated Jolie Justus in the 2019 mayoral election, and just days before the mayor’s inauguration.

Patel, and OHM, are based in St. Louis. OHM stands for Outstanding Hospitality Management, and operates at several airports in the United States.

OHM Concessions is the “principal” food and beverage operator for Vantage Airport Group, the company recently recommended for the lucrative concessions contract at the new terminal. Lucas supports the Vantage/OHM bid, and provided the decisive vote to send it to the full council for consideration.

Friday afternoon, Lucas said the donation played no role in his decision-making regarding the airport.

“Any suggestion that I would make political decisions based on a donation of any size is ridiculous,” he said. “There is nothing in my record that comports with that. I’m offended by the suggestion.”

Lucas said he has received donations from individuals connected with other airport concession bidders. He said he thinks there is a concerted effort to upend the bid process at the airport.

The mayor said he said he did not know Milan Patel, and did not know why the businessman gave money to his campaign. Patel did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

In 2014, The Star reported Friday, City Councilwoman Teresa Loar received a $500 contribution from Paradies, a concessionaire that is also a part of the bidding for the KCI contract. Loar has vigorously opposed the Vantage proposal.

She told The Star the contribution had no bearing on her decisions related to the airport.

Appearances matter, and the public needs to know

In a statement Friday, Paradies said it had given to several other city candidates, including former Mayor Sly James.

It will be up to Kansas Citians to decide if these contributions have tainted the selection process for the new airport concessionaire. But we can agree on this: It’s information the public ought to have before the final vote is taken. Appearances matter.

That’s the not-so-subtle message from the Kansas City Municipal Officers and Ethics Commission, which released a letter Thursday involving City Councilman Dan Fowler.

Lucas appointed Fowler to the special committee that vetted five bids for the airport concessions contract. Fowler has had a business and personal relationship with Jason Parson, a political consultant who is an equity owner in the Vantage proposal at KCI.

Fowler voted for Vantage. Later, he asked the ethics commission for an advisory opinion on any potential conflict of interest.

The commission said it found no evidence of favoritism, and it complimented Fowler on his candor in seeking the opinion. But the commission also agreed with us: Fowler should have recused himself from the committee vote once Parson’s involvement became clear.

“To avoid the appearance of impropriety to reasonable people of good will, your recusal from the selection committee would have been appropriate,” the commission wrote.

The letter confirms the obvious: Asking questions about Fowler’s role in the selection process is entirely appropriate. Importantly, we still don’t know if the councilman will recuse himself from the final vote on the plan, expected next Thursday.

We think he should. If not, he will have rejected the clear view of the ethics commission.

We have not endorsed or opposed any bidder on the airport concessions contract. That is a decision for elected officials to make.

But all Kansas Citians should insist on a process that is objective, transparent, and based on their best interests, not on insider politics, or who knows who at City Hall. This process has left much to be desired, and the mess will have to be cleaned up, one way or another.

This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 1:11 PM.