KC’s late-night move on Chiefs, downtown Royals shuts out the council and the public

If Kansas City officials are going to seriously prepare for the possibility of major investments in area sports facilities — from a downtown Royals stadium to improvements required by the city’s hosting of the 2026 World Cup — they need to start the conversation with the public and City Council, and move it out of the backroom.

Kansas City Manager Brian Platt has apparently missed that memo.

In a surprise development Wednesday night, Platt notified council members he will hire an “owner’s representative” to oversee the effort to move the Royals downtown, as well as any upgrades in facilities needed for the 2026 World Cup. The draft contract, which was provided to the editorial board, also says he’d represent the city in any discussions about a Kansas City Chiefs “stadium project,” whatever that is.

The no-bid contract would go to Doug Bach, former administrator for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.

It is not surprising, or especially concerning, that City Hall wants to further insert itself into a process that is primarily and historically Jackson County’s responsibility. The city has interests it needs to protect, and Platt apparently believes hiring an outsider will help the city do that.

But Platt’s hurried plan excludes the City Council, and therefore the public, from any significant voice in who gets hired, or whether the hiring is necessary at all. That’s a serious mistake. It will further alienate residents who remain largely in the dark about the stadium discussions, including cost and location for potential new construction.

The debate over the stadiums is simply too important to exclude the public. That’s why we urge the City Council to exercise its right to stop the contract until a full discussion about it can take place, openly and transparently. Four or more council members must notify the manager that they object to the agreement within the next five days in order to stop it. They should do so -- or explain why they’d willingly let themselves, and their constituents, be cut out of the conversation.

After that, we urge Mayor Quinton Lucas and Platt, and other interested parties, to fully disclose their plans, if any, for the sports franchises. If the Royals are to come downtown, someone should say so. If taxpayers are to be on the hook for improvements at Arrowhead Stadium, someone should say so. If the Chiefs are serious about moving — or improving their current stadium — someone should say so.

No one has yet produced a public, concrete plan for moving the Royals downtown, or constructing World Cup renovations at the football stadium, or addressing the Chiefs’ needs. There are rumors, whispers, nudges. That isn’t good enough any more.

It isn’t known if Platt has discussed his plans with Jackson County officials. If he has not, he should do so soon.

There are other important questions raised by the memo. It proposes hiring Bach for one year, at a cost not to exceed $120,000, and the contract can be extended for five additional years. Bach would report to Platt and Lucas, not the full City Council.

Why would Platt award such a contract without a bid? Yes, city rules give him that authority, but no one in his position should forget the lessons learned during the no-bid fiasco over Kansas City International Airport’s new terminal.

Kansas Citians will also want to know more about Bach’s relationship, if any, with Mayor Lucas. In 2021, while he still worked as the Unified Government’s administrator, Bach exempted Economic Development Director Katherine Carttar from Wyandotte County’s residency requirement. The exemption enabled her to keep her job.

Carttar is married to Mayor Quinton Lucas.

That doesn’t mean Bach isn’t a good choice. He might be. But it does mean the public is entitled to hearing the case for his hiring.

During his 2019 mayoral campaign, Lucas compared downtown baseball to a Maserati — nice to have, but unaffordable. Has his position changed? Kansas Citians will want, and they deserve, a full explanation of discussions surrounding baseball, football and soccer in the days ahead.

Kansas Citians remain largely unaware of the status of downtown baseball, or what the Chiefs might do, or who will pay for World Cup improvements. That has to change. Taxpayers will not support major spending for stadiums — nor should they — until these discussions are held openly.

A no-bid, no-vote stadium consulting contract, unveiled in the dark, is a horrible start.

This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 10:03 AM.