Quinton Lucas isn’t ‘freaking out’ about losing Chiefs, Royals to Kansas. Should we? | Opinion

In a fight to keep the Chiefs and Royals in Kansas City, Mayor Quinton Lucas isn’t “freaking out,” he told us this week. But nor is he waving the white flag about the possibility of losing one or both franchises to border state Kansas.

This, despite a curious social media conversation he held, as well as current and former Kansas leaders cheering on the potential move.

Lucas sat down with The Kansas City Star Editorial Board Tuesday to discuss a myriad of issues. Most surrounded what keeps Lucas up at night. Losing the teams isn’t one, he said.

What worries Lucas the most, he said, are public safety issues — mainly violent crime and overworked and underpaid 911 emergency call takers — that affect the quality of life for Kansas Citians.

“There is a running concern that I have never stopped having as it relates to public safety in a few different ways,” Lucas said. “We continue to have a very active 911 answering crisis, which I consider to be just a fundamental failure of our form of government.”

Lucas said he routinely receives messages from constituents about long 911 hold times and tied up emergency phone lines. The crisis “is deadly, life-threatening and it’s troubling,” he said.

In an wide-ranging, hourlong interview with the board — the first since 2022 — Lucas talked about the teams, crime, the board of police commissioners and the so-called border war with Kansas.

We commend Lucas for putting up a brave front these days. But a recent social media post he made on X caught our attention. Could his public posturing underscore what most of us fear? Losing either franchise could have a crippling effect on Kansas City’s civic spirit. If both moved, what would become of the Jackson County-owned and taxpayer-funded Truman Sports Complex?

This week, Lucas wrote on X: “Maybe because I moved a lot growing up or went to school on State Line, but I can’t do the whole Missouri v. Kansas thing. Kansas City’s really one place, as all who live here know. We’ll grow together long term and decline if we can’t figure out how to grow the regional pie.”

When asked to expound on the post, Lucas told us he wanted to change the narrative. He said he’s over the bidding war to lure the Royals and Chiefs away from Kansas City.

“I ain’t getting into the border war battle again,” Lucas said. “It is reductive and in many ways a waste of time.”

However, he told us, “I have grave concerns of an empty Truman Sports Complex.”

Lucas said private negotiations to keep both teams in Missouri are ongoing. All options are on the table, including the Missouri General Assembly matching whatever proposal Kansas lawmakers come up with, according to the mayor.

“The sky is not falling,” Lucas said.

Fear of empty Arrowhead, Kauffman stadiums

He did acknowledge the attention coming from west of State Line Road, but discounted the buzz.

“If you distill through everything that’s happening, it seems that there are some development interests who have friendly state legislators … saying, ‘Hey, come our way.” You know, you haven’t heard a lot of meat on the bones on the project.”

That meat might come next week. In a special session, Kansas lawmakers will decide on a multibillion-dollar package of STAR bonds in an effort to lure the franchises to the Sunflower State.

Lucas did express concern about the economic impact that losing two professional sports franchises could have on eastern Jackson County.

“You know, the most interesting border collaboration discussions I’m interested in are affordable housing, our transportation, are the ways that we actually build up the pie for the entire region.

“Because moving things from one side to another is not additive for our region.”

We share similar concerns.

Empty swaths of land at the Truman Sports Complex is not ideal, said the mayor, and we concur: A vacant Arrowhead Stadium or Kauffman Stadium — or both — would have devastating consequences on the surrounding areas of Raytown, Independence and east Kansas City.

“Kansas City is better with the Royals and Chiefs,” Lucas said.

We find it difficult not to fear losing one or both franchises. Lucas may pretend not to worry, but what about everyday Kansas Citians?

If Lucas knows something we don’t know about the possibility of keeping both teams in Missouri, he should say so.

If he’s conceding this border war to Kansas, he should say that, too.

911 call center, board of police commissioners

Lucas partly blames Kansas City’s 911 problems on a board of police commissioners that doesn’t answer to the public, which he rightly called a structural problem in our city’s law enforcement structure.

Lucas filed a lawsuit last year against the state of Missouri, arguing a new law requiring the city to spend more on police is unconstitutional. In May, the state Supreme Court found that voters were misled when they approved the measure and called for a new election to be held in November.

Gov. Mike Parson, as is his right, moved the election up to the August primary. Lucas questioned the ballot initiative and date move.

“I think the reality is that if you actually had five minutes to talk to every Missourian about state control of policing versus local control of policing … every person would say, that doesn’t make any sense.”

He also implied that moving the vote to the August primary was a strategic one. “I thought that those who were against local control would think they have so strong a card to play that they can win that race easily in November.”

Whether an August date — which typically means lower voter turnout — is an easier climb for those who agree with the police board, we must return to his big concerns about 911 calls, with too-long wait times. He cited some more recent examples, including a personal incident last year when his sister had to wait on hold for five minutes on the 911 line after their mother fell ill.

Lucas said the problems stem a from a “highly stressful job,” lower pay and retention for 911 operators, who need a culture that is attractive to work in. The mayor said many workers in the center are women of color, who need to be paid more, get better training and feel more appreciated. He also touted the city’s new SAVE KC initiative to combat violent crime, which he announced with Police Chief Stacey Graves and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker this month.

Our expansive conversation made it evident that there is work to be done in several areas.

Losing one or more of Kansas City’s pro sports teams may be uppermost on people’s minds right now, but gun violence, the city’s murder rate — which has slowed this year — and local control of our police department remain important concerns.

We hope the mayor will be transparent about these issues, especially as we move forward in this election year when voters will have important decisions to make yet again.

This story was originally published June 12, 2024 at 12:39 PM.