Frank White: This attempt to recall me as Jackson County executive is a power grab | Opinion

An effort to recall me as Jackson County executive is underway, claiming to be about property assessments. Don’t be misled. This isn’t about assessments — it’s about money, power and punishing me for standing up for taxpayers.

I’ve long said Missouri’s property assessment system needs reform, and I understand the frustration. But this recall won’t fix assessments. It’s a distraction, orchestrated by wealthy special interests who want to undo your vote and force a stadium tax back on the table.

Follow the money. This all started with the failed proposal for a sales tax to build a new stadium for the Royals near downtown — a 40-year, $2 billion tax commitment with no guarantees the Royals and Chiefs would stay or share revenue. I opposed it because it wasn’t fair for taxpayers. Jackson County already gives the teams $50 million a year with little to show for it. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the tax. That should have been the end of it.

But powerful insiders didn’t like that outcome. Instead of respecting the will of the voters, they launched a recall effort. They aren’t fighting for homeowners — they’re fighting for themselves.

One name stands out — Bridgette Williams, head of the Heavy Constructors Association, a group that benefits financially from large stadium contracts. Despite living in Kansas, Williams has played a key role in pushing for a new stadium tax in Jackson County. Her association stood to gain significantly from the project, and now that voters rejected it, she and her allies are backing efforts to remove me — the person who stood in their way.

The recall is being run by a dark money group led by someone related by marriage to Williams, as The Star has reported. This isn’t about accountability — it’s about controlling Jackson County’s tax dollars.

A dangerous precedent

This recall isn’t just about me — it’s about whether wealthy special interests can override an election when they don’t like the outcome.

First, they tried to push the stadium tax. Now, they’re using the recall process to install someone who will give them what they want.

If they succeed, your next county executive won’t be chosen by voters. Instead, a small group of legislators — some of whom supported the stadium tax — will hand-pick a replacement who answers to them, not to the people of Jackson County.

That’s not democracy. That’s a power grab.

I hear from older adults struggling with rising costs, single parents juggling bills and working families who can’t afford to take their kids to a game — yet they’re expected to fund billion-dollar franchises. They deserve leaders who fight for them, not for powerful insiders.

This recall isn’t about governance — it’s about special interests trying to force their will on voters.

This recall isn’t about property assessments — it’s about politics. Some didn’t like the outcome of a fair election, so now they’re trying to undo it.

In the meantime, I’m focused on doing the job I was elected to do: serving the people of Jackson County. That includes pushing for a fair deal with the teams, delivering the largest tax cut for older residents in county history and opening a long overdue, state-of-the-art detention center without raising taxes. And that’s just a start.

Let’s stay focused on real progress — not political games. Don’t sign the petition. Let the voters decide.