What Kansas City-area leaders had to say about the Chiefs moving to Kansas
The Kansas City Chiefs’ newly announced plans to leave Missouri have been the talk of the town, especially for local officials, many of whom have spent months putting together funding packages for the team.
While Kansans celebrate the major development, Missouri officials are responding with resignation, blame and sadness.
The new stadium will be built in Wyandotte County and will be surrounded by an entertainment district, according to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly. The team’s headquarters and a practice facility will be built in Olathe.
The stadium is scheduled to be open by 2031, which is estimated to cost around $3 billion, not accounting for the practice facilities.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly:
“Kansas is not a fly-over state. We’re a touchdown state,” Kelly said, calling today’s announcement “a little bit surreal.”
Olathe Mayor John Bacon:
“This deal is a once-in-a-generation type of opportunity for our community and region. Having the Chiefs headquarters and training facilities here in Johnson County will be huge for our local economy - and a lot of fun for our families,” Bacon said in a statement. “We’re eager to get to work, and are committed to ensuring the process – and the result – are first class, something everyone in Olathe – and all across Chiefs Kingdom – can be proud of.”
Kansas Rep. Sean Tarwater:
Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Stilwell Republican who helped craft the souped-up stadium incentive package, said the funding mechanism used in the project is fair to local residents.
“It’s a way to build things and allow the people who visit the attractions to pay for it, rather than putting it on the taxpayers’ backs,” he said.
Kansas Lt. Gov. David Toland:
“This is bigger than us, and it’s generational, and I hope my grandkids can look back on it and be proud of the folks that came together in 2025 to bring the Chiefs to Kansas,” Toland said.
He said he expects the project, one of the largest in state history — to have a positive impact on the entire Kansas City region.
“The economic development on the metro as a whole of having a new stadium that can host Super Bowls, Final Fours, big bowl games, is enormous,” Toland said. “These are things that can’t happen now in Kansas City, so the fact that this facility will exist and is designed for this type of national events is going to have a positive impact — not just in Kansas, but in Missouri as well.”
Wyandotte County CEO and mayor Christal Watson:
“All I can say is, not bad for my first week as mayor,” she told The Star after she welcomed the Chiefs to Kansas City, Kansas.
Watson also said that local input and planning will follow the big announcement.
“This is only the first step. And I need to make sure the community understands that,” Watson said.
Kansas Rep. Pam Curtis:
Curtis, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat, said she wasn’t convinced Missouri could have landed a deal to keep the team close.
“I don’t think our competition was really within our region. I think our competition was really outside of the region,” Curtis said. “So I’m really glad they’re staying here, and now I’m just anxious to hear about the community benefit for my county.”
Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt:
In an open letter to fans, Hunt discussed his father’s legacy and his hope that the new stadium will benefit the entire region.
“The benefit to the entire region will be monumental,” Hunt wrote. “A stadium of this caliber will put Kansas City in the running for Super Bowls, Final Fours, and other world-class events. A brand new training facility and headquarters will allow the Chiefs to continue to attract top talent.”
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas:
“Although our conversations with the team extended to as recently as late last week, we understand our very fair, but very responsible financial offer of taxpayer support was surpassed thus far by an even more robust public financing package in Kansas,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said Monday.
Lucas credited the Chiefs fandom as a uniting force in Kansas City, responsible for “breaking through divides in age, hometowns, race, income and politics.”
“We have visited with these teams nonstop,” Lucas said Monday. “We have made sure that they know that we will work all that we can do to make sure they stay. It’s just unfortunate that myself and City Council can’t create STAR bonds.”
Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota:
LeVota said Monday that Jackson County respects the Chiefs’ decision to move across state lines, “but we don’t agree with it.”
“The Kansas City Chiefs are more than a football team,” LeVota said Monday. “They are part of the fabric of this community.”
“We put together the best plan, one that protects the team, protects the community and respects the taxpayer,” LeVota said. “...And now, to hear the details coming from Kansas? The $3 billion project? Wow. To you, Kansas taxpayers, good luck.”
Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson:
“No matter how long we had to think about this as a possibility, it’s still a shock to the system,” Missouri House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said in a phone interview after news of the Chiefs’ move broke.
Patterson characterized the Chiefs’ move as a business decision, saying that a new domed stadium in Kansas was an offer that Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri could not match.
“As easy as it would be to now play the blame game here in Missouri, I think it’s best we regroup and get together as city, state and county leaders and see what we can do about maybe keeping the Kansas City Royals in Missouri,” Patterson said.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe:
Less than an hour after the announcement, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe shared a message on social media.
“Team ownership has decided to abandon Lamar Hunt’s legacy at the iconic Arrowhead Stadium,” Kehoe wrote on X, “a place that Chiefs fans have rallied around since 1972. At Arrowhead, every game feels like a Super Bowl. No new stadium will replicate that.”
Royals president John Sherman:
Royals CEO John Sherman offered his congratulations to the Chiefs in a statement Monday afternoon.
“On behalf of the Kansas City Royals, I want to wish the Hunt family and the entire Chiefs organization all the best on this important day,” Sherman said. “Though a few more miles may separate us in the future, let’s continue our work as we build a world-class championship sports legacy for the Kansas City region.”
Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune:
“Governor Kehoe’s mishandling of efforts to keep the Chiefs in Missouri is a major reason the team is poised to relocate across the border,” Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said in a statement on Monday.
Missouri Rep. Mark Sharp:
Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat, signaled in a lengthy statement that there was plenty of blame to share among state and local leaders. He added that he had watched his last Chiefs game.
“Chiefs fans deserved loyalty and transparency,” Sharp said. “Instead, a combination of local dysfunction, state-level inaction, and organizational indifference brought us to this moment - and our community is being left to pay the price!”
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
