Jackson County legislators share thoughts on decision to override Executive’s veto

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - It will be up to Jackson County voters to decide on the future of a downtown baseball stadium after all.

After some high stake’s meetings and negotiations, legislators voted 7-2 on Monday to overturn a veto from Jackson County Executive Frank White, sending a ballot question to the April ballot.

Legislator Megan Marshall was one of the two who voted against overriding the veto.

“My job and what I ran on was about transparency to the taxpayers,” Marshall said. “So that when they go to make decisions and when they go to vote, they have all the information.”

Marshall said the letter of intent from the two teams isn’t solid enough to move this process along.

“So, that was the reason to not override his veto,” Marshall said. “I would encourage the voters to stay engaged, ensure that ability is held to the teams and to the county, to ensure that we get the most out of it as we possibly can get because 40 years is a long time.”

READ MORE: Frank White releases scorecard on stadium deal, highlights unresolved issues

Voter Ronald Lindsay told KCTV5 he’s thrilled with the outcome of the meeting.

“I’m excited about it,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay thinks the teams are too big of assets to let go.

“That’s what makes Kansas City so special, its assets, and to lose its key assets really diminishes the value of Jackson County,” Lindsay said.

“When we talk about jobs and opportunities, the community benefits package, all of that is connected to our assets staying. The Royals and the Chiefs, those are two of our principal assets. So, how do we connect job creation and job development not only in Jackson County, Kansas City but all through the region.”

Legislator Manny Abarca said he’s encouraged by the meeting and the shown from voters.

“I think this is the beginning of a very large iceberg that we are going to have to chop up and figure out how we get all those different increments of things fixed,” Abarca said. “I look forward to actually doing the work that it takes to get these types of things done for the best interest of the people.”

For more stories about Kansas City’s stadium developments, click here.

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