MORE2 opposes sales tax for new ballpark, Arrowhead renovations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The racial and economic equity organization MORE2 decided to oppose the 3/8 cent sales tax to help pay for a new Kansas City Royals ballpark and renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, with one week left of early voting before election day on April 2.

The goal Tuesday night was to have an open conversation about what a ballpark might bring to the people that MORE2 and its organizations work with.

“It’s very transparent and it gives the individuals who live and work in the area to give them a path to voice their concerns,” said Second Baptist Church of Olathe Pastor Rev. Bobby Love.

But, it look less than an hour for the organizations and members to decide the sales tax isn’t in their best interest.

“We want to be supportive of Kansas City’s efforts as an organization, we want to be supportive of the growth and the economic development of what’s happening, but we also want to make sure the communities we serve are well-positioned in those offerings,” said Board Chair Edgar Palacios.

He at least partially blames the flow of information to voters and other stakeholders.

“The way that it’s been handled, the way that there’s been a lack of transparency, the way that there are still a lot of questions about who will benefit from the construction of the new stadium, had those questions been answered in a way that satisfied the members, I think they would have voted differently,” Palacios said.

MORE2’s Executive Director Lora McDonald was part of the community benefits agreement negotiations until she left a few days before the agreements were announced.

“Honestly, it was like the show ‘Survivor,” said McDonald. “We were getting voted off the island or ejecting ourselves it was kind of wild in the CBA negotiations process .”

She says she’s happy SEIU Local 1 got an agreement to protect their workers and she’s happy with the numbers of minority-owned businesses that are supposed to be part of the project.

But, she also still says the CBA as a whole should have gone much farther.

“We just wanted the best package for the full community and at the end of the day, it didn’t look like we were going to get any say in that legitimately so we left,” McDonald said.

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