Kansas governor ‘not negotiating with Chiefs to bring them over’

EDWARDSVILLE, Kan. — Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly was in Edwardsville Thursday celebrating a sidewalk expansion project by the elementary school.

The state’s contributing $125,000 to the project, and the city of Edwardsville’s matching that to make it easier for students to get to school. The project should be complete in time for the start of the 2024-2025 school year.

Thursday was also Kelly’s first on camera remarks on the Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond legislation she signed Friday, June 21.

The legislation’s designed to try and attract the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals to move across the state line from Missouri to Kansas.

“I did not make any overture to the Kansas City Chiefs. I actually had very little to do with pushing the STAR Bonds changes through. That really came from outside groups,” Kelly said when asked what she’d say to people who think she’s trying to steal the Chiefs from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas.

Kelly followed that up by saying she really had nothing to do with the legislation.

“Well, I don’t really have any more steps,” Kelly said when asked what the next steps are in this process. “I’m not negotiating with the Chiefs to bring them over here, so… for me… nothing.”

Kelly did say however she spoke to Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt and President Mark Donovan when the three of them were in Washington, D.C. Friday, May 31.

“Yes. I exchanged words with both Mark and Clark, and it was all in good fun,” she added. “You know, there was no negotiating. There was no you know, trying to lure them, none of that. It was just good fun.”

In Jefferson City Thursday, Missouri Republican Governor Mike Parson talked to FOX4 Capitol Bureau Reporter Emily Manley. Parson told her he’ll be having conversations with a lot of different people in the Kansas City region soon.

“We’ll be talking about what we think maybe the future and how we may put something together both for the Royals and for the Chiefs, and let’s see who else is involved in it,” Parson said to Manley.

Parson said he does not know what amount of money it will take to keep both teams.

“But what I will tell you this much without a doubt, Missouri is in a much better financial shape than what the state of Kansas is. I mean there’s no question of that,” he continued. “But it depends how much do you want to tie up for a 25-to-40-year lease that you’re going to have with the teams? So you’re going to take all those things in play, so for me again, I want to stress to you, this has to be a business deal, it has to work out on paper where it’s going to be beneficial to the taxpayers of Missouri.”

Kelly added Thursday she does not believe she’s restarted the Border War with Parson that the two of them signed in 2019.

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