Top Missouri lawmaker resigns to lead sports authority as Kansas courts Chiefs, Royals

The top Democrat in the Missouri Senate will officially resign to become the executive director of the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority, which controls the lease agreements with the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, in a resignation letter to Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday, said his final day in the Senate will be Sunday, June 30. Rizzo has signed an employment agreement with the sports complex authority and will start in his new role on July 1, replacing Jim Rowland, who retired after 18 years.

“It has been an honor to represent the citizens, communities, and businesses of Jackson County in the Missouri General Assembly for the past 14 years, and to work with my colleagues to fulfill our state’s motto of letting ‘...the good of the people be the supreme law,’” Rizzo said in the letter to Parson.

Rizzo’s entry into the position comes at a crucial time when the future of the Chiefs and Royals is uncertain. Kansas lawmakers have put on a full court press to lure the teams across state lines and passed legislation to attract the teams with more than a billion dollars in bonds .

The Royals had pushed to leave Kauffman Stadium for a new ballpark near downtown in 2028. And the Chiefs had plans to take over the space as part of an $800 million makeover of Arrowhead Stadium.

But those plans have stalled after Jackson County voters rejected a stadium sales tax extension in April that would have funded portions of the projects, effectively putting the future of one of both teams in limbo after their 25-year leases expire in January 2031.

Rizzo, who was poised to term out of office after this year, will lead the sports authority after more than a decade in both the Missouri House and Senate. Supporters hope his statewide connections and ability to foster relationships across the aisle could help the state’s push to keep the teams.

His new role comes after he navigated Senate Democrats through a record-breaking filibuster this year that blocked a measure to overhaul direct democracy in the state — a major win for Democrats who had just nine seats in the chamber.

Rizzo referenced the filibuster in his letter to Parson, touting how lawmakers “protected every Missouri citizen’s right to petition their government by safeguarding the integrity of our direct-democracy initiative petition.” The top Democrat also called on lawmakers to choose Missourians over party.

“I believe our achievements can be a roadmap to future leaders, so long as they continue to place ‘the good of the people’ before party and partisanship,’” he wrote in the letter.

Rizzo’s experience working with Republicans in the GOP-controlled state Senate could be crucial to the state’s effort to negotiate with the Chiefs and Royals. Missouri lawmakers have not rushed to directly respond to Kansas’ push to lure the teams, partly due to infighting among Republicans in the Senate.

While it’s unclear how Missouri might respond to Kansas, any Missouri effort to use state funds to keep either team is almost certain to run into resistance from a group of hard-right senators in the state Senate. One of the leaders of that group, Republican Sen. Bill Eigel from Weldon Spring, is running for governor in the August primaries and has sharply criticized the idea of state incentives for stadiums.

House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, said last week that Missouri lawmakers could consider holding a special session to respond to Kansas after the August primary elections. Patterson, in an interview with The Star this week, championed Rizzo’s leadership.

“We know we have a leader that’s trusted and knows what he’s doing in that spot, especially with us having to negotiate the sports teams,” said Patterson, the presumptive next House speaker.

Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican who chairs the state Senate’s powerful budget-writing committee, also touted Rizzo’s experience in an interview earlier this month, referring to him by his nickname “J.J.”

“He’s an incredibly smart, hard working guy and…I’m sure he will do a phenomenal job in that role,” said Hough, who is running for lieutenant governor.

The sports complex authority board of commissioners initially voted on Rizzo’s employment agreement last month . The board approved a signed copy of the agreement last week.

In his new role, Rizzo will serve as a liaison between the sports authority and representatives from the Chiefs and Royals. As executive director, he will also have to connect with officials from Kansas City, Jackson County and Missouri, according to his employment agreement.

The employment agreement that Rizzo signed will run from July 1 until June 30, 2027 and is similar to Rowland’s in terms of pay and benefits. His base salary will be $150,000 with the potential for annual raises of up to 4%, along with benefits given to Jackson County employees.

The Star’s Mike Hendricks contributed reporting.