Mayor Quinton Lucas Endorses a “Yes” On Question 1 Despite Community Backlash and Some Economists’ Expert Opinions

Lucas speaking from the podium standing alongside Royals CEO John Sherman and Chiefs President Mark Donovan (Photo/KMBC) Background This past Saturday, Mayor Quinton stood alongside Chiefs President Mark Donovan and Royals CEO John Sherman to publicly endorse a yes vote on the stadium sales tax. Lucas’s endorsement came just three days before the special election and just three after the Royals announced a new stadium redesign. The last minute changes have left many voters more concerned about the Royals’ plans for Crossroads. Lucas, on the other hand, is more concerned about the unproven economic impact. Mayor Lucas endorses new stadium despite what experts say “This is about the tens of thousands of jobs that we will generate,” Lucas claimed “This is about our future. This is about progress.” The idea that a new Crossroads stadium will create more jobs and generate income is based on a flawed theory: people spend more money, more money creates more jobs. In an article written in 2022, Peter Jacobsen–an Assistant Professor of Economics at Ottawa University–addressed how this perceived “new spending” is actually just “substitutionary spending” meaning people aren’t spending additional money but rather spending the same money, just elsewhere.& The prevalent idea among...