Remember when birds chirped, flowers bloomed, the mercury hit 100 degrees and Jackson County Executive Katheryn Shields and would-be successor Mike Sanders hugged and pledged unity for the good of the Democratic Party? Well that was soooo last summer.
And it's now the cold of autumn and hell hath no fury like a county executive scorned or at least dissed on Kevin Kietzman's "Between the Lines" radio show.
When Sanders commandeered the cameras at the Oct. 2 legislative meeting where the Chiefs ticket issue first came up publicly, Shields made biting comments to virtually anyone in earshot about his affinity for the cameras. But she was later pushed over the edge apparently when Sanders made several appearances on Kietzman's radio program to discuss the surcharge issue and either tacitly agreed or giggled when Kietzman lambasted the "reign of terror" of Shields.
So then Wednesday afternoon, Legislator Dan Tarwater was summoned by County Counselor Ed Rucker. The mission? Complete the deal on the Chiefs' parking fees. But Shields was balking. So Tarwater gets on a conference call with Shields, Sanders and Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt.
And that's when Shields chewed up Sanders and spit him out, according to multiple sources either familiar with or present for the phone call. She complained in particular about those radio appearances and his involvement in the issue. Tarwater was doing his best to point out, Hey guys, Clark Hunt is listening in on the spat, but apparently that wasn't quite taking. And Shields was vowing to publicly oppose the parking surcharge deal.
After the conversation ended Tarwater sheepishly called Hunt back to apologize for the behavior of the "two-year-olds." Later that night, Tarwater got the foursome back together for a smoother chat, but that apparently took some doing.(See update below)
Shields had pushed for the $131 surcharge over three years to season-ticket holders, calling the change "one little thing." And on the parking surcharge, Tarwater says Shields was against exempting Jackson County taxpayers because doing so would have created roughly a $50,000 shortfall that the Chiefs agreed to pick up. She wanted to charge everyone -- including county residents -- the full rate so there would be no revenue shortfall, he said.
The irony, he says, is the surcharge she championed would have resulted in a $6.5 million deficit. And about her threat to oppose the $3.50 surcharge or even veto it? Tarwater says he explained to her that she would face dire political consquences if she did that.
As KC Buzz Blog readers know, Shields skipped the special meeting yesterday for a long-planned vacation. But she did leave behind a "Memo to Legislature."
"It is my position that any amendment to the Chiefs's lease should be revenue neutral and be based upon payment by a user fee. While it is the prerogative of the County Legislature to amend as it sees fit, it is not the recommendation of this administration that the lease be amended other than as stated above."
When asked by reporters if he feared a Shields veto, Tarwater grinned and said he was quite confident he had the votes to override it.
Hunt was ever the gentleman. After the deal was reached yesterday, he chose to focus on how great it was to get the situation resolved. But if Larry Johnson gets hurt again, let's say that by the way Hunt, a former star Texas athlete, bolted to the elevator afterward, the team need look no further than the owner's box for a replacement.
UPDATE: Sanders called after reading this post to set the record straight on the record. He said a second foursome call did not occur. He said the first foursome call ended after about five minutes when Shields slammed the telephone down. He said he told Shields in response to her questions and criticism that he would not engage her and it was not the appropriate time to have the conversation. He said he, Tarwater and Hunt continued talking for about five minutes after Shields abruptly exited the conversation.
Posted by DeAnn Smith
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