the! Well, the filing deadline is closed in Missouri. So we now know who is running for what. And that includes in Jackson County, Phil Lovota, who is right now the interim county executive, deciding that he is going to run for the seat on a full-time basis coming up later this year. Now, Phil Lovota is joining us on KCMO. And the first obvious question, Phil, is you signed a pledge saying, I am not going to do this. I will not seek this on a permanent basis. So why the change of heart? Good morning, Pete. I'll tell you what, this started with me back in September. When I was approached for the interim position, would I consider it? I said, no, I'm happily retired. I do not want to get into the toxicity and the problems of Jackson County. But I talked to a lot of people that I trusted and said, we need someone there. We need someone to do it now. And I told everyone that asked, okay, I'll do it. But I don't want to run. I don't want to be the full-time guy in four years. I want to get in there. I want to write the ship. I want to pass it off to someone that can keep it going. And so I brought up the issue. The legislature loved it because they made everybody sign this pledge because there are a lot of members of the legislature that wanted to run for county executive. So they wanted to lock somebody down. But I didn't have a problem with it. And so I got in and I rolled my sleeves up. I got my nose down to work. I didn't bring up partisan issues. I'm a Democrat, but that's not my job. My job was to bring tax relief to people Jackson County and restore some confidence. And that's what I've been doing. And so for the past months, I've had people come to me and say, you have got to reconsider doing this. If you look at the people that are talking about running, it could be worse than Frank White. You brought stability. You have credibility. You have experience. You've got to do it. So I thought about it. And I thought about, well, what are people going to say? I said I wouldn't run. And frankly, it just boils down to democracy. The people of Jackson County should choose just because I'm on the ballot. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. Jackson County does not want to run. for Congress. He decided it's not his thing. He got out. He's running for state rep. People make decisions. People get information and they change their mind. So this is a lot of noise. I'm positive about what I've done in Jackson County. I'm positive about the future of Jackson County, and I hope the voters will see what I've done and they evaluate me with every other member on that ballot and choose me to do that. I think I've done a good job and I think I'll be good for Jackson County. So what's what's happened in this interim role for you the last few months that that you want to improve on or make better if you do get this job on a permanent basis coming up this year? Well, the biggest thing is going back to taxes. So I got in and we're dealing about with the 23 24 tax cycle assessment that was just a debacle and I had to get in my hands in that and fix that. We rolled back 23 and 24. Well, here we go. We're going to have another tax assessment cycle coming up right now and who's going to be there to approve and supervise the assessment department is the county executive. So I have the experience to make sure that we're going to do fair, transparent and equitable assessments in the next tax cycle and that's very important in 28. The citizen of Jackson County will elect an assessor and they will take over all that responsibilities of the assessment. But until then it's the county executive and my focus is to make sure that taxes do not go up and people do not get go through the ring or like they did before. They were treated like crap by this county for 10 years. So my five and a half months of trying to unravel that mess, it hasn't been long enough. So someone needs to be there with my experience in this next assessment cycle to make sure we don't go backwards in that tax policy. What else has Jackson County as a county in your opinion, missed out on or come up short with with some of the incompetent leadership that's been in place over the last few years. Well, I could take a long time to talk about this. I go places and they say to me, wow, a county executive has never been out here before. I went to Oak Grove and I've been to Oak Grove several times and it's almost like they can't believe it's an alien that's entered their town. The county executive is out here and I say yes, Oak Grove's part of Jackson County. I went out to Tarzney Lakes. They had a problem with their pond that it's a Jackson County pond and it's been filled with algae and lily pads every year and it's a mess. And I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. I think it's a good thing to do. work together. So I have bond with them as my resources and my advisors because it's all one county and that has not been happening before. And I could go on about business leaders, about clergy that I talked about, wow, we've never had a county executive, actually have never had the county involved at all. And that's what I'm trying to change. What about, you know, if there's one thing that you've got a regret on in this interim role for the last few months, what was that regret be? My regret would be that I haven't been able to change the culture of the county as quick as I thought. These people, some people in this county have been ingrained to just be doing their own thing. And frankly, I had the recent example of the clergy's filing for exemptions. And this should be a simple thing. Our churches have a nonprofit exemption and it's simple under the law, federal, state and county. And the county before had been very lackadaisical about whether they did it and allowed it or not. So I went in and said, let's proactively get our information out of these churches. And I found the churches were calling into my assessment department and being told entirely different information than my policy was. So I regret that I relied on the culture changing quicker than everyone else just doing whatever they wanted without any supervision. But it's, but it's in the right direction. We're moving there. And people are understanding that they're out, they are accountable under my administration. Phil LaVota is the interim Jackson County executive filed yesterday to run for the position on a full time basis. So we had John Sherman on the show this week, Phil, we were out at the K on Monday for opening day and and he referenced conversations around the Metro, but it does seem like Kansas City and Jackson County is right up there with the top of the options that are available to the Royals. As you go ahead in this process, especially in this interim role the next few months, which hopefully things are buttoned up by then, what what can you say to folks in the county on how this process is playing out and how you balance keeping the Royals here with also protecting the taxpayer? Well, that's it. It's keeping the role and balancing what's good for the taxpayer. I was with John Sherman after you were on Monday, and we spoke like we always do about what's going on. And I voiced my opinion to him and frankly, actually, it was me and the mayor at the same time talking and we continue to express our support on keeping the Royals in Jackson County. We continue to talk about with the governor that we have a unified effort to do that. We continue to understand it is a business. It is complicated for them. They are making sure they're getting all their ducks in a row. And we understand that I understand that. And when they're ready to to publicize what their location is and what they want to do, and we're ready to publicize what the public private partnership will be, we're going to do that. And it will only be something that is good for the people of Jackson County. And I think it will be. And so I am kind of fatigued about talking about it also. But bigger picture to step back, these things are complicated. And it does take time. I know that the people want to know sooner rather than later. And that's what John Sherman is saying. I think I feel like a broken record. But I think we'll see something the next couple weeks. Do you anticipate an element of whatever the Royals put together in Jackson County to include another sales tax vote of the people? Or do you think that there are incentives available to them that do not include a vote of the people needed with a sales tax? I think there are ways to do it without a vote of the people of sales tax with incentives with bonding and things that aren't a tax increase. There are, you know, we look at our people over in Kansas with the star bonds, the way they've implemented over the is kind of outlandish. But there are incentives that that is a way to do things that isn't a vote. Now we over here in Jackson County still have our three cents sales tax that takes care of the stadiums. I'm not proposing we do anything with that at all regarding the Royals, but it is, excuse me, there's something that is going to go on for the next five years and my end. And we'll see later down the line if the people of Jackson have an appetite to help. But yes, there are ways to go about funding a new stadium without a vote of the people. Well, speaking of the Truman Sports Complex, now you had a press conference last week saying, you know, you're going to put together a committee to try to figure out what's next for that that plot of land when these teams are gone from the Truman Sports Complex. If you had your druthers, if you could pick something right now, Phil Levota, what would you put there at the Truman Sports Complex? You know, I made a joke and I said, you know, I have horses, wouldn't a horse track be good? And I was joking and I've been skewed on the Internet. This guy was once a race track because he has horses and it's just been ridiculous. But I'll tell you what, I don't know what I don't know. And that's the reason for this task force. That's the reason for public input to get all sorts of ideas from everyone. It's from people across the nation to tell us like, here's some ideas. And I want to get all that information together, the best, the brightest, and then give it to the people, Jackson County, say, look what we could do. Look what it could look like. Look what it could cost. Look what the impact would be to jobs, not just jobs in construction, but long time jobs. And what it would look like to not just Kansas City, not just Jackson County, but all the municipalities around Jackson County too. The influence on independence, Raytown, Blue Springs, Lee Summit. So, so I guess my long question answered to you, Peter, I don't have a choice. I want to see what the options are. And I really want to think big in Jackson County. This is a generational decision to make for something we could deal with for 2030, 40, 50 years of changing. It could be even bigger and better than the Truman Sports Complex now. So are you saying a race track is off the table for sure? I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying I'm not taking it. If it came back and said a race track would be good, that'd be great. Okay. We could have a stop car races or Indy 500. I don't know what we have 400 to 500 acres of prime real estate in the heart of Jackson County, right on the highways. We could do all sorts of things. All right, there you go. Fill the voter interim Jackson County executive who is going to be running for the permanent role as well. Coming up this year. Thanks so much, Phil. Appreciate you being here and best of luck. Next week. All right, fill the voter on KCMO talk radio. Next roll with Vernon Davis, the transformative journeys of athletes, artists and entrepreneurs. Ladies and gentlemen, lights out Sean Merriven. I want to be the biggest and the best when I do. And so whatever it takes, I'll get it done in business and everything else. All I do is know how to fight and earn what I want. My man, Malik asks, what actor, comedian, what you want to collaborate with? Me, Jamie Foxley, Kevin Hart in a movie. We said it on Vernon Davis podcast there. So we'll circle back and be like, yep, it's going to clear next roll with Vernon Davis. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.
