Jackson County Chair Rebukes 'Stunt' With Millions In COVID Cash

Earlier this week we presented a presser from the courthouse wherein Exec Frank White offered guidelines for the distribution of grants with federal money . . . 

The reaction . . .

THE JACKSON COUNTY LEGISLATURE CHAIRMAN CALLS OUT THE EXEC FOR "POLITICAL THEATER" AND ARGUES THAT THE NEW RFP VIOLATES EARLIER AGREEMENTS!!!

Real political watchers should know . . . 

If the recall is successful . . . Jackson County Legislature Chair DaRon McGee is the likely replacement for Executive Frank White but he will NEVER go on record and confirm or deny that assertion until well he's sworn in . . .

Meanwhile, Jackson County Exec Frank White is telling everyone that he's gonna win the recall.  

Probably more importantly . . .

The distribution of APRA funds was the last time the Legislature was REALLY united and pressed the Exec to agree and send desperately needed cash into the community. 

So, it's understandable that after years of negotiation, the chair would respond quickly to any change to the terms that were already set . . .

Accordingly, here's official word sent to local media and worthy of a look by voters . . .  

County Executive White’s RFP Violates Law, Misleads Public and Hurts Communities

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Legislature Chairman DaRon McGee today condemned County Executive Frank White’s unilateral release of a Request for Proposals for community grants, calling it unlawful, misleading, and deeply unfair to the very organizations that deserve support.

On December 19, 2024, the Legislature adopted Ordinance #5955, which appropriated ARPA funds and required that fifty percent of recouped revenues be directed to disadvantaged communities and fifty percent to county infrastructure. That same day, the Legislature adopted Ordinance #5956, creating the Disadvantaged Communities Fund and the Infrastructure Fund as the only lawful vehicles for those dollars. These ordinances codified a compromise between the Legislature and the Executive, ensuring that community needs and infrastructure priorities would both be met.

The Executive’s new RFP violates that agreement. It was drafted without consultation with Chairman McGee, Budget Chairman Charlie Franklin, and without any appropriation of funds. The deadline proposed is less than three weeks away, forcing already strained organizations to divert scarce time and resources toward an application process that cannot result in funding. This is a desperate attempt to buy goodwill immediately before the special recall election.

The tragedy is that these dollars are badly needed. Families in Jackson County are struggling with housing, childcare, food insecurity, and access to good jobs. Community partners on the front lines are ready to act. But instead of prioritizing a legal and collaborative process, the Executive has allowed months to slip by, delaying investment and leaving urgent needs unmet. Frank White has had ample time to move funds the right way but chose not to.

Now, less than a month before his recall election, the Executive has chosen political theater over real solutions. This RFP is not a pathway to investment — it is a desperate attempt to generate headlines, and it comes at the expense of the very communities it pretends to serve.

The Legislature remains committed to honoring Ordinances #5955 and #5956, allocating resources to neighborhoods across Jackson County, and doing so in a manner that is legal, transparent, fair, and respectful of the community organizations that hold this county together. Real investment requires genuine partnership, not unilateral stunts.
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