MOScout Daily Update: Royals Talk Heats Up - Fraud Allegation - Gross Appeals - 71% PAC Hits Jones - Trump Judges Coming to MO? and more…
Royals Stadium Talk Heats Up
Social media erupted yesterday on news that the owner/developer of one of the main properties for the downtown KC Royals stadium has not renewed his option on the BlueKC building. According to one observer, this indicates that Mayor Quinton Lucas’s plan for Washington Square Park is DEAD.
It would seem to narrow the remaining viable Missouri sites are the East Village in Downtown KC, which still has the Jackson County property tax issues to contend with, or the Clay County option in North Kansas City.
With time running short, and the possibility that the team could move to across the state line, will Missouri look to offer a package to compete with Kansas?
· One MOScouter: Governor Mike Kehoe has accomplished two of his top four legislative priorities before spring break and mentioned keeping the teams in his State of the State. I’d expect him to take the lead, along with legislative leadership moving forward.
· Also, I’m told that Speaker Jon Patterson traveled to Arizona over the break to meet with the Royals. Will he return with a renewed effort to keep the Chiefs in Jackson County, and the Royals in Missouri?
Baker Sued Amid Allegation of Fraud
Madison Baker, a district director for Congressman Jason Smith, is the subject of two suits over unpaid loans, with one explicitly accusing him of fraud.
According to a suit filed by Farm Credit Southeast Missouri, PCA, last year “between February and April 2024, Baker executed three separate ‘Promissory Note/ Loan Agreements’ with Farm Credit for a total principal amount of $1,135,000.00. Baker took out the loans in connection with his cattle farming operation… Despite granting the extension, Baker defaulted on both loans paying nothing toward the balance due.”
Further, Farm Credit alleges that “Baker filed a Registration of Fictitious Name for ‘7M Cattle Company’ (‘7M’), without disclosing this fact to Farm Credit… Baker has sold cattle under his personal name and his alias 7M without obtaining the written consent of Farm Credit as required under the Security Agreements. Baker has not contributed the proceeds from his sale of cattle towards his loans with Farm Credit.”
· “Given Baker’s abrupt purported financial demise without any payment to Farm Credit, his undisclosed sales and transactions regarding his cattle, and undisclosed alias of 7M, there is strong indication of fraud in Baker’s handling of his business and representations to Farm Credit, and Farm Credit reserves all rights to amend its pleadings as may prove to be appropriate.”
Additionally, Southern Bank filed suit last week for loans totaling $1,215,381. That suit alleges fraud… In order to induce Southern to make the Livestock Note loan, Baker represented to Southern that he was refinancing an existing loan with Farm Credit. Baker stated that, as part of the refinancing, his livestock would be free of liens when pledged to Southern. Further, Baker produced a lien release to Southern showing Farm Credit had released its lien in Baker’s livestock.
· Baker’s representation that he was using the Livestock Note Loan proceeds to refinance Farm Credit was false and the lien release Baker showed Southern was a forgery.
New MO Judges Coming?
Politico reports that “an announcement of Trump’s first round of judicial nominations since returning to office is expected within the next few weeks…”
· So far, there are already interviews underway for district court judgeships in Missouri and Florida, where the Republican senators are likely to put forward potential nominees that align with the administration’s agenda, according to a person with knowledge of the process granted anonymity to discuss private dynamics.
Gross Appeals to SCOMO
Elad Gross has filed an appeal in his Sunshine case against the Attorney General’s Office, asking the Missouri Supreme Court to weigh in. See the filing here.
This novel interpretation of the Sunshine Law’s litigation exception threatens to swallow the entirety of the Sunshine Law and directly conflicts with precedent.
This interpretation of the law must be overturned for several reasons. First, every Sunshine Law matter inherently involves the threat of litigation. There is no other enforcement mechanism. Under the Court’s ruling, a governmental entity could immediately close any records requested because those records could be related to potential Sunshine Law litigation. Every request for public records could be absurdly denied.
Fewer Hearings, More Bills
GovWatch calculates that there were 477 hearing in the first half of this legislative session. That’s approximately 115 fewer than this time last year.
71 Percent PAC
71 Percent PAC is sending negative mailers, attacking Mayor Tishaura Jones (and apparently allied alderpersons) in the St. Louis City mayoral race.
71 Percent PAC donors include…
· Robert Brinkman/Brinkman Constructors - $40,000.
· Robert Clark - $10,000.
· Gary Grewe - $10,000.
· Richard Arnoldy - $10,000.
Punchbowl Hearts Smith
Punchbowl puts Congressman Jason Smith atop their Vault Power Matrix…
$5K+ Contributions
Page PAC - $10,000 from Ozark Anestesia Assocaties Inc.
Breakthru Beverage Missouri, LLC - $25,000 from Daniel Wirtz (Chicago, IL).
Protect Saint Louis Freedom - $10,000 from Commerce Bancshares, Inc.
Leadership Counts - $9,500 from Schnuck Markets, Inc.
Together KC - $50,000 from KCFOP PAC.
Lobbyist Registrations
The Winton Group added Lotto.com Missouri LLC.
Nick Steingart added Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
Birthdays
Happy birthday to Treasurer Vivek Malek.
MOScout Schedule
No MOScouts this weekend, back on Monday as we start the second half of the legislative session.