John Sherman says ‘no one’ is waiting on Royals for new stadium. But some say they are

Royals owner John Sherman spoke for nearly an hour Thursday, most frequently trying to slap a fresher coat of paint onto the ongoing stadium project, but the root of this column stems from one sentence.

Five words, actually.

“No one’s waiting on us,” Sherman said.

That came during an eight-minute opening monologue, not once but repeated twice for emphasis, and it took about three seconds for me to scribble it on a notepad and circle and star it.

Why?

Earlier this month, Kevin Hardy and I talked to nearly two dozen people involved in conversations regarding the Royals’ pursuit of a new stadium — narrowed to locations in the East Village or across the river in North Kansas City — and those five words clash with just about everything those parties shared over the past few weeks.

They placed the to-do list at the feet of the Royals, before Sherman kicked a portion of it back across the table on Thursday. Those are my words. Sherman’s were not only intentional but carefully-chosen. Same as these: “We are the urgent party in this process.”

Thus, in an attempt to provide a clearer peek into the process, he illuminated something else:

There is an apparent disconnect in how the Royals believe this is all unfolding and how key political figures believe it is unfolding.

Or who is waiting on whom.

Or the necessary order of operations.

Or, you know, all of the above.

You don’t have to squint hard to see the origin of the frustration from those involved, because as Sherman’s words ring true inside Kauffman Stadium — “no one’s waiting on us” — it is not a sentiment so equally or easily shared outside the building.

In underscoring that no one is waiting on them, the Royals are implying that everyone is equipped to move forward to the next stage of the project — all the while the Royals are actually the ones temporarily stuck in limbo. But the most commonly-stated frustration of those on the other side of the proverbial table is that the Royals have not provided enough information to generate real progress.

How’s that for harmony on a $2 billion project?

These stadium negotiations are rarely smooth — anyone take a look at Oakland recently? — though here in Kansas City, they haven’t actually reached the contract negotiation stage. So rather than arguing over the particulars, the latest back-and-forth (even if the Royals refrained from using names) implies a difference of opinion for who is waiting on whose particulars.

Shortly after Sherman’s news conference concluded, for example, I exchanged text messages and phone calls with multiple local political officials to ask if they were still waiting on anything from the Royals before they felt comfortable moving forward.

The replies were unanimous: Yes.

The truth can be that all sides need to learn more to feel comfortable, but let’s be real here: One detail is quite evidently absent from the Royals, and it’s not a fine-print detail.

A site selection. The Royals have not yet determined what city and county in which they plan to build, and therefore which taxpayer base will contribute hundreds of millions.

But several other specifics in a complex process remain outstanding as well. And key operatives view those details as prerequisites to securing a place on a ballot, others for gaining widespread support. Within minutes after Sherman had concluded, the leader of a local advocacy group called Good Job and Affordable Housing for All released a statement about the lack of details for a community benefits agreement.

“John Sherman, in a press conference held this morning, said that the Royals expect the benefits to the community to far exceed the public investment when it comes to their new stadium district, but continued to stay silent on what those benefits might be,” Terrence Wise, that local leader, said in a statement.

More succinctly: They are waiting on the Royals for more information.

The 750,000 residents in Jackson County and 250,000 more in Clay County probably feel as though they’re waiting to know whether they’ll be asked to foot the bill for a portion of the $1 billion stadium.

Look, no one has more motivation to get this all sewn up than the Royals, who stand to financially benefit the moment their address changes. The initial half of that sentence is the point that came across most effectively Thursday. Why would they delay anything? While any perceived deadline on the project is essentially self-imposed, the Royals are the party most keen on making this all happen. The urgent party, Sherman called them.

To that end, Sherman said he’s personally met with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Jackson County executive Frank White this week. The Royals are eager to meet with some parties more frequently. Couple that with the sentence of the day, that the Royals insist they are not holding this up, and it makes it evident they are encountering some resistance in their ongoing conversations. Otherwise it’s unlikely we’d ever be talking about the viability of North Kansas City.

They are mum about the exact nature of those roadblocks, other than to say they’re “waiting on a few people” who aren’t as urgent, or that they “need to have confidence that about the about the financial structure.” But there at least some involved in this process who are waiting on the Royals to solve that, whether immediately in their control or not. As the Royals are not inclined to publicly complain about someone whose assistance they might later need, The Star outlined several complications earlier this month. It is, after all, a project that requires unifying several corners of support.

But their counterparts — or partners, as Sherman often referred to them — are still wondering exactly what the project is. And “exactly” might be the operative word. Because while they understand its general concepts, such as the request for an extension of the Jackson County sales tax as the base funding, they want every last detail, financial and otherwise.

But on that?

Well, they’re still waiting, they say.