For Immediate Release: Dec. 23, 2025

Contact Jodi Widhalm: 573-751-3074

Senator Joe Nicola Voices Disappointment in Chiefs’ Decision to Move to Kansas

 JEFFERSON CITY – State Sen. Joe Nicola, R-Grain Valley, released the following statement in response to the Chiefs relocation to Kansas:

        “For more than 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs called Arrowhead Stadium home. Jackson County taxpayers paid to build and maintain the stadium through bonds and taxes; generations of Missourians invested in Arrowhead; and fans             stayed loyal through decades, filling the stands and packing the parking lot with the best tailgating experience in the NFL. We supported the team with our time, our money, and our hearts.

        “Losing the Chiefs didn’t happen overnight, and it didn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s the result of years of warning signs being ignored, taxpayers being squeezed and elected officials choosing political games over real relief for the people               who foot the bill. Jackson County residents have been very clear: enough is enough. This pushback wasn’t anti-Chiefs or anti-sports. It was about survival among ever-rising tax burdens. 

        “The loss of the Chiefs is more than sports pride; it’s about jobs, tourism, economic growth and the signal we send to families and employers deciding whether Missouri is a place worth investing in. It’s the predictable result of failed                      leadership, runaway taxation and a legislature that blocked real relief for the people who are paying the bills. 

        “Missourians deserve a government that works for them, not one that prices them out of their homes, ignores their concerns, and then asks for more. If Missouri wants to keep teams, jobs and people, it must start by respecting the                       taxpayers who make it all possible. 

        “This fight is not over! During the 2026 legislative session, tax reform will be my top priority. Please join me in restoring respect for voters by ensuring transparency and capping property tax liabilities and assessment increases.”

Please visit Sen. Nicola’s official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Nicola for more legislative and constituent resources.