Two days later, then-Councilman Lucas proposed an ordinance to hire Husch Blackwell and the Washington, D.C., law firm Wilmer Hale for the job. “I have made no comment about the bidding process on this deal to the media at all.” “I never spoke to that reporter other than to decline an interview,” Renner told Slavens, according to the email Slavens subsequently sent to Odum. Slavens then called Renner seeking an explanation. Paul Odum, an in-house attorney with Burns & McDonnell, called Slavens to admonish him for Renner’s conduct. It also expressed concern about the lack of open competition and a rushed timetable that “would have given the public just one week to offer comment and perspective on the framework for one of the largest public works projects in city history.”īurns & McDonnell leaders were surprised to see a Husch Blackwell attorney quoted in a May 12 KSHB story criticizing their proposal.

A Star editorial on May 11 broke the news of the backroom airport discussions. Renner shared similar thoughts with the media, speaking off the record with reporters from The Star, KSHB and the Kansas City Business Journal, according to the panel’s findings.

Kansas city airport vote results