You can’t ignore the political representation on the group in this conversation. Between the five-member executive committee — and more apparently throughout its extensive board of directors — there are an array of voices representing different sectors of the metro. Those groups, combined, include state senators on both sides of the state line, politicos from three counties and two cities, and representatives from three professional sports teams in Kansas City.

You also probably can’t ignore the financial contributions in this conversation. The state of Missouri has promised $50 million, with $28 million from Kansas, $15 million from Kansas City, Mo., and recently $1.5 million from Johnson County, in addition to other public and private funding.

We only need to backtrack a couple of months — to two pro sports teams, the Chiefs and Royals, attempting to secure funding for their stadium proposals — for a reminder of the difficulty, to put it lightly, in reaching complete harmony when a group is that expansive and the finances are that significant.

The irony here is that during its bid to land the World Cup, Kansas City delivered a theme to FIFA that proved effective:

Unity.

The makeup of the board, underneath the umbrella of the executive committee, certainly includes those accustomed to steering the ship.

A year ago, Holland did recommend three specific hires that would have placed separate individuals in charge of transportation, community engagement and public relations/marketing. Some said the group did not have a budget for that, and others took it as an early sign that Holland would not have the autonomy to make such decisions. This month, the group added Julie Lorenz as a senior advisor for transportation.

That’s certainly in the weeds on all of this, but that’s the point in mentioning it: If you talk to enough of those on the board, or serving on the executive committee, you’ll find plenty of opinions.

“There is a phenomenal board that has the capacity and capability to assist in meaningful way, and the executive committee is not getting the full depth and breadth of what’s available to them,” one said.

That sentiment, to underscore once more, is not shared by all. Several, in fact, expressed an ahead-of-schedule, smooth operation that has made “significant progress,” including the securing of three KC-area sites (including Lawrence) among the initial 24 options for team base camps. Those camps, by the way, are seen as the biggest financial driver of the tournament.

During a conversation most specifically about transportation and the city’s still-to-be-announced World Cup Fan Fest site, a FIFA official told The Star he does not think Kansas City is lagging behind other host cities.

But there is one area in which everyone is aligned: There is much to be done, as expected, on a project unlike any that Kansas City has experienced in its history.

And one fewer person shouldering the load.

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The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff contributed reporting to this story.

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