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Campaigns for, against new KCI terminal enter final stretch

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Along the sidewalks of Kansas City's Union Hill neighborhood, it's easy to spot the "Better KCI" signs dotting yards. 

"My husband put the sign in our yard, but I think it's something that's really important for Kansas City," Wendy Chrostek, who lives in the area, said.

Donors to the KC3T campaign agree. Thelatest campaign finance filing shows $1.6 million raised and $1.4 million spent in the fight for a new terminal.

"I believe that the people of Kansas City understand it and that they're going to do the things that are necessary to invest in the city, not for me, not for them.... but for 20, 30 years from now. For their children and their grandchildren," Mayor Sly James said of Tuesday's ballot measure.

Signs encouraging Kansas City to vote "no" on Tuesday are harder to find, but we did spot one in a Northland neighborhood.

The official organized opposition to a new terminal is being led by Citizens for Responsible Government, which was created in 2013 in response to single terminal discussions. 

"We don't know what we're getting. We're just asking voters to press pause, vote no," CFRG Co-Founder John Murphy said.

CFRG continues to push for a closer look at the current terminals to determine whether or not they can be renovated. The aviation department argued in a 2015 study that building a new terminal would be cheaper than renovating the current design, but Murphy believes more research is needed.

Citizens for Responsible Government sent out 50,000 mailers last week urging voters to shut down plans for a new terminal. Murphy said members are also speaking to community groups about their concerns.

The Citizens for Responsible Government Coffers are considerably smaller than those of the pro-KCI team. Murphy said the group has raised $20,000, while the latest campaign finance filingshows $5,300 spent on the airport issue. 

"It's like the small Davids fighting the big Goliath," he said.