Two Kansas City senators set to take appointments from Missouri Gov. Parson
Most Kansas City residents could be without a state senator for the 2020 legislative session, as Gov. Mike Parson appears ready to appoint two lawmakers to positions in his administration.
Democrat Jason Holsman is set to be named to the Public Service Commission, the agency that regulates investor-owned utilities. Democrat Kiki Curls is expected to be appointed to serve on the Labor and Industrial Relations Commission, which oversees the department of labor.
Both jobs pay $109,000 a year. State senators collect $35,000 annually plus a per diem.
Holsman and Curls declined comment on the speculation, and Parson’s spokeswoman did not respond to an email inquiry.
The appointments, if approved by the Senate, would mean both will have to resign their seats. Because of term limits, both Holsman and Curls are already serving in their final legislative session.
New senators will be elected in November. Until then the seats will remain vacant.
Both senate offices will continue to be staffed in order to handle constituent issues.
Holsman and Curls represent most of Kansas City. Democratic Sen. Lauren Arthur represents about a quarter of the city in Clay County and Democrat John Rizzo represents a smaller portion.
The move will also downsize the already small Senate Democratic caucus, leaving the party with only 8 of the chamber’s 34 seats.
“It will mean more work for our caucus, since we will have to find replacements for Sen. Holsman and Sen. Curls on the committees they serve,” said Senate Minority Leader Gina Walsh, D-St. Louis County. “But it won’t change the outcome of what happens on the (senate) floor, because we are already in the super minority.”
During his years in the House and Senate, Holsman has focused much of his attention on energy and environmental issues. And Curls has been active on labor issues, regularly helping Democrats push back on GOP efforts to enact tougher regulations on unions.
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 10:54 AM.
