Kay Barnes fits the bill to serve as temporary Jackson County executive | Opinion

Former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes has been picked as a “temporary interim” Jackson County Executive. She’ll have the job for up to 30 days, while legislators look for a 14-month replacement for outgoing executive Frank White.

Tuesday, voters recalled White by an overwhelming margin, 85% yes to 15% no. He’ll officially leave office, it appears, when that vote is certified in the next few days. Barnes will step in.

Current Legislature chairman DaRon McGee made the solid, safe, non-controversial pick. “I’m delighted to play this minimal role,” Barnes told reporters in a brief news conference Thursday.

Barnes is just the kind of appointment that will give the Legislature breathing room to carefully consider the permanent executive who will serve the rest of White’s term, which expires at the end of 2026.

The full Legislature will pick that permanent replacement in the next 30 days. If it fails to do so, a judge will step in.

There is a lot of work to do, and Barnes is sufficiently familiar with the county and its challenges that occupying the job for a few weeks isn’t particularly risky. She might provide valuable counsel for lawmakers involved in stadium discussions, and Jackson County needs that.

Barnes made history, of course, as Kansas City’s first woman mayor. But she was also the first Kansas City mayor from north of the river, an important milestone in the city’s political history.

Sometime after leaving office, Barnes moved back to Jackson County.

“She fit all the bills for me,” McGee told the Star’s Editorial Board Thursday, explaining his choice of Barnes.

While Jackson Countians have earned a breather from the political drama of the past months, we think the county charter’s provisions for recall and replacement eventually need a second look.

The new county executive must be from White’s political party, the charter says, yet Missourians don’t register to vote by party – anyone could claim to be a Democrat, or a Republican, or something else. That defeats the purpose of the requirement.

The timing for recall elections, and the petition gathering process, also appear problematic, or at least subject to legal challenge. That should be repaired. The county legislature should begin the charter review as soon as possible.

We find no reason to be skeptical of the Kay Barnes pick. She takes the job without a personal agenda, more from a sense of civic responsibility than anything else. She’ll do a fine job.

We congratulate the former mayor and wish her well.

This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 5:10 PM.