In her one term on the Jackson County legislature, Kay Barnes made an interesting friendship. As Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee, Barnes first passed new laws benefiting convicted felon and massage parlor owner Ted Irving, and then she took a contribution from him for her city council run.
Here is some history. In 1976 the Jackson County Legislature passed a law creating a Board to regulate massage parlors. At the time, two such businesses existed in the Blue Valley area of unincorporated Jackson County. The legislature also passed a requirement for special use permits for such businesses. The Board that was put in place then regulated such things as hours, dress code and licensing of massage parlor employees. An August 13, 1976 Kansas City Star article described Ted Irving’s massage parlor as breaking those regulations.
In 1977 Kay Barnes (then Kay Waldo) sponsored a resolution that would abolish the Board and drop any dress code requirements. The law eventually passed in October of 1977 and was described by the Kansas City Times as a “weak ordinance.” Irving had lobbied for such an ordinance. One of Barnes’ fellow legislators said the ordinance gave Irving a “virtual monopoly.”
Little wonder then that Ted Irving contributed $200 to Kay Barnes’ campaign for City Council just over a year later in January of 1979. $200 may not seem like a lot now, but in 1979 that was one of her larger contributions.
Thus began the Kay Barnes history of taking money from individuals or companies for which she had done political favors. The list is long, and includes lawyers, developers, and downtown businessmen.
Interesting Tidbit #1: Kay Barnes’s first act as a Jackson County Legislator was to essentially confirm Mike White's appointment of someone to Director of Records. That someone…Steve Glorioso.
Interesting Tidbit #2: Kay Barnes was called a “legislator with basically an urban orientation” by the Kansas City Times in 1977.
Tomorrow: Kay’s Sex Seminars Revealed
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