Kay Waldo Barnes (born March 30, 1938) is an American politician who served as the 52nd Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, from 1999 to 2007. She was the first woman elected to the office.12 Her two terms are identified above all with the reinvestment program in downtown Kansas City that produced the Power & Light District, the arena now called the T-Mobile Center, and the relocated H&R Block world headquarters — a program credited with roughly $4.5 billion of public and private investment downtown, and one whose public-financing structure the city is still paying for.34 She ran for Congress in Missouri’s 6th District in 2008 and lost to incumbent Sam Graves.5

Biography

Early life and education

Barnes was born Beverly Kay Cronkite on March 30, 1938, in St. Joseph, Missouri; the broadcaster Walter Cronkite was her uncle.126 She earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Kansas, then a master’s in secondary education (1971) and a Master of Public Administration (1978) from the University of Missouri–Kansas City.12

Pre-mayoral career

Barnes worked for the Cross-Line Cooperative Council in the urban core in the 1960s and later ran her own human-resources development firm, Kay Waldo, Inc.12 She helped establish the Women’s Resource Service at UMKC and co-founded the Central Exchange, a professional-development organization for women.32

Her elective career began in 1974, when she became one of the first two women elected to the Jackson County Legislature; in 1979 she was elected to the Kansas City City Council from the 4th District, serving one full term.12 From 1996 to 1998 she chaired the city’s Tax Increment Financing Commission, the body that reviews TIF redevelopment plans — the economic-development grounding she carried into the mayor’s office.2

Election as mayor

Barnes was elected mayor in 1999, succeeding Emanuel Cleaver II and becoming the first woman to hold the office; her term began April 10, 1999. She was re-elected in 2003 and left office on May 1, 2007, succeeded by Mark Funkhouser.127

Downtown revitalization

Barnes took office when downtown had emptied out — surface parking lots, vacant storefronts and thin foot traffic are the standard description in contemporary and retrospective accounts.89 Her administration’s central project was to reverse that, and the Kansas City Public Library’s contributor biography credits her mayoralty with overseeing $4.5 billion of public and private investment in downtown Kansas City.3

The arena. Barnes pushed a downtown arena over early polling that showed only about 40 percent support, and campaigned for the funding measure after her 2003 re-election. On August 3, 2004, city voters approved increases in the hotel bed tax ($1.50 per night) and the daily car-rental tax ($4) to pay for it; the city spent roughly $980,000 on the campaign against about $1.2 million from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in opposition. Anschutz Entertainment Group contributed $53.2 million and took a 35-year operating contract, and Sprint bought naming rights for $1.7 million a year over 25 years.10 Ground was broken June 24, 2005; the $276 million arena opened as Sprint Center on October 10, 2007, five months after Barnes left office, and was renamed the T-Mobile Center in 2020.11

The Power & Light District. The city recruited Baltimore-based The Cordish Companies to build an eight-block entertainment district beside the arena. The city issued $295 million in bonds in 2006 toward the roughly $350 million project, which was built from 2005 to 2008 and opened its first tenant on November 9, 2007.412

H&R Block. H&R Block announced its downtown site selection in December 2003 and broke ground on H&R Block Center at 13th and Main in October 2004; the first employees moved in during July 2006, with the move complete by October 2006. The 18-story tower became the anchor office building of the Power & Light District, and Barnes is credited with leading the effort to keep the company downtown.9212

The library. The Central Library opened in the former First National Bank building at 14 W. 10th Street in April 2004, and the surrounding blocks became the Library District. This was not a City of Kansas City project: the $50.2 million renovation was financed beginning in 2000 by the Kansas City Public Library with DST Realty’s Phil Kirk, the Hall Family Foundation, and Commerce Bank’s Jonathan Kemper. It is properly described as a parallel downtown investment during Barnes’s tenure rather than one of her administration’s projects.8

Public financing and criticism

The Power & Light District’s bonds were projected to be repaid from the local and state sales, property and earnings taxes the district generated. They were not. In every fiscal year except 2008 — the district’s opening year — that revenue fell short, and Kansas City covered the difference. A Kansas City Business Journal analysis of city financial reports found the city had paid at least $167.1 million in principal and interest through April 2022, an average of $10.4 million a year. Annual payments have ranged from about $6 million in fiscal 2022, after a 2021 partial refinancing extended the debt term by seven years, to nearly $17 million in fiscal 2021.4 Wikipedia’s account of the district records the same pattern: the city has relied on its general fund and on refinancing to make the payments.12

By contrast, the arena’s backers pledged that the venue would use no general-fund money, and it was financed by the 2004 visitor taxes plus AEG’s contribution.10

The scale and terms of downtown subsidy under Barnes remain contested in Kansas City politics. This page does not attempt to settle it; see Open Questions.

2008 congressional campaign

Barnes ran as a Democrat for Missouri’s 6th Congressional District in 2008 against six-term Republican incumbent Sam Graves. She won the Democratic primary on August 5, 2008 with 84.5 percent of the vote.1 In the November 4, 2008 general election Graves defeated her, 196,526 votes (59.4 percent) to 121,894 (36.9 percent), with Libertarian Dave Browning taking 12,279 (3.7 percent). She was the best-financed Democrat to contest the district since Graves’s first run; the race drew national attention for a Graves advertisement accusing Barnes of promoting “San Francisco values.”5

Later work

Barnes joined Park University in May 2007, founding its Center for Leadership and later serving as senior director for university engagement; she retired on July 31, 2024.12 She wrote the Kansas City Public Library’s Pendergast Years article on women’s organizations and the 1940 reform elections, which the vault’s kc-mayors page cites.37

On October 2, 2025, after the recall of Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr., the Jackson County Legislature named Barnes temporary county executive for a period of up to 30 days while it ran a selection process.6 The Legislature appointed Phil LeVota interim county executive on October 13, 2025, ending Barnes’s short tenure.13

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Wikipedia — “Kay Barnes” (accessed 2026-08-13) — asserts: born Beverly Kay Cronkite, March 30, 1938, in St. Joseph, Missouri; niece of Walter Cronkite; bachelor’s in secondary education from the University of Kansas, master’s in secondary education and MPA from UMKC; president of Kay Waldo, Inc., a human-resources development firm; one of the first two women in the Jackson County Legislature, 1974; elected to the Kansas City council in 1979; first female mayor of Kansas City, elected 1999 and re-elected 2003, serving April 10, 1999 to May 1, 2007; succeeded by Mark Funkhouser; won the August 5, 2008 Democratic primary in Missouri’s 6th District with 84.5 percent and lost the general election; joined Park University in May 2007 as director of the Center for Leadership, later senior director for university engagement, retiring July 31, 2024. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. Clio — “Kay Barnes, H&R Block World Headquarters,” an entry in the Kansas City Missouri Women’s Heritage Trail — asserts: elected mayor in March 1999, the city’s first female mayor, serving two consecutive terms 1999–2007; born in St. Joseph, Missouri; BS in secondary education from the University of Kansas, master’s in secondary education (1971) and MPA (1978) from UMKC; worked for the Cross-Line Cooperative Council in the 1960s; founded Kay Waldo, Inc.; one of the first two women elected to the Jackson County Legislature in 1974; elected to the Kansas City City Council for the 4th District in 1979, serving one full term; chaired the Tax Increment Finance Commission from 1996 to 1998; spearheaded bringing H&R Block’s world headquarters to 13th and Main; co-founded the Central Exchange; helped establish the Women’s Resource Service at UMKC; founded the Center for Leadership at Park University in 2007. (Read via Firecrawl 2026-08-13; the page returns 403 to plain automated fetches.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  3. The Pendergast Years (Kansas City Public Library) — “Kay Barnes,” contributor page — asserts: Barnes served two terms as Kansas City’s first female mayor, 1999–2007; degrees from KU and UMKC; worked for the Cross-Line Cooperative Council beginning in the 1960s; helped establish the Women’s Resource Service at UMKC; co-authored About Time: A Woman’s Guide to Time Management; co-founded the Central Exchange; “As mayor, she oversaw $4.5 billion of public and private investments in downtown Kansas City.” ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. FOX4 Kansas City / Kansas City Business Journal — Thomas Friestad, “Kansas City has paid over $160M to cover Power & Light’s debt” (February 28, 2023) — asserts: through April 2022 Kansas City paid at least $167.1 million in total principal and interest on Power & Light District debt, an average of $10.4 million a year, per a Kansas City Business Journal analysis of city financial reports; the debt stems from $295 million in bonds the city issued in 2006 to help The Cordish Cos. build the eight-block, $350 million project; in every fiscal year except 2008 the pledged local and state sales, property and earnings tax revenues fell short; payments ranged from about $6 million in fiscal 2022, after a partial refinancing extended the term by seven years, to nearly $17 million in fiscal 2021. (Read via Firecrawl 2026-08-13; the page returns 403 to plain automated fetches. Summarizes a paywalled KCBJ report of February 27, 2023.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Wikipedia — “Sam Graves” (accessed 2026-08-13) — asserts: in the 2008 general election for Missouri’s 6th District, Graves received 196,526 votes (59.43%), Kay Barnes 121,894 (36.86%), and Libertarian Dave Browning 12,279 (3.71%); Barnes was the first reasonably well-financed Democrat to run in the district since Graves’s initial run; she grew up in St. Joseph and lived in the district’s share of Kansas City; Graves drew national attention early in the race for an ad accusing Barnes of promoting “San Francisco values.” ↩ ↩2

  6. KMBC 9 News — Kris Ketz, “Kay Barnes named interim Jackson County executive after Frank White recall” (October 2, 2025) — asserts: Barnes was named interim Jackson County executive on Thursday, October 2, 2025, following the recall of County Executive Frank White Jr.; legislators Jalen Anderson and Manny Abarca IV said she would serve up to 30 days; Legislative Chair DaRon McGee made the announcement; Barnes would step in once the recall results were certified; White’s statement refers to “her uncle Walter Cronkite.” (Read via Firecrawl 2026-08-13.) ↩ ↩2

  7. Mayors of Kansas City, Missouri (KS.City Wiki) — asserts: Barnes was the 52nd mayor, serving April 10, 1999 to May 1, 2007, the first woman elected mayor of Kansas City; she was preceded by Emanuel Cleaver II and succeeded by Mark Funkhouser; she is the author of the Pendergast Years article on the 1940 reform elections cited on that page. ↩ ↩2

  8. Kansas City Public Library — “Happy Birthday, Central: 20 Years in the Old Bank Building” (April 11, 2024) — asserts: the Central Library has occupied the former First National Bank building at 14 W. 10th Street since April 2004; the bank building was erected beginning in 1906, designed by Wilder & Wight in white Georgia marble; its last banking occupant, U.S. Bank, closed in 1999; those who came together in 2000 to finance the $50.2 million renovation were the late Phil Kirk of DST Realty, the Hall Family Foundation, and Commerce Bank chairman emeritus Jonathan Kemper; within years of the 2004 grand opening the surrounding Library District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, filled with lofts, condos, apartments, and restaurants; at the time the development of the Power & Light District was being hotly debated. (Read via Firecrawl 2026-08-13; the page returns 403 to plain automated fetches.) ↩ ↩2

  9. H&R Block Newsroom — “H&R Block headquarters marks decade downtown” (published for the October 13, 2016 tenth anniversary) — asserts: in the early 2000s empty parking lots and vacant buildings pockmarked downtown Kansas City; the company announced site selection in December 2003 and broke ground for H&R Block Center in October 2004; first associates relocated in July 2006 with all moves completed by October 2006; cafeteria and Knowledge Center construction completed 2007; JE Dunn Construction Group was general contractor and 360 Architecture the designer; the headquarters is at 13th and Main and anchors the Power & Light District. (Corporate source; read via Firecrawl 2026-08-13. Promotional in tone; used here only for construction dates and location.) ↩ ↩2

  10. Flatland KC — Kevin Collison, “Sprint Center Celebrates 10 Years as Downtown Anchor, Result of Bold Mayoral Push with Lessons for KCI Campaign” (October 16, 2017) — asserts: Barnes championed a downtown arena after serving on the Kansas City Sports Commission; 2003 polling showed about 40 percent support and advisors discouraged the project; she pursued it after her re-election; on August 3, 2004 voters approved a $1.50-per-night hotel bed tax increase and a $4 daily car-rental tax increase; the city spent about $980,000 on the campaign against roughly $1.2 million spent in opposition by Enterprise Rent-A-Car; AEG contributed $53.2 million and holds a 35-year operating contract; Sprint’s naming rights were $1.7 million a year for 25 years; the $276 million arena used no general-fund money; it opened October 10, 2007. ↩ ↩2

  11. Wikipedia — “T-Mobile Center” (accessed 2026-08-13) — asserts: the arena is owned by the City of Kansas City, Missouri; groundbreaking June 24, 2005; construction completed October 11, 2007 at US$276 million; opened to the public October 10, 2007; operated as Sprint Center from 2007 until 2020, when T-Mobile acquired naming rights after its merger with Sprint. ↩

  12. Wikipedia — “Kansas City Power & Light District” (accessed 2026-08-13) — asserts: developed by The Cordish Companies of Baltimore, with Beyer Blinder Belle and 360 Architecture; built 2005–2008; first tenant opened November 9, 2007; described as an $850 million mixed-use district; originally projected to generate enough tax revenue to pay for the bonds, but the city instead relied on its general fund and refinancing to make debt payments; received the Urban Land Institute Award of Excellence in 2009; H&R Block’s world headquarters is an anchor. (Note: the $850 million figure here and the $350 million project cost in the KCBJ account describe different scopes and are not reconciled — see Open Questions.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  13. FOX4 Kansas City — “Jackson County appoints interim county executive after recall of Frank White” (October 13, 2025) — asserts: the Jackson County Legislature appointed Phil LeVota interim county executive on Monday, October 13, 2025; prior to LeVota’s appointment former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes had been appointed acting Jackson County executive; LeVota said he would not run for the four-year term. (Read via Firecrawl 2026-08-13.) ↩

See also

Categories
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On the record — ks.city/wiki/people/kay-barnes · last revised 2026-08-13