Kansas Gov Defends Departing Commerce Secretary

JOHN HANNA

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson acknowledged Friday that he allowed his commerce secretary to pursue a similar job with Missouri but said it didn't hinder efforts to lure thousands of jobs from that state.

Parkinson said he and Secretary Dave Kerr already had agreed upon a package of $230 million in state and local incentives for a Kansas City, Kan., project before Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon contacted Kerr about becoming director of Missouri's Department of Economic Development. Kerr steps into the Missouri job Nov. 9.

The Kansas incentives are for Missouri-based Cerner Corp. and professional soccer's Kansas City Wizards, so they can build a corporate office complex and stadium. The Wizards' owners and Cerner, a medical software maker, have said they'd bring 9,000 jobs to Kansas City, Kan.

Some Kansas legislators have questioned whether Parkinson's administration has pursued the project aggressively enough. House GOP leaders were stunned and upset when Nixon announced Kerr's appointment Thursday and suggested the offer may have led Kerr to hold back on offering incentives.

Parkinson, a Democrat, said his administration still has no word on whether the offer is acceptable to Cerner or the Wizards' owners.