Occasionally, I check out the number of views I’ve been getting on my website, and sometimes I get surprised.
Like tonight. I made a random check and saw that I had over 100 views on a 2018 post about former Independence City Councilman and former Jackson County legislator John Carnes.
My first thought was that John, a long-time acquaintance, had died.
Fearing the worst, I did a quick Google search and quickly found he’s still very much alive but once again has been charged with felonies by federal prosecutors.
He’s 67 and likely headed back to prison, where he spent two years — 1989 to 1991 — for bribing an Independence councilman…He lost his law license for that offense but got it reinstated in 2006.
Before I go any farther, let me make clear that I don’t admire John in the least. He’s cost Independence taxpayers millions of dollars over the years because, with his influence and willingness to buy votes, he has been able to convince some past Independence Council members to pay exorbitant amounts for services and real estate.
But he has always been wickedly funny and straightforward, and, unlike most white-collar crooks, he doesn’t hide. The last time I visited with him was a year or two ago after a friend and I had finished lunch at Dave’s Bakery & Deli on the Independence Square. John’s office is next door to the deli, and he was on the sidewalk. He invited us in and proceeded to regale us with profane and funny stories about current and past Jackson County politicians.
The most recent example of his unusually candid way of responding to, uh, problems, came today after he picked up the phone when a KC Star reporter was calling to get his reaction to having been indicted by a federal grand jury on two felonies related to tax evasion and several misdemeanors.
The typical response by a prominent defendant — if he would even consent to making a statement — would be something like, “I unequivocally deny these outrageous charges and eagerly look forward to clearing my good name in court.”
But not Carnes. He told the reporter…
“The FBI has been investigating me for over 30 years. And I’m 67 years old, and they had to come up with something before I passed on. They have come up with something, and we’ll go to court and see what that something is.”
No angry denial, just the facts about where things stand…resolution to be determined. Maybe thumbs up, but probably down. The feds, you know, don’t lose many cases.
**
I’m not going into the details of this case, but a KSHB-TV story says he had a gambling problem. I’m just sad to see that John — a smart, witty guy who could have made a good living without bribing politicians and cheating on his taxes — got himself into deep trouble again. This time, I’m afraid, he might die in prison.
When he was young, he was devastatingly handsome and very personable. Below are contrasting photos that show what he looked like back in the early ’80s and four years ago, when he was about 63. Needless to say, he looked worse when I saw him a year or two ago.
For a while back in the ’80s he dated a woman who was the sister of a high-ranking woman in Mayor Richard Berkley’s office. One summer night, Carnes and his date got drunk and took a swim in Meyer Circle Fountain.
It didn’t make the papers, but it was pretty shocking, given that he was a lawyer and had political aspirations. But nothing came of it. That’s when I first realized John was capable of jaunts on the wild side.
Unfortunately, his wild side didn’t stop at harmless high jinks. Several years later he landed in prison on the bribery conviction.
After he got out, I ran into him one night — I think it was a New Year’s Eve — at the old Jimmy and Mary’s Steakhouse at 34th and Main. We chatted, and I said, “You’ll probably be back in politics pretty soon.”
He smiled and said, “I doubt that.”
Well, he was right, and I was wrong. But I didn’t think he’d be dumb enough to break the law again.
What a terrible waste of talent and personality. What a sorry case for a guy who had so much going for him so long ago.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Good grief! I think I finally put two and two together. I heard about his recent dealings in Independence, but I didn’t link back to his history. Didn’t he run on the Committee for County Progress slate with a bunch of “reform” candidates? Seems like I remember a pretty active Democratic primary back then.
No, Bill, the big CCP reform ticket, led by Charles Curry, dates to the 1960s. Carnes didn’t surface until the mid-80s.
Ah, good. Thanks for clearing that up!
Bill, you are probably remembering Ken Carnes (no relation) who was the winning CCP candidate for sheriff in the 1960s. John Carnes was almost the Congressman to succeed the retiring Dick Bolling in 1982. In the crowded 8-candidate Democratic primary, Alan Wheat edged out Carnes, 21,290-20,273.
Great history there, Lonnie. I didn’t remember John C. coming that close to being our U.S. rep.
Thanks, and glad for that Wheat victory, especially in hindsight. I was involved in John Sharp’s winning campaign on the R side of that race. R’s and D’s each had a seven or eight candidate primary.
Actually, the TV stations were in Independence filming John making a victory speech in August of 1982 (they had prematurely called the election for him) when the KCMO Election Board finally released the results from the heavily African American 14th Ward (Alan Wheat’s strongest base provided a 4-1 margin — enough for victory).
Now-Councilmember and former Jackson County Exec Katheryn Shields was Wheat’s campaign manager.
John Carnes was a very gracious opponent who both endorsed Wheat and worked for him in the general — an important help in electing Wheat — a Black candidate who was running in the Congressional District with the lowest minority population in the US to elect a minority candidate.
John has his weaknesses — but it is hard to see him get charged with tax fraud when Trump has gotten a free ride from the Feds on far worse behavior.
If he dies in prison, he can claim the mantle of a second-tier Tom Pendergast.
Interestingly, The Star’s story, by Bill Lukitsch and Kevin Hardy, did not mention Carnes’ compulsive gambling habit. They went into all kinds of background about his Independence history, but they never answered the question — like KSHB did — of why in the world he would seek to hide income and short-change the Treasury Dept. Poor reporting, in my view.
When it comes to being arch, Batman villains have nothing on John Carnes.
Here’s some more:
https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/john-carnes-indicted-in-relation-to-independence-city-issued-contracts