KC Mayor Pro Tem has not been contacted in federal investigation, she says

By Tony Madden

Kansas City Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw was not contacted by federal authorities regarding accusations that she and her husband, Public Works Director Michael Shaw, used their positions at the city for financial and personal gain, she said in a statement Thursday.

Parks-Shaw’s statement comes one day after reports the couple was being investigated by the FBI. FOX4 reported Wednesday that past and present city employees had been pressed about the couple’s use of taxpayer dollars. It also reported documents provided to the FBI showed city contracts awarded to parties who made campaign donations to Park-Shaw, who is running in Kansas City’s 2027 mayoral race. 

Dixon Land, the FBI Kansas City Field Office’s public affairs specialist, declined to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation, citing Department of Justice policy.

The FOX4 report went on to say its reporters had spoken with five people who sat for interviews with the FBI since the station first received the tip 8 months ago. Parks-Shaw, a south Kansas City native, called the headlines slanderous and misleading in a video posted on Facebook.

“I will not allow such false and egregious accusations about me and my family to go unchecked,” Parks-Shaw said in the video.

“As a public servant, I have been a strict steward of taxpayer funds to carry out the duties of serving Kansas City residents,” she went on to say. “I have always led with the understanding that this seat does not belong to me. It belongs to the people of the 5th district and to Kansas City as a whole.”

In a Thursday morning interview with KCMO talk radio, Mayor Quinton Lucas said he learned about the reports of an investigation at the same time the public did. He went on to speak kindly of the couple and their individual careers, but added there are rules city officials must follow.

“There are always rumors around government,” Mayor Quinton Lucas told radio host Pete Mundo. “But the reporter from Channel 4 talked to me yesterday and asked me a series of questions. So what I know right now is largely what’s in the report.”

The mayor went on to say he has great confidence in Kansas City’s government, which does not usually face issues like this one. He also said he has not personally been interviewed by the FBI, and he hopes to keep it that way.

Parks-Shaw, who announced her candidacy in the 2027 Kansas City mayoral race last year, has served as the 5th District city councilperson since 2019. The Hickman Mills graduate was appointed to pro tem by the mayor in 2023.

“For the past seven years, I have never leveraged my position for personal gain, nor would I ever compromise my integrity or ethical standards,” Parks-Shaw said in the video. “I have not been contacted by any federal officials regarding these accusations, but if contacted, I’m more than happy to fully cooperate with their efforts as I remain strong in my integrity and my code of ethics.”

Since taking office, Parks-Shaw has become known for tackling issues such as housing, fair wage and public safety. The pro tem defended her support of the city’s $30 million violence prevention fund, which she said is helping reduce crime. 

“Hidden political agendas” force some Kansas Citians to be uncomfortable with progress, Parks-Shaw said. In her statement, Parks-Shaw said the fund is “under attack.” The violence prevention fund is now facing a potential $6 million cut in order to fund increased allocations to the Kansas City Police Department, according to previous Telegraph reporting.

She also boasted her role as lead-sponsor of the Kansas City Housing Gateway program, for which funding was approved this month. The program uses public-private partnerships to evaluate the city’s homelessness response system and expand housing access.

“As I work to protect essential city services, preserve violence prevention funding, and continue investing in community partners who are making considerable strides forward, distractions only benefit those who would prefer we retreat from progress,” she said. “That is truly unfortunate, given that we have much larger issues to focus on.”

Kansas City Public Works Director Michael Shaw did not respond to multiple requests for comment.