By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

Some of the Kansas Republican legislators should take a deep breath. The histrionics prompted by the resignation of Commerce Secretary David Kerr are completely unwarranted.

As Kerr's spokesman explains, Kansas' top economic development official has family in the St. Louis area. His long-term job status in Kansas is uncertain, with the governors election coming up. So when Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon asked Kerr to take a similar high-level job across the state line, it made sense to say yes.

Kansas GOP lawmakers are out of line questioning Kerr's professionalism and suggesting that the job move influenced Kerr's handling of the high-stakes deal to bring the Wizards/Cerner project to Wyandotte County.

"This is the most unethical thing I've ever heard of," Ray Merrick of Stilwell said. Really? Ever? A guy changing jobs?

"We've wondered for weeks why Kansas was dragging its feet in the Cerner negotiations. I think we now know the answer," said Rep. Kevin Yoder from Overland Park.

Yoder knows these deals take a long time to put together. Does he really want the state to hastily offer long-term incentives that are going to drain the treasury for decades? I hope not.

I hope the Wizards and Cerner locate in Wyandotte County. It would be a good move. But the deal-at-all-costs attitude of Kansas Republicans is out of sync with the self-professed party of fiscal restraint. And the attacks on Kerr's professionalism are just out of line.

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