By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson has been impressive this week.

He drew the line on state giveaways for the Wizards/Cerner deal. How often does a politician do that?

He volunteered to take on the odious job of making more cuts in the state budget, sparing legislators the pain of doing it when they get to Topeka in January.

And I really liked the way Parkinson responded today to the hissy fit thrown by some GOP House members regarding the resignation of Commerce Secretary David Kerr, who is leaving to become the economic development director in Missouri.

The lawmakers accused Kerr of holding back on the Wizards/Cerner deal to give Missouri a chance to retain the team and company. What nonsense.

From our sister site, Prime Buzz:

Parkinson fired back this morning, saying he gave Kerr his blessing to interview for the job. Parkinson said the state’s final incentives offer to Cerner was completed before Kerr interviewed. He said GOP lawmakers were being uncivil in attacking Kerr.

He said lawmakers should “treat fellow officeholders as human beings, and not as targets of abuse.”

Parkinson said Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called Kerr three weeks ago to discuss the job; Kerr asked Parkinson for permission to interview. Parkinson said Kerr wanted to move closer to his son’s family in Missouri.

“Dave told me that if I wanted him to say no, he wouldn’t even interview,” Parkinson said.

And he defended Kerr’s handling of the Cerner negotiations, saying the state made the most aggressive offer it could while still balancing its responsibilities to taxpayers footing the bill. Cerner has yet to act on the state’s offer.

“We have offered the maximum that could be offered,” he said. He limits placed on the state’s promise to repay bonds for the project are meant to limit the state’s exposure on the project.

Parkinson's choice to replace Kerr, former Kansas Chamber of Commerce chairman and business executive William Thornton, sounds like a good pick. He's currently a member of the board that oversees the state's colleges and universities.

So maybe there's something to this business of concentrating on your job and not running for reelection. Parkinson isn't just warming the seat in the Kansas governor's office. He's showing real leadership, without worrying about political consequences.

But watching him in action, you can't help thinking: This guy should run for governor.

Follow Barb Shelly on Twitter.