When House Speaker Todd Richardson selected Jay Barnes to lead a special committee to investigate then-Gov. Eric Greitens, we believed that to be a wise decision.
Barnes is a Republican, but he's also a sharp-minded attorney who never has let partisanship get in the way of clear thought and common sense. He's always been an independent thinker who hasn't been afraid to tell his party leaders when they're wrong.
In the wake of the investigation and Greitens' resignation, we're glad to say we still feel the same.
This wasn't the first time Barnes has accepted a challenging assignment in the House.
In 2011 - Barnes' first year in the Legislature - then-Speaker Steve Tilley appointed him to a panel charged with investigating waste, fraud and abuse in state government, beginning with a probe of the failed Mamtek project to build a sweetener factory in Moberly, using state and local money.
For this latest assignment, Barnes accepted an incredibly difficult role - having to investigate Missouri's highest elected official, and a member of his own party, whose candidacy Barnes had supported.
The time commitment also made the job difficult. We have no doubts Barnes sacrificed time away from his family, his law firm and as a state representative to complete the job.
In many ways, it was a thankless job, even a no-win job.
Greitens had, and still has, loyal supporters who believe Greitens' claims that the investigations into wrongdoing by him were nothing more than a witch hunt.
But work done by Barnes' committee led to the realization for all but Greitens' most ardent supporters that there were good reasons for the investigation.
Barnes himself used to be one of those ardent supporters.
But rather than stubbornly clinging to what he believed - and likely wanted to continue believing - Barnes was able to look objectively at the situation and change his viewpoint.
He was able to acknowledge what many politicians can't: That he was wrong.
Barnes led the committee with professionalism and fairness. The only time he really appeared to lose his temper was during some exchanges with Greitens' lawyers, who wanted the committee to change its process.
We thank Barnes and his committee for their service in an investigation that, frankly, they and most other Missourians had hoped would never have to take place.
Cental Missouri Newspapers