SerpApi.Org
Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca was removed as chair last week in a surprise ouster, with seven of eight legislators present voting to strip him of the county leadership role.
In the days leading up to the vote, Abarca raised accusations of corruption within the Legislature and its staff, alleging that he was offered $10,000 for what he described as a favorable vote on county business. He alleges that the situation involves at least one legislative staff member and one legislator, and that at least one person has been placed on administrative leave. Abarca and his attorney declined to elaborate further.
In the days before his ouster, Abarca attempted to convene the county’s governing body privately, calling a closed-session Legislature meeting on Friday, July 17. Abarca has also threatened to file ethics complaints against Legislator Sean Smith and others, referring to the removal vote as an “attempted coup.”
Legislators said at the time of the vote that Abarca’s removal was not a direct result of the corruption allegations he made just days prior, referring instead to a growing sense of frustration over the legislator’s leadership style and decisionmaking.
Jackson County Sheriff Darryl Forte said after the ouster that a criminal investigation will follow Abarca’s allegations, though the investigation will be undertaken by a third party to avoid conflict of interest.
If completed, Forte’s action will represent the third time that Abarca’s conduct has been formally investigated while he held a legislative seat.
Here’s a look at some of the previous controversies the lawmaker has been at the center of.
Multiple internal investigations
Abarca was elected to the Legislature in 2023, and was elected chair by a 5-4 vote in January. His chair term would have lasted one year. He previously sat on the Kansas City Public Schools board of directors - serving at one time as treasurer - and on the board of the Guadalupe Centers Charter School System.
Abarca's KCPS board term was still ongoing when he was elected to the legislature. The then-novice lawmaker filed a court challenge against the Jackson County charter, hoping to continue both positions at once; he ultimately resigned his school board position in order to stay on the legislature after a denial from a Jackson County judge.
Former Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. had previously initiated an internal investigation into Abarca in March 2025. The investigation focused on Abarca’s behavior around the legislative chambers, including but not limited to alleged altercations with three female county department heads: Parks & Recreation Director Michele Newman, Communications Director Angela Jeffries and former Assessor Gail McCann Beatty.
At the time, White said that he had received “numerous reports” detailing “unprofessional, hostile and demeaning conduct” by Abarca, including “inappropriate and threatening” communications by email. Abarca claimed that White was acting out an ongoing vendetta against him.
Abarca and White had clashed repeatedly in the months leading up to White’s recall -- particularly around White’s role in negotiations with the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals -- deepening divisions within the legislature between supporters and opponents of the former county executive. In 2024, Abarca issued a public apology for a post on the social media app X, which Abarca referred to as an ‘insensitive comment’ and White referred to as a ‘racist attack.’
In Sept. 2025, Abarca was the subject of another internal Jackson County investigation following a cease and desist letter from Newman, Jeffries and McCann Beatty. The letter alleged that Abarca had targeted the women with further harassment and threats, creating a hostile work environment and threatening to force them out of their jobs after White was recalled. It also alluded to forthcoming legal action but has not led to an active case as of July 2026.
The county’s investigation found that he “more likely than not” engaged in “inappropriate behavior” against the women while at work.
Pending battery charges
Abarca’s personal life has also come under public scrutiny over the past year or so as the lawmaker faces active criminal charges in both Kansas and Missouri related to an alleged domestic violence altercation with his ex-wife in May 2025.
Abarca had allegedly thrown his wife to the ground during an argument outside his father’s Shawnee home, charging documents said, that led to her asking a judge to impose a restraining order against him.
After Abarca’s ex-wife filed a police report related to the incident, both Abarca and his toddler son were listed as missing persons on the Kansas Bureau of Investigation website for several days.
Abarca was arrested on June 4, 2025, and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery in Kansas. At the time, Abarca’s wife was granted an order of protection, which Abarca was charged with violating in 2025 in Kansas City municipal court. She filed for divorce in June 2025 and was also granted custody of their son.
In an interview with The Star following his arrest, Abarca denied hitting his wife. He then pleaded not guilty to the battery charges.
Abarca was further charged with two counts of harassment by telecommunications device in Hutchinson, Kansas municipal court in December, according to court records. That case is also still pending, with Abarca set to appear before a municipal judge in August.
Meanwhile, Abarca has been spotted with his son on the campaign trail, even bringing the toddler onstage at a June forum for county executive candidates.
Pre-trial proceedings are ongoing in Kansas City municipal court, and Abarca will attend a bench trial in Johnson County in August on the battery charge.
In May, KCUR reported that Abarca was banned from the Paseo Academy - where his ex-wife worked - for the 2024-2025 academic year. According to a letter obtained by KCUR, the school described the ban to Abarca as “a drastic remedy that has been effectuated due to your recent behavior at the school.”
