Three former mayors stood on the steps of St. Joseph City Hall Sunday and extolled the virtue of relationships among cities.

And one of them, former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, accepted the endorsements of the other two in her race for the 6th District congressional seat.

Larry Stobbs and David Jones, who served successive tenures as St. Joseph mayor beginning in 1994, credited Ms. Barnes for her cooperation on projects ranging from regional tourism to an attempt to relocate the Kansas City Chiefs training camp to Missouri Western State University.

Mr. Jones, mayor from 2002 to 2006, said Ms. Barnes cornered Chiefs’ president Carl Peterson at every opportunity to sell the idea of a training camp in St. Joseph.

“She didn’t just take the phone call and say, ‘I’m going to help you out,’” he said. “She actually made a point to write letters and make phone calls.”

St. Joseph’s leader from 1994 to 2002, Mr. Stobbs said the Kansas City mayor approached projects with a broader vision than for just her own city.

“She didn’t think about just one thing, she thought about all the citizens,” he explained. “She always said, we’re all in the same state. We’re all in it together.”

Mr. Jones said her ability to work with others makes her a good candidate for Congress.

“She’s developed relationships not just in St. Joe, Kansas City and Tarkio areas, she’s developed those relationships across the country,” Mr. Jones said.

The current St. Joseph mayor, Ken Shearin, endorsed incumbent Rep. Sam Graves, a Republican, last month. Mr. Shearin considers himself a Democrat.

Mr. Stobbs and Mr. Jones vote as independents, both said. “I am a Republicrat,” Mr. Stobbs insisted. “I vote for the best person, and I’m standing next to the best person.”

Ms. Barnes, a Democrat and St. Joseph native, called herself honored by their endorsements.

“We’ve worked together, we know one another, and I am confident that we will continue … to work well together as we move into the future,” she said.

Ken Newton can be reached

at kenn@npgco.com.