KANSAS CITY – Gov. Mike Parson huddled with the Kansas City Chiefs last week to show off his new ink: a tattooed outline of Missouri with the number 57 in the middle and a lightning bolt behind it.
He said the 57 represents his time serving as Missouri’s 57th governor and the percentage of votes he received when he ran in 2020.
“As a lifelong Chiefs fan, serving as the 57th Governor when the Chiefs won the 57th Super Bowl was a welcomed bonus,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
“The outline of Missouri represents my love for this state and its people,” Parson wrote. “This state has always been my home, and when I got out of the Army, I told myself on the tarmac in Springfield that I would never leave this state again.”
He said the lightning bolt in his tattoo represents Elvis Presley’s motto “taking care of business in a flash.” Parson said he believes his administration is the definition of that motto.
Parson said the tattoo was even more special to him because his granddaughter designed it. Branson tattoo artist Josh Braig inked the governor.
“A few months ago, I got a call from the Missouri Governor’s office, Braig wrote in a Facebook post last week. “He wanted his very first tattoo. He told me that after searching so many of Missouri’s tattoo artists, I was the man for the job! Born and raised in Missouri, a family man, a Godly man, into cars, and a great artist, he wanted me to do his first tattoo.”
Braig said he immediately accepted the governor’s request.
“The tattoo was a first for me and the first time Josh ever applied ink to a Governor – he did a great job!” Parson wrote in the Facebook post.