Man concerned about decision to remove fair board

by Dan Leighton & Moses Lake
| February 18, 2011 5:00 AM

GUEST EDITORIAL

MOSES LAKE - As a spouse of one of the newest Grant County Fair Board members, I have watched from the outside for a year and a half. I have seen and endured the endless hours of meetings, sometimes two or three times a week in the winter. This to have open public meetings to run the business of the fair, and, contrary to popular belief, they are not paid. The $25,000 paid by the county commissioners, pays for everything from hiring entertainment to hiring janitors to clean restrooms.

Now, there is also the fair office that oversees the grounds the rest of the year for many events which enrich and bring needed revenue to our community. But when fair time rolls around, this office is supposed to be under the direction of the Grant County Fair Board and Association to operate the fair. Many people walk into this office demanding recourse from these county workers who have no control over the business of the fair, expect to assist in it.

Now, it seems, that the fair office staff have listened to some of the overbearing people coming into their office that want things to be run in their best interest over the fairness of all parties. So, things have been changed behind the fair board's back to appease certain people. This fixing of things seems to have been presented to the commissioners as proof that they are more capable of running the fair.

So, now the commissioners, with no fact finding, or communication with the fair board, have decided not to renew their contract. That means that those fifteen board members, that spent all year planning, and become during fair week, unpaid laborers working eight- to 12-hour days to coordinate, problem solve, and soothe ruffled feathers of the innumerable groups all over the fair, are no longer needed.

It seems now the commissioners have turned over the fair to a single county employee, who will have an advisory fair board of seven appointed people. That means the fair office manager will run the fair with the option to make decisions regardless of the public's input. (Surely this new board will not have any real power to actually decide what to do!) And if this new board is only advisory, will they be willing to be the "grunts" out enforcing and directing the daily operations as opposed to fifteen people who were personally involved in making those policy's to fairly run the fair. There is already word that the fair office is asking to hire more county employees to run this office.

So, if I have this straight, the commissioners have decided to change to a manager system, with an unappointed or elected county employee to become the new Grant County Fair manager. They are using taxpayer money to hire more employees to replace an independent fair board and association of interested volunteers. Also, I'm sure once this year's fair is over, there will have to be an enormous raise in pay for the secretary who has been elevated to the new management position. So, Peggy, congratulations on your new job. Maybe now I'll see more of my wife and she won't have to use half her vacation time for fair.