Red River Valley Fair Board President Kyle Anderson refuses to talk to The Forum about disclosures regarding the fair's finances, as reported in The Forum on Sunday and Monday. After all, what could he say? The bookkeeping sloppiness and the oversight failures of the board happened on his watch.
An examination of the fair's books and practices by reporter Andrea Domaskin and managing editor Matthew Von Pinnon revealed more than sloppy accounting. Tens of thousands of dollars paid for various fair attractions simply vanished - cannot be accounted for. Cash expenditures, while not uncommon in the fair business, were done outside of accepted accounting methods. Fired fair manager Bruce Olson apparently presided over day-to-day operations of the fair without having to report his activities in a timely fashion to Anderson and the nine-member governing body of the fair. Since the buck is supposed to stop at the board, Anderson and his colleagues share culpability for Olson's management methods and lone-ranger style.
Had not the fair taken a hit at the ticket booth last year, Olson might still be at the helm. Had attendance remained strong (it's been slipping) fair officials and others might not have taken a look at the fair's books. Olson and Anderson, who apparently got along swimmingly for many years, would not be entangled in dueling lawsuits. Had not questions arisen about how Cass County sheriff's deputies were paid to do security at the fair, scrutiny might have been cursory.
That last item is important. The sheriff and his troops were exonerated of wrongdoing after a state investigation into only one aspect of their work. It was determined by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation that sheriff's people could work security and traffic control at the fair. They had done so for years, during the time Sheriff Don Rudnick was a member of the fair board's governing body.
But the last word on how payments to the deputies were handled is not yet in. A spokesperson for the N.D. Attorney General's Office said a broader investigation is under way.
ADVERTISEMENT
Let's be clear here: The recent troubled history of the fair is not necessarily a harbinger of more bad news. Indeed, the investigations by the state and The Forum have put the fair board on a more responsible management path. Several of a consultant's recommendations already have been adopted. The board also hired a new fair manager. John Pitz took the job a few weeks ago and immediately began making changes in the fair's management structure. He's off to a good start, and thus far has the support of the board.
The Red River Valley Fair is important to the region. It's one of the premiere attractions of the summer. Pitz is an experienced fair manager. The governing board, while smarting from the exposure of its neglect during the Olson regime, appears to be making changes. Other embarrassments are likely, but the good news is the fair is getting back on track for this summer and for summers to come.
Forum editorials represent the opinion of Forum management and the newspaper's Editorial Board.
