There seems to be a disconnect between members of the Southwest Washington Fair Commission and the elected leaders in charge of managing the operations of county government.
As detailed in a story in Thursday’s edition of The Chronicle, Fair Commission members questioned Lewis County Commissioners Edna Fund and Gary Stamper following the recent firing of Fair Manager Gale Sobolesky.
Fair Commission member Tammy Remund noted that it was “insulting” that commissioners did not speak to the commission before firing Sobolesky.
Indeed, it’s surprising commissioners would make such a personnel move without at least consulting the board members with the best knowledge of operations.
The termination came as the commissioners also fired Central Services Director Michael Strozyk, who was in charge of the fair, 911 communications, information technology and other areas of county government. 911 Manager Craig Larson was also fired.
The Southwest Washington Fair indeed appears to have been in decline over the past several years, with fewer vendors and attendees and an overall scaled-back approach to the beloved summer tradition.
That can’t all be blamed on management. Fairs across the country have been in decline, with many ceasing to operate.
Still, members of the Fair Commission say they have been seeking improvements, but their suggestions and concerns were met with a lack of financial support from the county commissioners. Either that, or their suggestions didn’t reach the commissioners and stopped with either Sobolesky or Strozyk.
The Southwest Washington Fairgrounds represent an economic opportunity for the county to draw in visitors for outside areas. Perhaps the fair could apply for the same lodging tax dollars currently being provided to Discover Lewis County, another county initiative aimed at the same goal.
It appears, from the outside looking in, that the fair has simply not been a priority for commissioners, at least up until the recent firing of Sobolesky.
Her replacement, Lee Coumbs, appears to be a fine candidate to lead the fair to better days. His commitment to the community is unquestionable. The former fair manager has led the smaller Spring Youth Fair to success year after year while serving admirably as a Centralia city councilor and pushing a number of other efforts, such as the Christmas light show in Fort Borst Park.
We hope our county commissioners can sustain their focus on improving the fair while at the same time improving their communication with the Fair Commission, a group appointed to guide the event.
