Sanders County officials should help the veterans, allow Stand Down
Letter to the Editor,
Dysfunctional might be one word to describe a recent Sanders County Fair Board meeting.
Still unable to make a decision regarding renting the fairgrounds to Billy Hill for this year’s Veteran’s Stand Down, the board chairman, Chris McGuigan, again tabled the issue for the third month running. Assisted by Fair Manager Mike Hashisaki in the explanation, both cited the need to examine the income and expenses for the Stand Down, a report which can only come from Congressman Steve Daines’ office. But the real kicker was this: Both manager and chairman claim there is substantial inconvenience and lost revenue when they have to call up multitudes of folks who have their boats, RVs, cars, and the like stored in the barns and buildings across the fairgrounds.
All this would indeed be a justifiable explanation if it were not for the fact that currently, there are no boats, RVs, cars, etc. ... stored at the fairgrounds. Well, except as explained by Hashisaki, there are two rafts.
Hashisaki insists that the cost to rent the fairgrounds should be no less than $2,500. In fact, that is what he charged Billy Hill and the Stand Down last year. An unexpectedly large sum, it is $2,000 more than the previous year. Understandably, Hill has not been able to pay the bill. Now, the fair manager and the Fair Board want the $2,500 from last year plus another $2,500 for this year.
A grand total of $5,000 to charge for a function which is run 100 percent by volunteers, and donates thousands of goods, services and meals to veterans from both Sanders and south Lincoln counties.
Perhaps the only outreach to hundreds of area veterans, many of whom come from neighboring states and counties, the Stand Down also has available counselors, advocates and representatives from the VA.
One must wonder, if the fairgrounds are the property of the public and the Veterans Stand Down is a function that greatly supports the public, why must the whole function be held ransom by the ineptitude of the board and the control of the manager?
If $500 was an agreeable rent for both parties two years ago, and if there is no inconvenience to the fair, as now has been admitted by them, why not allow the Stand Down to continue at $500 each year? ?
Additionally, what is the need to gather this income and expense information from Congressman Daines’ office?
For the better part of the last three years, it has been shown time and again to the commissioners that Fair Manager Hashisaki has created a fiefdom out of the Sanders County Fairgrounds. The commissioners have responded in the same tired, predictable manner: it’s not their problem; the board must deal with the fair manager. Many have rightly asserted, “The fair board is nothing but the fair manager’s buddies and nothing is ever going to change, so we would like the commissioners to act.
Here is the problem with that: You have one commissioner who will go to his grave to defend his friend, the fair manager. This commissioner has, in fact, served as president of the fair manager’s non-profit, and now serves as chair to his political action committee. Then you have one commissioner who has tried to have some effect. However, she is consistently and effectively voted down by the other two. And finally, you have one who can only respond with “I’ll talk with the other commissioners and get back to you,” which has never happened.
Case in point: That commissioner was pointedly asked to intervene in another case of unfair treatment to veterans by fair management at last year’s fair. Said commissioner was provided with many details, witness statements and even offered video footage of various infractions. A great deal of discourse followed, and exactly nothing was done.
How difficult is it for our commissioners, elected by us, to represent us, to exercise some control over property that belongs to us? Once again, the veterans of this county are conveniently tossed to the curb until such time as it might be politically expedient to pick up their cause. The hypocrisy is insulting, as is the thought of having to contend with this ineptitude for another six years.
If you are disturbed by the frequent reports of misdoings at the fair, this election cycle may be your best opportunity to do something about it. With a budget of nearly a half-million dollars, and approximately $150,000-plus of that coming directly from Sanders County taxpayers, we have the right to use our fairgrounds for functions that benefit the public.
We have the right to expect our commissioners to listen to us. And when this election cycle rolls around and at least one commissioner wants to claim to be a “friend” to veterans, perhaps we’ll all recall the missed opportunities afforded to said commissioner to prove that point.
— Mary Halling,
Plains