Budget Hearings: Fairgrounds wants $245,000

Metro’s first-ever fairgrounds subsidy key to facility’s future

By Joey Garrison, City Papper, Monday, March 26, 2012 at 5:47pm

 

Faced with thinning reserve funds, Tennessee State Fair Director Buck Dozier is hoping for $245,000 in Metro dollars to sustain operations, an allocation that would represent the city’s first-ever fairgrounds subsidy.

Revenue collected from fairgrounds events –– the annual state fair, auto-racing events and flea markets –– has historically provided the financial backing to run the city-owned fairgrounds. But Dozier told Mayor Karl Dean and his administration Monday that the fairgrounds would need to find a place within Metro’s operating budget to ensure its short-term welfare. read more

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 Fair Board Budget Hearings summary: Buck Dozier, Director of the State Fair Board makes the budget presentation. Mr. Dozier says booth rents are up about $82,000, thanks in large part to the good weather. He says the policy of charging $5 for parking is generating revenue, "up $81,000."  The fair board now charges a parking fee for all events. There are 5000 parking spaces. The public has generally been accepting of the new fee for parking.  The flea market is going great. For every month of this year, attendance is up over the previous year. This was the best year for Christmas Village. The racing season looks good. Mr. Formosa has put together a good team. For the first time in a long time, all of the billboard spaces at the racetrack are sold. He has put together a good package. He is reaching out to the community to hear their concerns and establish good community relations. The reserve fund has  $724,781 in it. This current year we estimate we will use about $560,000 of the money in reserve. The previous year we used $898,000 out of reserves. With a $245,000 metro subsidy we estimate that next year we will end the year with $360,000 in reserves. Cost are exceeding revenue. We did not try to raise fees to the extend called for in the Maximus study. We just did not think that was possible. We raised fees as much as we thought we could get buy with. We are in competition with surrounding counties that would try to attract our vendors if we raise fees too high.

My View:  The city has never before subsidized the Fairground. Mr. Dozier makes a good argument that the Fair Board must have a subsidy explaining that they have been staying afloat by drawing down reserves. When the Council conducts their budget hearings, the Budget and Finance Committee should look long and hard at the Fairgrounds budget before going down the road of subsidizing the fairground.  If the current Fair Board can not make the fairgrounds operation break even, then maybe it is time for a new Director and management team. I cannot believe, that since the fairgrounds is paid for, that income cannot cover expenses. I would want to know, when was the last time the Fair Board was audited. Is the current management team committed to making the fairground a success or are they committed to having the fairgrounds fail so the city can dispose of the property?

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Kathleen Starnes, Chairman DCRP: our voters are expecting a "bona fide" Republican.

RE: Administrator of Elections
Monday, September 20, 2010 4:54 PM

From: Kathleen Starnes
To: Patricia Heim , Steve Abernathy, Lynn Greer, Beth Harwell, sen.jack.johnson, Chris Devaney

Message contains attachments1 File (25KB)Norman(Buck)Dozier,Jr.xls

It has come to my attention, that one of the candidates for Administrator of Elections is Norman "Buck" Dozier.

I am sure you realize that he is not a true Republican as his record attached proves. This is not personal.

This is an important position for Republicans in Davidson County and our voters are expecting a "bona fide" Republican as our Administrator of Elections.

Thank you for your attention.
Kathleen Starnes, Chairman
Davidson County Republican Party

www.davidsoncountygop.org

Comment: Thanks to Kathleen Starnes for representing the Republican wing of the Republican party.

The above email was sent today. I have deleted the email addresses since those addresses my be private email addresses and I wish to respect the privacy of the recipients of this email.

The enclosed attachment is a spreadsheet and I cannot reproduce it for this post. It shows Buck Dozier's voting record for the last several years. Voting records are public information. No one can tell how you voted of course, but your voting record will tell if you voted in a particular election. The voting record will tell if you voted in a Republican or a Democrat primary.

Buck Dozier failed to vote in 6 of the last 23 elections, he voted in 3 statewide primaries as a Democrat. There is no record of him voting Republican in any of the available primaries.

If the Election Commission gives this job to Buck Dozier, the Republicans on the Election Commission need to be replaced.

If the Republicans on the Election Commission vote to give this job to Buck Dozier, I think it reflects poorly on the judegment of the legislators who appointed them.

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Is the Republican Election Commission going to hire Democrat Buck Dozier as Administrator of Elections?

Long-time Administrator of Elections Ray Barrett is retiring and the Davidson County Election Commission is seeking to fill that position. Rumor is that Buck Dozier has the inside track on the job.

Following the November 2008 election when Republicans attained a majority in the Tennessee General Assembly, control of Election Commissions switched to Republicans, with every county in Tennessee receiving a newly appointed Republican majority election commission.

The Davidson County Election Commission is governed by five commissioners appointed by the State Election Commission for a two year term. The State Election Commission appoints commissioners recommended to them by Republican legislators. It is my understanding that the Election Commission chairman Lynn Greer was recommended by Representative Beth Harwell. In essence, Beth Harwell appointed Lynn Greer. The other two Republicans on the Commission are Patricia Heim and Steve Abernathy. I am uncertain who recommended the appointment of Heim and Abernathy.

One of the duties of the county election commissions is to hire the Administrator of Elections. Ray Barrett has worked for the Election Commission for twenty-five years and has been Administrator of Elections for the past six years. He is a likable guy and runs honest elections and is fair and helpful to everyone regardless of party affiliation. In some counties the new Republican Election Commissions fired the Administrator of Elections and hired a Republican to fill the post. The Davidson County Election Commission did not do that. I think they were right to keep Ray Barrett in his position. We should not be so partisan that we fire a faithful public servant like Ray Barrett.

Now however, Ray Barrett is retiring and it is time for the Election Commission to hire a replacement. I have heard a rumor, that the Election commission is going to hire Democrat Buck Dozier to fill the position. I hope this is not true. I have nothing against Buck Dozier but the position should go to a Republican. Buck Dozier has served in the Metro Council where I served with him. He has served this city's Fire Chief for seven years. He currently serves as Director of the Metro Fairgrounds, a $90,000 a year job that he was given without the Fair Board conducting a national search or advertising the position. Since the fair grounds are to be sold and this is the last year for the fair, Buck Dozier is looking for another job.

Earlier this year I was very disappointed when our Republican dominated Election Commission did not see the wisdom of having early voting and had to be pressured to support it. They should have supported early voting simply because it was the right thing to do, but also because this is a Republican year and Republicans benefit more from early voting than do Democrats. If not for a grass roots effort demanding early voting, we would have had early voting at only one location in the August election.

What is the point of having Republicans in office if they are not going to support policies that benefit Republicans? One may wish that Administrators of Elections were protected by civil service and that the positions was not political, but it is. There is absolutely no reason the Republicans on the Commission should hire Buck Dozier. I am tired of Republicans who care more about being liked by Democrats than they do supporting the Party.

If the Election Commissions hires Buck Dozier, then the Election Commission might as well be in the hands of Democrats. If they do, I will be disappointed in the Republican members of the Commission and those Republican legislators who appointed them.

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