Commissioners Eliminate Fairgrounds Groundskeeper Position in 2-1 Vote
- Nathaniel Smith | Editor-in-Chief
- Sep 16
- 4 min read
The September 16 Commissioners Meeting brought forth what seems to be a conclusion to the matter of the elimination of the fairgrounds groundskeeper position held by Randy Lee. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a prayer, and the approval of the last meeting’s agenda. As per usual, Lucy Brenton was signed up to give a public comment. She utilized much of her time in the form of a moment of silence in honor of the recent assassination of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk. Kirk was murdered at Utah Valley University on September 10 as he was hosting a public debate on campus. Following the moment of silence, Brenton called for unity and accountability.
“For the remainder of my time, I just wanted to call for everyone in Washington County to do the right thing and keep our eye on the prize,” said Brenton. “This is not our eternal resting place. Heaven is our eternal home, and I hope to see you all there. In the meantime, I would like to hold people accountable to the laws of this county and of the state, specifically in regard to the boards.
"I am now on the Planning Commission, and I am earnestly wanting to make sure that the Planning Commission – along with the other boards in this county – are operating legally by the spirit and letter of the law. I propose that if a board, whether the one that I’m on or any others, is operating illegally then they should not be funded. And so, I would call that we look very carefully at what we’re doing in this county to make sure that it indeed aligns with the Constitution federally, the Constitution of the state, and of course any local statutes and any state statutes that are not in contravention of the federal and state Constitutions.
"But most of all, I am just calling for common sense. I love this country, I love the people of this country and this county, and I want to make sure that we are all working together towards a common goal which is a better life for all of us as well as being left alone to live our lives in the way that we see fit so long as we’re not hurting anybody else. Thank you.”
The commissioners then approved the meeting minutes from August 20-22 and September 2 as well as approving claims and payroll and the adoption of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Transition Plan. They then moved to the recent hot topic: the elimination of the fairgrounds groundskeeper job held by Randy Lee.
“Elimination of the groundskeeper position,” began Commissioner Phillip Marshall.
“Commissioners, this is the agenda item to eliminate the groundskeeper position pursuant to a memorandum of understanding for the Fair Board,” said Attorney April Geltmaker. “The county has the ability to allow for this position. Ultimately it is the county’s decision based on the Fair Board’s recommendation of whether or not to keep this position.”
“Based on the Fair Board’s recommendation,” began Commissioner Todd Ewen. “This is not an easy decision, but we have to respect the wishes of the Fair Board. I want to remind everyone of what Mr. [Preston] Shell said in his opening prayer: ‘Open our hearts to do what is best for our county. That is our only goal.’ Based on that, I make a motion to eliminate the fairgrounds groundskeeper position.”
After Commissioner Marshall seconded Commissioner Ewen’s motion, Commissioner Tony Cardwell asked when this decision would take effect.
“Immediately. It’s effective immediately. We got a second [on the motion],” replied Ewen.
“I can’t go along with it,” said Cardwell. “Especially if it’s effective immediately.”
“All in favor, say ‘aye,’” said Marshall.
“Aye,” said both Ewen and Marshall.
“Against?” asked Marshall.
“Aye,” said Cardwell.
With that, the fairgrounds groundskeeper position was eliminated in a 2-1 vote by the commissioners.
The meeting continued with updates from Rick Voyles and Paul Eckart regarding various projects around the county.
Just before adjournment, Councilman Preston Shell presented his thoughts on the matter of the groundskeeper position.
“I don’t want to open a can of worms, but I just think that Randy caught a raw deal here,” said Shell. “I think you need to look closer at the fairgrounds. Who’s running it, who doesn’t want to put out money to get things done? I don’t think they did their due diligence. But I guess you went along with the Fair Board. Even though they’re volunteers, they’re not doing their job. They’re letting one guy run the fairgrounds, and that’s the treasurer. The President and Vice President don’t have any say-so. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
“They’re an independent corporation,” said Ewen. “We simply fund them to have a county fair every year. They have nothing to do with the county other than that. And as you are so frequently telling me all the time, what you just said is your opinion. Thank you.”
“And yours is your opinion too,” replied Shell.
The board then made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
The Washington County Times has reached out to both Randy Lee and Rose Anderson, the president of the Fair Board. As of the time of publication of this article, neither have responded with a comment.
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