Several of the Hound’s contacts among Fair insiders have this year expressed frustration with the State Fair administration. The most commonly heard complaints center around poor communication, unwillingness to listen and lack of collaboration. SL PAST EXPOThe ugly clash prior to opening day that led to the absence of the Carol Baldwin Fund (Pink Out, Aug. 15, 2023) was well-documented and very disturbing, but not unique.

Apparently, bureaucratic paralysis is taking hold and making life difficult for vendors and exhibitors across the Fairgrounds. Fair administrators, from Director Sean Hennessey’s staff to the Department of Agriculture and Markets, right up to and including Gov. Hochul have to do better.

Some complaints have been heard from stakeholders over the years, but they seem to be louder now. Some of the Fair insiders said that they may not return due to their frustration with Fair brass,coupled with increased fees and expenses that are cutting into their profits. That’s bad news for Fair patrons.

You can bet that state politicians and bureaucrats are behind the problems. They should back off and let Hennessey’s staff handle things. While Hennessey just completed his first Fair at the top, he’s a classy guy and he has a lot of experienced and capable people on board who know the ropes when it comes to running the Fair. They can do the job, so state big shots should–but probably won’t–get out of the way and let them handle things.