RALEIGH — No North Carolinian should apologize for reacting suspiciously to the news that Strates Shows — who ran the midway at the North Carolina State Fair for more than 50 years — has regained the contract, at least for this year.
After all, Strates had enjoyed its cozy sinecure without any real competition for decades. More than a few fair-goers had complained about the results, including a lackluster set of attractions and a generally stultifying boredom. Last year, Amusements of America won out in a more competitive bidding process, took over the contract, and by most accounts produced a very enjoyable and successful event.
The problem, of course, was that family members controlling Amusements of America gave large political contributions to then-Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps that formed the basis of a major fundraising scandal. Phipps is gone. Several of her aides are gone. Most have been or likely will be convicted of crimes to boot.
Amusements hired Raleigh superlawyer Joe Cheshire in an attempt to keep the contract anyway. (Disclosure: my wife works for Joe). It appears, so far, to be a lost cause. A Wake Superior Court judge has struck down the Amusements contract with the state, rejected arguments that it amounted to a multi-year lease, and rejected another attempt just yesterday to have it reinstated. Cheshire says he will appeal and try to have the N.C. Court of Appeals block the Strates contract.
As I said, the public has plenty of grounds to be suspicious of the Strates’ winning the contract. On the other hand, at least as much public skepticism is warranted about the Amusements of America claim. Frankly, if wherever there is smoke there is fire, the clouds of soot billowing up around this whole fiasco would suggest the existence of multiple blazes.
Still, the process that interim Ag Commissioner Britt Cobb set up — culminating in the opening of sealed bids in front of the news media — appears to be on the up-and-up. It’s hard to imagine how Strates could have gamed it. More likely, the company simply outbid everyone else for the contract because they wanted it more. Two reasons suggest themselves: 1) Strates had gotten used to the North Carolina State Fair playing a major role in its revenue stream, and 2) it wanted to regain some of its damaged reputation by winning back the contract and improving its offerings to fair-goers.
So for now, I would urge that suspicion be suspended. The fair is only a few months away, after all, and even before then a more elaborate process for awarding the subsequent contract for 2004 will begin. Give Cobb a chance.
Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation and publisher of Carolina Journal.