The Comanche County Fair Board voted 7-1 Monday to terminate Executive Director Richard Pool and Chef Todd Fischer, formally closing a process that started with a closed-door vote on September 23. That first vote raised legal questions under Oklahoma’s Open Meeting Act, and District Attorney Kyle Cabelka confirmed the rule: boards may discuss personnel in executive session, but the vote itself must be taken publicly and recorded. Monday’s open session corrected that. Marcus Wilcox cast the lone dissenting vote, and Derick McIntosh was absent.
The firings are only part of the story. The ABLE Commission has filed three administrative complaints against the fairgrounds citing 240 offenses, with potential fines reaching $175,000. A hearing on those citations is scheduled for December 7 in Comanche County District Court. Separately, Fischer reportedly used a fairgrounds credit card to purchase four packs of cigarettes at a Lawton convenience store, and Pool signed a lease he had no authority to issue for a tenant who has been living rent-free at the fairgrounds.
For a county facility supported by public dollars, these numbers matter. The fairgrounds hosts rodeos, shows, and community gatherings throughout the year, and the fair board answers to the taxpayers who fund it. With the leadership question settled, attention now turns to the December hearing and what it could cost.
What do you think the county should do next to rebuild trust in the fairgrounds?
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Local Lawton
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