Board considered firing ND fair manager earlier

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — The directors of North Dakota's State Fair considered firing manager Bob Wagoner more than a year before they decided to do it this week.

Meeting minutes show the board discussed asking for Wagoner's resignation in May 2008. The issue was later dropped and Wagoner got a 4.4 percent pay raise. Board member Neil Fleming of Cavalier says he saw improvements in marketing and staff relationships.

Last March, Wagoner didn't get good job reviews, but he got a $2,500 salary increase in July.

Wagoner said he and board members have had disagreements, but he didn't think they had come to the point of firing him.

Fleming says the board was concerned there has been too much emphasis on grandstand entertainment, and promotion was lacking for other parts of the fair.

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