LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Three months ago, David Beck told the Kentucky State Fair Board he planned to retire as CEO of Kentucky Venues on Aug. 31, 2027. There was a plan in place, Beck said, and it was time for new leadership.
But Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said that time was now when he removed Beck from his position last week.
In an interview Wednesday, Beck said Beshear called him to Frankfort on June 29 and told him he could either resign or he'd be removed from the position he'd held since 2018.
"A lot of people think the existing board, or the current board, voted on me," Beck said. "They never did. The action was taken by the administration to rule my contract was invalid. That was how the action took place."
Mike Berry, the former head of the Kentucky Derby Festival, was appointed interim president and CEO of Kentucky Venues, which manages the Kentucky Exposition Center and other state-owned venues. Berry also previously served as Kentucky’s Tourism, Arts and Heritage secretary under Gov. Andy Beshear.
"I support the action they took yesterday," Beshear said during his weekly news conference Thursday in Frankfort. "What we got from the Supreme Court is a decision saying that I, ultimately, am accountable for what the fair board and these other boards the legislature tried to make independent do. The buck's gotta stop somewhere in the executive branch, and it stops with the governor.
"... If I'm going to be accountable, then the person who heads that board and runs that operation has to be willing to be accountable to me and work with me and the various board members. And the individual that is no longer there led a charge to prevent any form of accountability from a governor, was not willing to work with me and made that pretty clear."
This came just one week after the Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in Beshear vs. Coleman a GOP-backed law changing control of fair board appointments was unconstitutional. That law, House Bill 518, moved appointment power away from the governor and to Jonathan Shell, Kentucky's agriculture commissioner. The court ruled that violated separation of powers, giving the authority back to Beshear.
A spokesperson for Beshear's office said in a written statement Thursday that the board had been "operating for five years in an unconstitutional manner, and every budget, contract and decision from that time will have to be evaluated."
Beck said he believes Beshear's administration has been "very anxious" to make this change, and they used the state Supreme Court ruling to start. Asked whether he thought that was legal, Beck said he'd "let somebody else answer that" but questioned "the effectiveness of that."
Beck's new contract was set to take effect July 1, according to an internal letter sent to Beck by Ray Perry, chair of the board. So his contract was voided. Beck said he received that letter around 10:30 p.m. June 30.
"I'm at peace with where I am," he said. "I think I know the difference between right and wrong, and the outpouring of support that's been expressed to me verifies that I must've been doing something halfway right along the way. And the numbers speak for themselves."
Beck said he wasn't surprised by it but thought Beshear would wait until the effective day of the Supreme Court ruling, which was July 15.
"This is not partisan politics," he said. "What we do, tourism, agriculture, they're not and they shouldn't be treated as such. So I would question the timing."
The board oversees about 260 events each year at the Kentucky Exposition Center and related venues, generating nearly $450 million for the state economy. And the move came just weeks before the annual Kentucky State Fair, one of the board's biggest and most high-profile events.
"I'm a Kentuckian," Beck said. "I want what's best for Kentucky and I'm optimistic about the future Kentucky. This is a hole in the middle of the road, but we'll get around it. ... Eventually, we'll get back on track. And that's what I'm optimistic about."
Asked what his message to Gov. Beshear is a week following his removal, Beck said "If you make decisions going forward, give serious thought to long-term impacts, and stay focused on what's in the best interest of Kentucky."
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