CHICO — Longtime Chico-area agricultural community member Les Heringer has resigned from the Silver Dollar Fair board of directors, the Enterprise-Record learned when it acquired a copy of his resignation letter.
Heringer, who manages the M&T Ranch on Chico River Road west of town, mailed the May 31 letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and to Cathryn Rivera, Newsom’s appointment office secretary.
In the letter, Heringer — who served on the board during the tenure of three fair managers — expressed gratitude for his opportunity to serve on the body. “We’ve been fortunate to have had a very competent board of directors looking out for the best interests of the fair, the community of Chico and the County of Butte,” he wrote.
Heringer then said he was deeply dismayed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and its subsidiary Fair Boards and Commissions, in their decision to remove Ed McLaughlin, of Durham, from the Silver Dollar Fair board in early May.
McLaughlin, a rancher, served on the fair’s board of directors for more than 25 years. He served as a Butte County supervisor — representing District 4 — from 1985 until 1997, and has also been the Butte County Farm Bureau president, coach and board member of Durham Little League, and a financial supporter of 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors at the fair’s Junior Livestock Auction. McLaughlin is also current president of the Durham Unified School District board and has been a director for the Durham Community Foundation.
Heringer said Tuesday that he and McLaughlin had the assigned task, by their Silver Dollar Fair board peers, of giving fair manager Nick DiGrazia a performance review. Heringer said he and McLaughlin traveled to Sacramento to meet with state officials “to make sure we were doing it properly.”
“The next thing you know, Ed gets a call from the governor’s office,” informing McLaughlin his appointment to the fair board was ending.
McLaughlin, who spoke to this newspaper May 5 regarding the removal, said he believed DiGrazia asked a friend, Mike Flores of the state Division of Fairs and Expos, to remove McLaughlin from the board. McLaughlin said he was disappointed by the move, and he believes he was removed because of conflict with DiGrazia, the fair’s executive director.
“After I’ve worked so hard to build a good reputation of service, this is a frustrating way to end it,” McLaughlin said during his May 5 remarks.
DiGrazia said at the time that he didn’t have any details to share regarding McLaughlin’s removal. However, he did say: “There’s a lot of change going on in the state,” referring to fair boards. “Everyone is up for reappointment. Board members serve at the will of the governor, and if they’re appointed by the governor, they have to be a reflection of the governor’s policies.”
Heringer said he waited to resign because he didn’t wish to cause any disruption to the Junior Livestock Auction, an annual event in the first few days of the Silver Dollar Fair. Heringer has been involved with that event as an organizer and volunteer.
Heringer added that when the Sacramento meeting with the CDFA took place, “there was another CDFA guy sitting there,” though he couldn’t recall the man’s name. Heringer said Flores was attending the meeting remotely, via Zoom, but “he never said a word” the entire meeting.
“I have a strong suspicion he’s behind this,” Heringer said of McLaughlin’s removal, saying DiGrazia had characterized Flores as a friend and a hunting companion.
Heringer said that, at the Sacramento meeting, “We just said we wanted some issues addressed with the fair manager. We didn’t want his job,” he explained. “We thought he was doing a pretty good job overall. But, it appears the CDFA wants to run the fair.”
McLaughlin said May 5, and reiterated Tuesday, that he believes he was removed due to conflict with DiGrazia.
McLaughlin said DiGrazia had been using foul language when addressing board members, including McLaughlin. He approached DiGrazia about it and that conversation was what allegedly started the process culminating in McLaughlin’s removal.
Regarding his own departure and Heringer’s, McLaughlin said, “I’d say it’s close to 75 years of experience” with fair operations no longer involved with the operation. “It was a really harmonious board which worked together for the benefit of youth and the fair,” he added.
“The manager has a different agenda. A majority of people on the board don’t question his actions,” McLaughlin said. “”DiGrazia told Les and me that he runs the fair. I’ve never served on a board in my life where policy didn’t have to be set by the board.”
DiGrazia did not respond to…
Read More: Prominent local ranch manager resigns from Silver Dollar Fair board – Chico