By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
EL RENO – A sitting Canadian County Fair Board member is being challenged by a Yukon city official in his re-election bid.
Yukon’s Kelly Beck and Yukon’s Richard W.J. “Rick” Cacini filed last week for the District 1 seat on the nine-member county fair board. Beck is the fair board’s chairman and Cacini is a Yukon City Council member.
The contested election will be decided at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Canadian County Fairgrounds Education Building, 220 N Country Club Road in El Reno.
The winner will be elected to serve the next three-year term.
Two other Canadian County Fair Board members are running opposed after they were the only candidates filing during the Jan. 25-29 filing period at the county clerk’s office.
Incumbent Clint Reuter of El Reno filed in District 2 and incumbent Michael Crowly of Calumet filed in District 3. Without anyone opposing them, Reuter and Crowly have earned new terms in office.
Canadian County Fair Board members are elected to serve three-year terms. The board is comprised of three members from each county commissioner district.
Other Canadian County Fair Board members are Dan Wedman of Calumet, Michael Beard of Calumet, Justin Atkinson of El Reno, Ken Carpenter of Mustang, Phil Carson of Yukon, and Brent Hunt of El Reno. Secretary is Brad Tipton of Oklahoma City.
Several weeks ago, District 1 County Commissioner Marc Hader pointed out how rare it is to have a contested fair board election.
The Canadian County Fair Board is preparing for the opening of a new fairgrounds complex this summer.
The $15.2 million facility, being built on a 50-acre site at Jensen and Alfadale roads near El Reno, is due to open this August for the 67th annual Canadian County Free Fair.
County Commissioners, at their Feb. 1st meeting, approved BancFirst loan draw request #17 for the fairgrounds’ construction project. The latest request covers $954,025.24 for Lingo Construction’s construction management services.
