The Flathead County commissioners have replaced longtime Fair Board member Terry Fosbery with Joy Struble, a Kalispell area marketing and management consultant.

In addition to Struble, incumbents Butch Woolard and Susan Munsinger were reappointed to the five-person board that oversees management of the county fairgrounds.

Interest in the three board vacancies was high, with 18 applicants vying for the seats. Other applicants included Michelle Gentry, Gregg Gutierrez, Don Hines, Bob Hunt, Jack D. Jones, Jeffrey Jung, Leah Lindsay, Monty Long, Marcia Riley, Donna Rae Stollfuss, Ronald Thibert, Kim Thomas, Michael Twillmann and Craig Witte.

An internal audit of the fairgrounds department recently turned up numerous deficiencies, including security concerns and discrepancies in the way cash is handled.

Over the past several months the Fair Board has been working to create more accountability for the fairgrounds operations, instructing Fair Manager Jay Scott to draft a performance improvement plan that outlines goals and better documents fairground finances and how buildings are used.

In light of the progress made, Commissioner Dale Lauman said he favored keeping all three incumbents on the Fair Board.

“Over the last several months we’ve made a lot of suggestions to the board and they’ve initiated a plan of action,” Lauman said. “So it’s a concern if we change the pattern now, even though there are a lot of well-qualified people” who applied.

Lauman’s motion to retain the incumbents died for lack of a second.

Commissioner Jim Dupont said he doesn’t believe in people serving “an inordinate amount of time.

“It convolutes the purpose of citizen action,” he said. “With change, we can breed new ideas.”

Dupont recommended Struble’s appointment.

Struble owns and operates a local marketing and management consulting business called OriginM2. She said her background can be an asset for the county.

“I really see the fairgrounds being a good resource for the community and I want to see the scope of what’s offered to the public expanded,” she said. “I want to make it more accessible.”

But, Struble added, she wants to “give due diligence to what’s there” before recommending changes.

Her career includes 15 years of working for major manufacturers in positions ranging from daily operations through strategic planning and management. Struble also has experience in handling trade shows and large-scale events.

She has a Master’s of Business Administration degree with a concentration in marketing from William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J.

The Fair Board and Scott have acknowledged the need for a marketing specialist to optimize the use of the fairgrounds, but there’s been no money in the budget to hire a full-time marketer.

In addition to marketing experience, Struble is involved in the equestrian business. She manages the logo wear for The Event at Rebecca Farm and is training a horse for dressage competition this year. Struble also volunteers with the Flathead Combined Training Association, a group that works closely with the county to support equestrian events at Herron Park.

 Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com