SANDPOINT — After an hour-long executive session, the Bonner County commissioners voted Tuesday to hire Staci McBrayer as fair manager.  

McBrayer was originally appointed to the Fair Board on May 6 for a four-year term and was later elected to serve as that board’s treasurer. She will be required to step down from the board to accept the manager's position. 

“The treasurer’s position has allowed me to apply my business acumen to the board’s finances. [It’s] definitely not a glitzy position, but an absolute critical one that allows the board to make the best financial decisions possible,” McBrayer said. 

During her short time on the board, McBrayer has worked on the fair book committee, assisting in updates of class entry information, schedules and sponsorship ads. Other endeavors include promoting fair sponsorships and local business partnerships, the main reason that has allowed the fair to be put on.  

Now, McBrayer will be putting her prior experience to use in her new role as fair manager.  

“What I am looking forward to the most is being able to hit the ground running. Serving on the board has been like months of on-the-job training and has helped me identify several areas we can improve to better serve our community. We have a very synergetic organization right now, from our board members to our staff to our volunteers and community supporters,” McBrayer said. “It's exciting to transition to this role that allows me to help facilitate our goals on a day-to-day basis!” 

McBrayer was approved for employment by commissioners Asia Williams and Brian Domke, with Commissioner Ron Korn against the vote due to “legal concerns.” Korn stated that he had no problems with the applicant herself.  

The offer comes just over five months before the annual county fair, and several months after the resignation of previous fair manager Mark Knapp. The discussion to extend McBrayer the position was debated in executive session, where information backing the decision was not open to the public.  

The gap in time between Knapp’s resignation and McBrayer’s offer stems from the county seeking legal guidance on the division of powers between the county and the fair board. As it currently stands, the fair manager reports to the fair board, but is employed by Bonner County — a conversation that was brought to light by Domke and Korn in early December 2025, but was ultimately tabled until legal could provide clarity on who the manager should report to.   

“I just want to say that I appreciate people’s patience. I know it’s been frustrating because it’s taken a while, but I do think, from my perspective, it’s been very important that we have the legal opinion foundation for us all to work from,” Domke said.  

At the time of publishing, the fair board is currently working with the county’s HR department regarding compensation and an offer letter for McBrayer.