Ex-State Fair manager Patrick Buchen blasts Rauner administration - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL

 

By Carla Jimenez and Doug Finke, Staff Writers

Posted Sep. 25, 2015 at 12:54 PM
Updated Sep 25, 2015 at 7:14 PM

Former Illinois State Fair manager Patrick Buchen blasted Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration on Friday, saying that he and former Department of Agriculture Director Philip Nelson were forced to resign because of cronyism and interference.

Buchen and Nelson announced their resignations late Thursday afternoon. Rauner's office issued a statement immediately following the announcement saying the governor appreciated Nelson's "commitment to agriculture and his service to the people of Illinois."

Buchen, however, insisted on Friday that he and Nelson did not resign willingly. He said that it was either they resign or wait until they were fired.

"The politicos downtown never wanted me here," he said. "Philip Nelson fought for me very forcefully for my employment."

Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said Buchen "is continuing to demonstrate the same type of erratic behavior he exhibited as a state employee."

"Mr. Buchen sometimes had a difficult time appropriately communicating with other state employees and often failed to treat fellow state workers with respect," Trover said in a written statement. "He damaged morale within the agency and was beginning to create a toxic atmosphere among those who had to work with him."

Buchen said he believes the biggest reason he was being pushed out was because he didn't want to go along with what he believed were unfair practices.

One dispute centered on naming the grand marshals of the fair's annual Twilight Parade. Buchen said he and Nelson wanted the Brandt family, owners of Brandt Agricultural Products in Springfield, to be the grand marshals as a way to bring agriculture back to the forefront of the state fair.

Instead, two U.S. Navy commanders, Jessie Porter and Darin Hess of the USS Illinois, were named the grand marshals. Buchen said Robert Alec Messina, Rauner's policy adviser for environment and energy, insisted on that choice.

Buchen said Messina acted as liaison between the administration and the Ag Department.

"Alec Messina doesn't know the difference between a boar and a barrow, and he's our ag liaison?" Buchen said.

Trover released an email exchange between Buchen and Messina from July 10 regarding the fair parade grand marshal. Messina said he learned from Nelson that Buchen was "rather upset" with the choice of the parade marshal. He said Buchen should feel free to call him directly if there is an issue to discuss.

Buchen replied that the "gentleman is not agriculture, the submarine has not been christened and I was most disappointed in the fact that our recommendation was denied."

"I am here to promote agriculture for the fair and the state of Illinois," he continued. "If that is not the intent of those who made this decision then I need to go elsewhere."

He then added: "You need to understand that when my nose gets bloodied I will break those that bloodied mine. A metaphor of course, but mad or upset is unproductive. I get even."

• Zoom

  Patrick Buchen

  »  RELATED CONTENT

• • • Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois State Fair directors step down...

• By Carla Jimenez and Doug Finke, Staff Writers

  Posted Sep. 25, 2015 at 12:54 PM
  Updated Sep 25, 2015 at 7:14 PM

  Former Illinois State Fair manager Patrick Buchen blasted Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration on Friday, saying that he and former Department of Agriculture Director Philip Nelson were forced to resign because of cronyism and interference.

  Buchen and Nelson announced their resignations late Thursday afternoon. Rauner's office issued a statement immediately following the announcement saying the governor appreciated Nelson's "commitment to agriculture and his service to the people of Illinois."

  Buchen, however, insisted on Friday that he and Nelson did not resign willingly. He said that it was either they resign or wait until they were fired.

  "The politicos downtown never wanted me here," he said. "Philip Nelson fought for me very forcefully for my employment."

  Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said Buchen "is continuing to demonstrate the same type of erratic behavior he exhibited as a state employee."

  "Mr. Buchen sometimes had a difficult time appropriately communicating with other state employees and often failed to treat fellow state workers with respect," Trover said in a written statement. "He damaged morale within the agency and was beginning to create a toxic atmosphere among those who had to work with him."

  Buchen said he believes the biggest reason he was being pushed out was because he didn't want to go along with what he believed were unfair practices.

  One dispute centered on naming the grand marshals of the fair's annual Twilight Parade. Buchen said he and Nelson wanted the Brandt family, owners of Brandt Agricultural Products in Springfield, to be the grand marshals as a way to bring agriculture back to the forefront of the state fair.

  Instead, two U.S. Navy commanders, Jessie Porter and Darin Hess of the USS Illinois, were named the grand marshals. Buchen said Robert Alec Messina, Rauner's policy adviser for environment and energy, insisted on that choice.

  Buchen said Messina acted as liaison between the administration and the Ag Department.

  "Alec Messina doesn't know the difference between a boar and a barrow, and he's our ag liaison?" Buchen said.

  Trover released an email exchange between Buchen and Messina from July 10 regarding the fair parade grand marshal. Messina said he learned from Nelson that Buchen was "rather upset" with the choice of the parade marshal. He said Buchen should feel free to call him directly if there is an issue to discuss.

  Buchen replied that the "gentleman is not agriculture, the submarine has not been christened and I was most disappointed in the fact that our recommendation was denied."

  "I am here to promote agriculture for the fair and the state of Illinois," he continued. "If that is not the intent of those who made this decision then I need to go elsewhere."

  He then added: "You need to understand that when my nose gets bloodied I will break those that bloodied mine. A metaphor of course, but mad or upset is unproductive. I get even."

  Page 2 of 3 - Fair conflict

  Buchen said Messina forced him to hire Janet Dobrinsky, who used to work at the comptroller's office under Judy Baar Topinka, as the assistant fair manager. He said it was the first time in years that an assistant fair manager had been appointed and that Dobrinsky — earning $90,000 annually — was "essentially useless" in the position.

  "She's never done a fair," Buchen said. "She's never done events. She had no value being there whatsoever."

  Trover said Dobrinsky was hired before Buchen was appointed fair manager, "so it is untrue to claim he was forced to hire her."

  Buchen also said Dobrinsky spent more money than was necessary, including on a ceremony to rename a street on the fairgrounds for Topinka. Buchen said the state could have saved money by having the ceremony at the ag tent, which was nearby. Dobrinsky instead had the stage and sound system set up at the corner of the new road, and it cost about $2,000, mostly for the labor to move an existing system there.

  Buchen added that whenever he confronted Dobrinsky about her job performance, Dobrinsky would tell Illinois chief operating officer Linda Lingle that he yelled at her in front of the entire staff or that he threatened and strong-armed older employees into retirement.

  He said he was also forced to issue all-access passes to government workers or to issue press passes to people who weren't members of the press.

  "Did I push back and fight them on it? You bet I did," he said.

  Trover denied that excessive numbers of passes were issued.

  "A small number of Department of Natural Resources employees were provided press passes, as they had been provided in past years," Trover said. "The press passes enabled these employees to fulfill important duties related to the state fair, including putting on Conservation World, which is run by DNR."

  Attendance controversy

  Buchen, who was only state fair manager for five months, received criticism for low attendance numbers at the fair. An estimated 850,000 people were recorded at the fair for 2014, but 411,547 attended in 2015.

  But he insisted that numbers from previous years had been inflated and had been for years if the numbers for revenue and parking were any indication. He said he and others in the Ag Department were berated for reporting what he called the correct numbers.

  Buchen believes the governor didn't know about the incidents since Rauner has only ever said he and Nelson were doing very well in their jobs.

  Instead, Buchen thinks it's the people surrounding Rauner who forced his and Nelson's resignations.

  "Boy, did we take heat for it because of the cronyism," Buchen said. "And we thought this administration wanted to clean all this up."

  Page 3 of 3 - Warren Goetsch will act as the director for the Ag Department until a permanent director is appointed. Previously, he served as the bureau chief of environmental programs within the department.

  A new state fair manager has not yet been named.

  Nelson could not be reached for comment Friday. The Illinois Farm Bureau, where Nelson served as president from 2003 to 2013, issued a statement praising Nelson's service as agriculture director.

  "He put his heart and soul into the position," farm bureau president Richard Guebert Jr. said. "He wasn't afraid to make tough decisions to put the Illinois Department of Agriculture in a position to be successful, even during these difficult times. I like the changes he and his staff made to put a renewed focus on youth and agriculture at the Illinois State Fair. I don't know anybody more dedicated to improving Illinois agriculture. I wish him the best in his next endeavor."

   

Ex-State Fair manager Patrick Buchen blasts Rauner administration - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL