Fair Trouble: Former director faces charges involving culture of ‘entitlement’
Monday, December 27, 2010, 5:00 By The Post-Standard Editorial Board
On the closing night of the New York State Fair, former director Peter Cappuccilli and his family used to take a turn on the go-kart course near the Grandstand. It seemed like harmless fun — and a deserved capstone for weeks worth of unrelenting work.
Today, however, Cappuccilli stands accused of abusing his position for personal advantage. He faces charges of criminal corruption and official misconduct. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo claims that among other things, the former fair director arranged self-serving backroom deals for lavish parties, including the weddings of his two daughters, using state resources and trying to hide the incriminating evidence.
Cuomo’s case is based on a scathing report issued earlier this year by state Inspector General Joseph Fisch. According to Fisch, Cappuccilli personally benefited by some $78,000, and the fair misspent $860,000 between the time of his appointment by Gov. George Pataki in 1995 and his retirement in 2006.
It’s a painful stumble for Cappuccilli, 60, who pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Geddes town Court last Monday. Few would argue with his successful record managing the fair’s staff of 75 and $15 million annual budget. He set the fair’s first million-plus attendance records in 2001 and 2002; made the fair self-supporting while attracting more than $2 million in corporate sponsorships; increased revenue from $8.5 million to $16 million. Cappuccilli listened and responded to suggestions, incorporating good ideas as he went along.
But Cappuccilli also may have succumbed to an inherent temptation, one well-expressed earlier this year by his successor, Dan O’Hara: “the sense of entitlement was systemic.”
Starting with the nod from a political mentor, continuing with the annual distribution of complimentary tickets, hiring relatives and awarding no-bid contracts, the fair director can exercise powers akin to a feudal lord.
The fair director has an advisory board to provide advice and feedback. But the board hasn’t met for years. Cuomo wants a reactivated board with experienced, trained members to help keep a fair director on track — even though it lacks the power to set or veto policy.
Thanks in part to Cappuccilli, the state fair today is the nation’s 13th largest. Directors of other large fairs are answerable to experienced governing boards. It’s time for New York to consider a similar restructuring of its own state fair.
On the closing night of the New York State Fair, former director Peter Cappuccilli and his family used to take a turn on the go-kart course near the Grandstand. It seemed like harmless fun — and a deserved capstone for weeks worth of unrelenting work.
Today, however, Cappuccilli stands accused of abusing his position for personal advantage. He faces charges of criminal corruption and official misconduct. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo claims that among other things, the former fair director arranged self-serving backroom deals for lavish parties, including the weddings of his two daughters, using state resources and trying to hide the incriminating evidence.
Cuomo’s case is based on a scathing report issued earlier this year by state Inspector General Joseph Fisch. According to Fisch, Cappuccilli personally benefited by some $78,000, and the fair misspent $860,000 between the time of his appointment by Gov. George Pataki in 1995 and his retirement in 2006.
It’s a painful stumble for Cappuccilli, 60, who pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Geddes town Court last Monday. Few would argue with his successful record managing the fair’s staff of 75 and $15 million annual budget. He set the fair’s first million-plus attendance records in 2001 and 2002; made the fair self-supporting while attracting more than $2 million in corporate sponsorships; increased revenue from $8.5 million to $16 million. Cappuccilli listened and responded to suggestions, incorporating good ideas as he went along.
But Cappuccilli also may have succumbed to an inherent temptation, one well-expressed earlier this year by his successor, Dan O’Hara: “the sense of entitlement was systemic.”
Starting with the nod from a political mentor, continuing with the annual distribution of complimentary tickets, hiring relatives and awarding no-bid contracts, the fair director can exercise powers akin to a feudal lord.
The fair director has an advisory board to provide advice and feedback. But the board hasn’t met for years. Cuomo wants a reactivated board with experienced, trained members to help keep a fair director on track — even though it lacks the power to set or veto policy.
Thanks in part to Cappuccilli, the state fair today is the nation’s 13th largest. Directors of other large fairs are answerable to experienced governing boards. It’s time for New York to consider a similar restructuring of its own state fair.
No comments:
Post a Comment