- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Governor appoints McDowell to Lake County Fair Board; more new members sought
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed a local real estate professional to fill one of the open seats on the Lake County Fair Board.
Brown appointed Katherine “Kat” McDowell, 49, of Cobb, to the 49th District Agricultural Association, Lake County Fair Board of Directors, his office said in a Thursday announcement.
“I'm excited to be involved,” McDowell told Lake County News. “My objective is to bridge the gap and have south county representation at the board.”
She said she also looks forward to involving the school districts with the county fair. “Great things are in the works!”
McDowell has been an independent real estate broker with the Real Estate Alliance since 2015. She was an independent real estate broker from 2006 to 2015 and a real estate broker with Century 21 Real Estate from 2000 to 2006.
McDowell also is communications director at the Middletown Sports Boosters Club.
This position, which is unpaid, does not require Senate confirmation. McDowell is a Republican, according to the announcement.
McDowell will join a board that includes Janeane Bogner, Marcia Chauvin, James Cochrane, Annette Hopkins, Meyo Marrufo and Jerry McQueen.
Lake County Fair Chief Executive Officer Debbie Strickler said the nine-member board has been waiting on appointments and reappointments in order to keep the seats filled, which in turn has made it challenging at times to meet the five-member quorum to hold meetings.
Previous to McDowell's appointment, the most recent one – for Marrufo – came in January 2015, Strickler said.
Now, two seats remain to be filled. Strickler said she's aware that there have been three to four applications for the positions, but she does not know the status of when those appointments might be made.
“It has always been a very slow process,” she said.
In addition to new appointments, many of the current fair board members are awaiting reappointment, Strickler said.
“Many of my board members have been without appointment for many years,” she said.
Strickler said the governor's appointment secretary reviews all current appointees to determine who they want to continue in the positions.
She said the governor is looking for people interested in the fair, who can add value to it.
“My understanding is that they are looking for younger representatives so they have a good mix of people on the board.”
Strickler added, “That's really a struggle to find,” especially with younger people have so many other time commitments.
The ideal candidates love the fair, as they will spend a lot of time there, Strickler said.
The fair board will hold its next meeting at 4 p.m. Monday, May 23 in the administration office at the fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., Lakeport.
Anyone interested in serving in one of the remaining fair board seats can go to the governor's appointment page at https://www.gov.ca.gov/m_appointments.php and submit an application.
Strickler invited interested community members who want more information to call her at the fair office, 707-263-6181.
Visit the Lake County Fair online at www.lakecountyfair.com .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
