The director of the Michigan State Fair quit his job Friday to protest Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s decision to end state support for the 160-year-old event.
Steve Jenkins, 55, said he would become an advocate for saving the fair and preserving the fairgrounds at 8 Mile and Woodward in Detroit.
“I didn’t feel I could do that and criticize the governor as one of her appointees,” said Jenkins, who was named fair director in 2007.
He said he hoped to convince the Legislature that the fair, which has required about $3 million in state assistance over the past six years, including $350,000 last year, has generated $31 million over the same time in jobs, contracts and economic activity.
Granholm spokeswoman Liz Boyd said the state has to make cuts in these difficult economic times.
