Former Kentucky Venues President and CEO David Beck says he was asked by Gov. Andy Beshear to resign two days before the Kentucky State Fair Board, newly restructured by Beshear, voided his contract.
In an interview with Kentucky Today, Beck said he received a request from the governor’s office to meet Beshear on June 29. When he arrived, Beck said Beshear was direct.
“The first thing he did was hand me a letter and say, 'David, I want you to retire today.' I looked at him and said, 'Today?' He said, 'Yes, I want you to retire today. This should be no surprise to you. I want to make a change, and I want you to resign.'”
Beck said he asked the governor why he was being asked to leave the position he had held for eight successful years.
“He said, 'Well, you lied to me.' I said, 'Governor, I don't remember lying to anybody. I wouldn't lie to you. What did I lie to you about?' He said, 'You said you'd be on my team.' I said, 'Governor, I don't remember that conversation.'“
Beck said he requested time to consider the retirement request.
“I said, 'Governor, I've heard you give a lot of speeches from the podium, and I've heard you say many times that you're a man of faith and believe in prayer. Let me tell you who David Beck is. I'm a man of faith, and I believe in prayer, too. Governor, what I want to do is take this letter back, pray about it and think about it.'
“I stood up and said, 'Do we have anything else to talk about?' He said, 'I just want you to resign today.' I extended my hand to shake hands with him. He stood up and reluctantly shook hands with me. I said, 'Governor, I hope you have a good day. I want to have one.' Then I walked out of the room.”
Beshear’s office has not responded to a request for comment on Beck’s account of the meeting.
The meeting came just three days after the Kentucky Supreme Court struck down a 2021 law passed by the Republican-led General Assembly that had shifted the power to appoint a majority of the Fair Board from Beshear, a Democrat, to the Agriculture Commissioner, now Jonathan Shell, a Republican. The court, in a 4-3 vote, declared the law unconstitutional.
Beshear quickly appointed a new board, and its first action on July 1 was to void Beck’s contract and terminate him.
Beck said the move came as no surprise.
"I knew this governor would eventually get his appointees in place. They decided to declare my contract void and null. The argument they gave was that it was put forth by an unconstitutionally appointed board because of the court ruling.”
During his regularly scheduled news conference on July 2, Beshear said he supported the board’s move because Beck had made it clear that he would not cooperate with the governor’s administration.
“If I'm going to be accountable, then the person who heads that board and runs that operation has to be willing to be accountable to me and work with me and the various board members,” said Beshear. “The individual that is no longer there led a charge to prevent any form of accountability from a governor, was not willing to work with me and made that pretty clear.”
Beck admits his relationship with the governor was strained but disputes Beshear’s characterization of him. He said it was Beshear who was uncooperative.
“We've invited him to many events. We've invited him to speak at events, ribbon cuttings and the State Fair kickoff. We've had very little participation by him,” said Beck.
“None of our budget requests have ever been approved by him. Whatever bill we had, the legislature overrode his vetoes. I would get text messages from Democrats as well as Republicans saying, 'The governor just vetoed your bill, but we're going to override it.' Even in the Democratic caucus, they were supporting our programs against their own governor.”
Beck said he believes Beshear’s action was purely political and not about his performance. He hopes the change in leadership does not impact the future success of the Expo Center and the Kentucky International Convention Center, which Kentucky Venues operates.
The facilities hosted 260 events in 2024-25 and generated more $430 million in estimated economic impact. Kentucky Venues hosted 14 of Louisville's 16 most economically significant events in 2025.
“When you produce 78% of the hotel rooms in this region, a lot of people's jobs depend on the success of those two facilities. Maintaining them, not milking them dry, having a vision and serving the client — that's how you have to be competitive.”
Beck said he has been gratified by the outpouring of support since his termination.
“Every phone call, every text and every email has been encouraging, offering prayers and support,” he said. “People who have known me and worked with me, even though I'm not perfect, have gone out of their way to contact me, let me know they're praying for me, let me know they support me and let me know they respect me. That means a great deal.”
Beck said he has been in contact with the Attorney General’s office. He said he is not currently considering any legal action but has not ruled it out.
“At some point, I may take action. I've not chosen to do that yet. Any action I take is not time sensitive. I don't want to be disruptive. I don't want the reputation of suing the Fair Board like our governor is. I'm not one to go to court very often, but I'm not afraid to if needed. I just want to make sure we do it the right way.”
For now, Beck said he is content with retirement and reconnecting with family.
“I'm looking forward to spending more time with them. I read a book yesterday afternoon, and two of the grandkids came by for a few minutes. I'm looking forward to that. I pray that I can be a good example for my family, my grandkids, my friends and everybody else.”
Beck is a member of a Kentucky Baptist church and has been active in the Kentucky Baptist Convention. He said his faith has sustained him through the turmoil.
“The older you get; you begin to learn what's really important in life. My wife, my family and my church have been extremely supportive,” Beck said.
“I'm at peace with this, I don't like it, but I'm at peace with it. I'm at peace with who I am.”
Photos courtesy of Kentucky Today
