Honoring Commissioner Douglass W.Va. Agriculture Staffers Spend Thousands On Promotional Event And Party November 17, 2012
Eyewitness News Photo
We have an update on this story. The West Virginia Department of Agriculture says the event at the Embassy Suites generated $4,000. That means the cost to West Virginia taxpayers ended up being $2,000.
An event taking place Friday night at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Charleston was billed as a celebration of West Virginia agriculture.
But it also served as a going-away party for long-time Commissioner Gus Douglass, who is leaving office in January after 44 years.
The state Department of Agriculture spent $6,000 on the room at the Embassy Suites. A department spokesman says ticket sales to the event will defray some of that cost. The U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture was expected to attend.
In addition to promoting state-based products, event organizers say they will also commemorate Commissioner Douglass' record-setting career as a public servant. A spokesman says the department believes its money was well spent.
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