Tarr fired from harness racing job

AUGUSTA — Philip Tarr was fired Friday as chairman of the Maine Harness Racing Commission.

Tarr, who headed the commission for nearly five years, was ousted by state agriculture commissioner Ed McLaughlin in what McLaughlin described as the first step in a broader reorganization of the regulatory agency.

Commission member Richard Crabtree of Readfield will serve as interim chairman until a full-time successor to Tarr is selected, McLaughlin said.

“We have some candidates who are interested” but no decision has been made,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin said the move does not reflect dissatisfaction with Tarr’s performance. Rather, the change in governmental administrations presents “an opportunity to go in a different direction” in regulating harness racing, he said.

“I think we need to accommodate the growth that’s occuring in the industry,” whose gross revenues are now $60 million a year and are expected to reach $100 million a year in the near future, he said.

Tarr, who as commission chairman served at the pleasure of the governor, said there are no hard feelings about the move.

“We both agreed that this is a good time for change,” Tarr said. “I am personally relieved” because of the stressful nature of the job, he said, adding that his immediate focus was on planning a summer vacation with his wife.

The five-member commission regulates racing at Maine’s two commercial tracks, Scarborough Downs and the Bangor Raceway, as well as at 10 agricultural fairs around the state. The commission also regulates the growing off-track betting industry.

Tarr, 55, is probably best known outside the industry as the commission’s point man in its frequent, well-publicized clashes with Scarborough Downs owner Joseph Ricci in recent years.

“We’ve got quite a few (applicants),” said Jack Richards, deputy commissioner of agriculture, who will oversee the selection process. “I would say we’re at the 10 mark and we’re expecting more.

One name being tossed around is former Attorney General Michael Carpenter, who denied interest in the job as a full-time position, noting that he already “gave up the best job in Maine to come home to Houlton.”

“I couldn’t do that,” he said of the five-year appointment, in a phone interview Friday afternoon.