By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
GILFORD – Among the 80 people who went to the Gunstock Area Commission meeting Friday hoping to speak directly to Commissioner Dr. David Strang to get him to resign and allow the area to reopen was a young, local girl who said she does not want to find another place to ski this winter if it is to close.
Wearing a Gunstock Ski Club T-shirt was Mckenna Howard who described herself as “an avid skier.”
She was brought to tears as she read a prepared statement from her cell phone with her mother by her side.
“I have made many friendships here which will last forever,” she said. Howard said she also loves to hike the trails and watch New Year’s Eve fireworks at the county-owned recreation area and she meets new friends.
“Just a few days ago my mom told me what was going on at Gunstock and that we needed a ‘Plan B’ for where to ski this winter. I don’t want a ‘Plan B.’ I want to travel three minutes down the road to my mountain where the car doesn’t even have time to warm up. I want to say ‘good morning’ to the amazing parking attendants,” and park as close as possible to the high-speed lift named Panorama “and wave to the groomer that is finishing up,” a night’s worth of smoothing out the snow for her and others to enjoy.
Howard said her mother told her the adults would “figure it out.”
Speaking specifically to Strang, who attended the meeting via Zoom and refused the 5 p.m. deadline to resign Friday set by the two other remaining Commissioners Jade Wood and Doug Lambert, Howard pleaded with Strang: “Please open the mountain up and listen to what people want, not what you want…This is our mountain…I hope the delegation is listening too.” Commission Chairman Peter Ness resigned via Zoom at the meeting.
Standing near Howard in the crowd Friday was one of the impacted employees. Statistics show that in winter more than 700 people are employed at Gunstock with about 100 full time, year round employees impacted by the closure. Gunstock is the second largest employer in the county.
The employee identified himself as JD Evans who asked Strang to think, if he were in his shoes, “how would he feel” about losing his livelihood.
The 18-member Belknap County legislative delegation has the power to both appoint and terminate members of the Gunstock Area Commission. Commission Chairman Peter Ness resigned at the meeting.
A group has formed to save Gunstock from what it calls “political extremism.”
The political turmoil has spread to the State House in Concord where Gov. Chris Sununu this week called the chair of the Belknap County all-Republican delegation Free Stater Rep. Mike Sylvia, R-Belmont, and two other state Representatives “crazy.”
Sylvia then made public a 2020 check for $500 to Sununu’s campaign written on a Gunstock Area Commission bank account and signed by recently resigned Gunstock manager Tom Day.
“Since Gunstock is owned by Belknap County all of its funds are public monies and using public dollars to support a political campaign is clearly improper and possible violative of law,” Sylvia said in a published statement. Sylvia blamed the dispute between senior management and the commission on an ongoing audit and internal legal investigation.
A longshot contender in the Republican primary against Sununu, Karen Testerman, wants a full investigation of the $500 donation to Sununu’s previous campaign.
Dr. Tom Sherman, a Rye Democrat who is running against Sununu, said he will launch a canvass Sunday in Gilford to knock doors and “unseat the state reps who shut down Gunstock Mountain Resort.” He blames political extremists for shutting Gunstock down and said Sununu “has courted them for years.”
“We’ve seen these extremists try to defund schools in Croydon, back six-week abortion bans, and undermine our elections,” said Sherman who will be at Gilford Village Field Sunday at 4 p.m.
Sununu said at a news conference Wednesday that he has nothing against people in the Free State movement calling them libertarians who have moved to the state to make government smaller, which he supports. His campaign manager said there is nothing wrong about the Gunstock Area Commission donation in 2020 to Sununu’s campaign.
The Belknap County delegation has yet to meet on the matter of Gunstock since the senior administrative staff, including Tom Day, and Commissioner Gary Kiedaisch resigned July 20 and the mountain mostly closed for summer recreation.
Also attending the Friday meeting was Sue Curtis of Gilford. She was there with her handmade cardboard sign reading “Save Gunstock RESIGN Ness and Strang.” During the executive session, she spoke with Jean and Harold “Marty” Martin of Gilmanton-Iron Works, the latter of which worked last winter as a greeter at the resort.
Curtis got part of her wish while the commission met when Chairman Ness resigning.
Management, who quit en masse July 20 and forced closure of the popular and profitable Gunstock, have said they will return and allow the resort to reopen if both Ness and Strang resign, after months of battling with them for control of operations.
Many in the group charge that the delegation stacked the commission with libertarian and Free Staters who want to lease the ski area out rather than have the county-owned area compete with the private sector.
They argue that the ski area brought in a record $18.5 million, cleared as profit more than $9 million and has $7 million in the bank and that the resort helps local businesses in the summer recreation area get through the winter months.
Strang and Ness did not come to the meeting but attended virtually by Zoom after a previous meeting in which Strang was heckled all the way to his car and left abruptly before the meeting was over.
Again Strang left the meeting virtually before it was over, said commissioners Wood and Lambert, who attended the emergency meeting in person and to whom the crowd considers heroes in the chaos.
Strang is a recreational skier who participates in ski racing himself and lives in Gilmanton. He has been an emergency room doctor and was tapped by the delegation to serve as a commissioner.
Gary Kiedaisch of Gilford, a long serving commissioner and its fifth member, recently resigned but said he would be willing to withdraw that if Strang and Ness are terminated. He did not attend Friday’s meeting.
Harold Martin of Gilmanton said it pained him to see the mountain he loves closed.
“It is just a really positive place,” Martin said noting his volunteer experience deepened his love for the mountain and its people.
He said he did not know former Gunstock Manager Tom Day “but I have seen him out there shoveling,” with the staff and he said that he engendered a great amount of support and has the leadership skills the mountain both wants and needs. He said he is hopeful for his return.
“That is being destroyed and that is a shame,” Martin said. “I am very impressed with Lambert and Wood who have maintained their composure and I am grateful.”