Bill would give lawmakers power over Gunstock budget

By ROGER AMSDEN, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — A bill filed by four Belknap County legislators would require that Gunstock’s annual operating budget be approved by the Belknap County Delegation, a change that would appear to be in conflict with the 1959 legislation which established the Gunstock Area Commission and gives the five-member appointed commission broad authority to operate and manage the county-owned ski area.

The proposed legislation adds language that would require approval of the annual operating budget by the delegation but does not modify any of the powers of the commission, which leads Rep. David Huot (D-Laconia) to call it “a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

Nothing in the bill says what happens if the  county delegation doesn’t approve the budget, said Huot. The intent of the bill appears to be to give the county delegation power over the ski area which is contrary to the intent of the original legislation, which he said was designed to provide sound business leadership for the ski area and ensure that it would be operated with the long-range goal of providing recreational opportunities for county residents while serving as a tourist attraction to benefit the area economy.

None of the bill’s sponsors returned phone calls for comments on the proposed legislation, which now appears on the House website as HB 1702.

Rep. Valerie Fraser (R-New Hampton) is listed as the chief sponsor, along with Rep. Ray Howard (R-Alton, Marc Abear (R-Meredith), and John Plumer (R-Belmont).

Rep. Norman Silber (R-Gilford), a  critic of  Gunstock’s operations, said that he supports the bill even though he doesn’t think that it goes far enough.

He said that a recent 11-5 vote by the delegation in favor of former Rep. Brian Gallagher (R-Sanbornton) over  Commission Chairman Sean Sullivan of Laconia was “a vote of no confidence in the Gunstock Area Commission.” Gallagher has called for Gunstock to make larger yearly payments from its revenue to the county.

Silber, who supported Gallagher, said, “There are a variety of problems that I see in Gunstock, including the fact that it has the highest-paid public employee in Belknap County” in Manager Gregg Goddard, who makes $175,000 a year, said Silber.

He maintains that the 58-year-old statute requires Gunstock to turn over to the county any accumulated revenue greater than 25 percent of any profits remaining after meeting obligations “if required by the County Delegation.”

Former Delegation Chairman Frank Tilton (R-Laconia), who supported Sullivan’s reappointment, said the ski area has been run very well in recent years and praised Goddard’s leadership.

Tilton is skeptical of the proposed change and said he supports the views expressed by former Gunstock Commissioner Peter Millham in a letter to the editor to The Laconia Daily Sun, in which Millham criticized Gallagher’s candidacy for the commission as an attempt by the legislators to take control of Gunstock’s operations.