County Delegation to meet Aug. 4 to consider removing 2 Gunstock commissioners

GILFORD — A majority of the county delegation called for an emergency meeting to consider calls for removal of Gunstock Area Commissioners Peter Ness and David Strang. The request was filed by Rep. Tim Lang to County Administrator Debra Shackett midday Wednesday. The meeting will take place on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 6:30 p.m. at the County Complex.

Commissioners Jade Wood and Doug Lambert requested that the delegation hold a meeting to consider the removal of Ness and Strang at the Gunstock Area Commission meeting on Tuesday. Rep. Mike Sylvia, who chairs the delegation — an 18-member body made up of the state representatives for Belknap County – has not called a meeting.

Rep. Lang was joined by Reps. Juliet Harvey-Bolia, Thomas Ploszaj, Douglas Trottier, Richard Littlefield, Harry Bean, Gregg Hough, Mike Bordes, Travis O’Hara, and Jonathan Mackie to bypass the chair by filing their call for a meeting. Lang said the decision to call for the meeting was made independently of Chair Sylvia and that he had not spoken to him on the matter.

Rep. Sylvia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The purpose of the meeting is to determine whether or not there is cause for removal.

“We will bring the requesters in and determine if we agree that there is cause,” Lang said in an interview.

A petition with over 100 signatures asking for the removal of Ness and Strang was also filed with the county administrator, according to Lang. 

Lang said that, in light of the public petition asking the delegation to remove Ness and Strang from the GAC for cause, the request by fellow commissioners Wood and Lambert that they be removed or resign, and the growing public calls for the same action, led the delegation to believe they ought to hold a meeting, “to take evidence and testimony as to whether these said GAC Commissioners should be removed for cause and take actions accordingly.” 

The petition states that the undersigned ask the county delegation to exercise its authority under RSA 661:9 IV and remove Ness and Strang “for their gross mismanagement that led to the resignation of the entire Gunstock executive management team and several other key employees, which in turn has led to the closure of the facility.”

The letter from members of the county delegation calling of the meeting included a rough agenda: 

• Call order

• Pledge

• Opening statement about meeting agenda: (Public comment vs testimony)

• Public comment (not to confused with public testimony on removal for cause)

• Testimony/evidence presentation of the for cause removal including public input.

• Up/down Vote on removal if appropriate.

• Discussion and possible vote on temporary commissioner as outlined above.

• Other business

• Adjournment 

Lang said that the delegation may consider appointing a temporary GAC member so that, if Ness and Strang are removed, the GAC maintains a quorum of three members. Lang suggested that the delegation might look to a former GAC commissioner for the temporary appointment, but emphasized that, if this were the case, it would be an “uncontroversial one.” Former Commissioners Gary Kiedaisch, Rusty McLear, Brian Gallagher and Russ Dumais would not, in his opinion, qualify as uncontroversial.

Midday Wednesday, Kiedaisch submitted a letter to the delegation withdrawing his resignation of last week, believing that, since he saw no evidence that the delegation had accepted or confirmed his resignation, he could still withdraw it. 

Lang said that he personally felt Kiedaisch’s resignation stood because it had been made in a public GAC meeting. The intended agenda for the Aug. 4 meeting was not changed by Kiedaisch’s announcement.

The temporary appointment, if undertaken, would only last until an official new GAC member can be elected by the full delegation through the typical process.

The emergency meeting on Thursday, Aug. 4, at 6:30 p.m., is at the County Complex, 34 County Drive, in Conference Room 1. It will also be streamed on Youtube.