Gunstock Commission splits: at GAC meeting, Commissioners Wood, Lambert demand resignation of Ness, Strang

GILFORD — It was supposed to be a non-public meeting. 

Instead, at the Tuesday morning meeting of the Gunstock Area Commission, Commissioners Jade Wood and Doug Lambert demanded the resignations of the other two remaining commissioners, Chair Peter Ness and David Strang, and members of the public passionately and unanimously testified their support of Gunstock’s management.

Following their Monday meeting announcement, the Gunstock Area Commission met in the main lodge Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. More than 150 people filed into the base lodge. The four commissioners took their seats before a crowd of former and current Gunstock employees, former commissioners, skiers, county residents, and state representatives.

The meeting had been advertised as non-public, according to Ness, in order to discuss urgent matters before the commission to reopen the mountain. A motion was made and seconded to enter a non-public session. After motions are made and before they are voted upon, they are discussed.

During discussion, commissioners Jade Wood and Doug Lambert spoke out against their fellow commissioners. Wood referenced the commission’s ethics policy. 

“The citizens and guests of Gunstock Resort are entitled to have a fair, ethical, and accountable commission. One worthy of the public’s full confidence,” Wood said. “Commissioners' deliberations should be conducted openly, in an atmosphere of respect and civility.”

“Commissioners should work for the common good of the public. The commissioners should refrain from abuse of conduct, personal charges, and verbal attacks upon the character and motives of other commission members, staff and public,” Wood continued.

Wood said she and Lambert had been at Gunstock every day since senior management resigned, marinating in the gravity of the impact of its closing on the employees.

Wood then turned to fellow commissioners Ness and Strang. “If you look out at that mountain that is not currently operational right now, that is because of you.” 

“So I will not agree to go into non-public until this public is heard,” Wood said.

As Wood and Lambert spoke, the crowd erupted in cheers. They waved signs,  provided by the Citizens for Belknap PAC.

“After spending the last five days here on site,” Lambert said, “I have come to the conclusion that to even begin to attempt to construct the necessary leadership team required to get this facility open for winter is an impossible task.” 

Lambert said he had spoken with former General Manager Tom Day, who agreed that he and his team would return to their positions if Ness and Strang were no longer on the GAC.

Lambert then requested that Ness and Strang resign. “There is no other viable way forward,” Lambert said.  

Wood then placed letters of resignation on the table before Ness and Strang to the elation of the crowd, who immediately chanted for Ness and Strang to sign them.

“I have agonized over this decision,” Lambert said, “but I will place my head on my pillow tonight and sleep well, knowing I made the right choice.”

Ness returned to the motion sitting on the table, to enter a non-public session.

With Lambert and Wood voting against, and Ness and Strang voting for, the motion failed, a fate that would befall numerous motions over the course of the meeting.

Being unable to execute the original intent of the meeting, Ness attempted to adjourn the meeting.

“Mr. Chairman, a point of order: this meeting cannot adjourn without a vote,” Wood asserted. “I will stay in open meeting until hell freezes over, or until they resign.”

Ness made a motion to adjourn, which failed. 

Lambert offered a motion to open public comment. In the interest of hearing as many people as possible, Lambert suggested a two-minute speaking period per person, but emphasized that he wanted to hear from everyone who wished to speak.

Ness and Strang suggested a comment period of 30 minutes, if, after this period of comment, the commission could enter non-public. Ness emphasized that the commission had to discuss “emergency measures” for resuming mountain operations that could only take place in a non-public session. 

Wood refused. “You had six days to come in here,” Wood said, meaning six days since the resignation of management staff. “Is this your first time on site?”

Ness and Strang were resolved against public comment without a time limit.  

“We’re going to stay as long as it takes,” Wood said to Ness and Strang. “If you’re not able to fulfill the responsibilities of hearing the public you work for, then I would strongly suggest that this public stand with me in calling for your immediate resignation.” 

“We are trying to move forward and open the mountain,” Ness said. The crowd shouted over him. “We are happy to take public comment, but the commissioners have things that need to be done today in order to resume operations.”

The commission found itself paralyzed, with two members making repeated, unsuccessful motions to open public comment and the other two making repeated, unsuccessful motions to adjourn. Meanwhile, the public grew increasingly restless, shouting at Ness and Strang. At one point, Ness asked the county sheriff to approach the bench.

Day watched from the upper balcony, and other members of the senior management team stood in the crowd.

Ness asserted that rehiring the management team would not resolve the mountain’s problems, and mentioned accusations of financial wrongdoing by Gunstock’s management that would, he claimed, become public pending the results of an “ongoing legal investigation that was unanimously approved by the commission.”

After sparring with Ness over who rightfully had the floor to speak, Wood stood and placed a microphone at the podium, symbolically opening public comment.

This broke the fever. 

Ness and Strang stood and exited the meeting. Standing at the door as they strode out was former commissioner Gary Kiedaisch, who clapped and cheered.  

Meeting attendees moved outdoors to heckle Ness and Strang as they hurried towards the parking lot. Strang, who had been called out by the audience for texting during the meeting, forgot his cell phone on the table and had to return to fetch it.

With Ness and Strang gone, Wood and Lambert listened as dozens of members of the public spoke. Many emphasized that Gunstock and its team were irreplaceable, and the significant role it had played in their lives as an accessible, local, and affordable ski mountain.

Several members of the public who said they had disagreed with Wood and Lambert in the past stepped forward to shake their hands.

Others emphasized that Ness and Strang were the symptom of a greater illness, referring to the county delegation that had appointed them, and urged people to take their anger to the primary elections in September and vote out current delegation members who did not back the management team.

Wood responded measuredly. Wood, as well as Lambert and the other remaining members of the commission, was reportedly recruited to join the GAC by Rep. Norm Silber — who has been vocal about his desire to lease Gunstock to a private corporation. 

Wood emphasized that the same delegation that had put Ness and Strang on the GAC had also appointed her.

“It’s really difficult for us to make judgments about who people are. I just think it’s really important to make every effort to connect directly with some of the people you are referring to,” Wood said. Lambert echoed these sentiments and encouraged voters to do their own research.

At the end of the meeting, around noon, Wood and Lambert affirmed that, if Ness and Strang refused to resign, they would ask the county delegation to remove them as soon as possible.