Sen. Bob Giuda: The voters control the future of Gunstock

People of Belknap County, the radical members of the Belknap County delegation and their Gunstock Area Commission henchmen caused the resignation of the entire Gunstock management team and commissioner Gary Kiedaisch. The next day, they had the sheriff walk them off the property. Gunstock is now closed.

Delegation members who elected the GAC who caused this carnage are Norm Silber, Mike Sylvia, Barbara Comtois, Glen Aldrich, Greg Hough, Dawn Johnson, Rich Littlefield, Paul Terry, Peter Varney, Harry Bean, Juliet Harvey-Bolia, Tom Ploszaj, and Ray Howard, who has moved out of district. They spurned far-better-qualified candidates, after Silber and Sylvia rejected two early offers of mediation, costing at least $30,000 more in unauthorized legal fees. Recall Sylvia’s all-telling comment, “I prefer the hammer.”

But there’s a bigger story here. New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse, running for U.S. Senate, also bears much responsibility for what happened.

A Senate amendment (2022-1948s) to HB 1397 (addressing the length of terms of Rockingham County officials) would have had the citizens of Belknap County elect GAC members rather than the Belknap County delegation, ending politically motivated interference by the delegation, while maintaining financial accountability. The amendment passed the Senate on a voice vote, and a committee of conference was formed to address the now-amended HB 1397.

On May 19, moments before the final committee of conference on the amended HB 1397, Sens. Morse and Regina Birdsell intercepted me in the hallway and Morse said, “We have to accede to the House position.” Morse, as Senate President, was telling me to abandon the Senate position. I asked him why, to which he answered, “Because I need the Rockingham County vote,” referring to his U.S. Senate campaign.

I refused to abandon the Senate position, and Morse replaced me with himself on the committee of conference and threw Gunstock under the bus for his own personal political gain. The irony is that the amendment had no effect whatsoever on Rockingham County. By killing the amendment for his own political gain, Morse emboldened the warring delegation members and hostile GAC to continue their assault on the Gunstock team.

The delegation members listed above who voted for the current Gunstock commissioners caused this debacle. If you re-elect them, either in the Republican primary Sept. 13, or the General Election in November, it will worsen the train wreck at Gunstock, at the expense of our friends, neighbors, businesses, and your tax bill.

If you want the current Gunstock debacle to continue, then re-elect the Republicans listed above. If you want responsible leadership and constructive progress, throw them out on their ear. And don’t forget about Chuck Morse.

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Sen. Bob Giuda represents New Hampshire's second district.