Colorado — While the ski patrol strike has ended in Telluride, the drama is far from over.
Earlier this month, it was revealed by the Colorado Sun and Telluride Times that an offer was made to the owner of Telluride Ski Resort during the ski patrol strike to purchase it. However, that meeting led to political turmoil in the community.
The Meeting
Late last month, two town officials from Telluride and the Mountain Village traveled to meet with TelSki owner Chuck Horning in Southern California. The meeting was intended to discuss the ski patrol strike and leadership deficiencies at the ski resort. The two representatives were Mountain Village Mayor Marti Prohaska and Telluride Mayor Pro Tem Meehan Fee.
During the December 29th meeting, the two told Horning that a group of investors was interested in taking a 51% stake in the ski resort for $127.5 million. As part of this deal, Horning would have remained the Chairman of the board. The two signed a contract with Horning to resolve conflicts between them, including the ski patrol strike, water rights, and employee housing.
However, the offer sheet eventually leaked to social media. It seems more likely than not that Telluride’s ownership leaked the offer. Around the same time, Horning issued open records requests to obtain documents related to the situation so that they could go public. This means that not only is the deal not going to happen, but the local governments have a scandal on their hands.
The Fallout
In response to the situation, the Mayor of Mountain Village resigned, and the Mayor Pro Tem announced her resignation on Monday.
The two claim they acted as private citizens who sincerely wanted what’s best for the community, not as government officials. They also stated that they didn’t use government funds for travel to and from there.
Here’s the complication with that premise. For one, these are government officials who have a history of not getting along with Horning. The communities of Telluride & Mountain Village had run-ins with him last year over water rates, a concert series, and the replacement of the town gondola, among other disputes. Secondly, the former Mountain Village Mayor is a ski patroller at the ski resort. That union was on strike at the time of the meeting. Ultimately, Hornig’s defenders argued that they were trying to coerce him into selling the ski resort.
The situation also led to another resignation. During an accidentally recorded executive session on January 15th, Mountain Village town manager Paul Wisor stated that he was aware of the planned meeting and actually told the two about a group of interested investors. This is contrary to prior claims by the duo that they told no government officials of their visit. After initially deciding not to investigate, the Denver Post reported earlier this week that Mountain Village launched an inquiry on Monday into the former Mayor’s involvement, and Wisor announced that he would go on a leave of absence on Tuesday.
Chuck Horning’s Victory
Ultimately, this additional drama comes as a win for Horning when he needed one. While the ski patrol strike hurt his standing in the ski industry, he gained many defenders and ultimately didn’t cave to all the union’s demands. Frankly, I was surprised at how many were on ownership’s side during the strike.
Horning’s public appearances aren’t common, as he’s usually situated in Southern California. When he’s spoken about Telluride to local media outlets like the Telluride Times, he’s lambasted local politicians, comparing them to Chicago politicians. This gives him an example of why he believes in his worldview, even if the description of the officials may be inaccurate.
I think the whole offer was fundamentally flawed. This new group was going to want to be led by someone who is reportedly hard to work with? Residents literally created a website to bring more attention to his various controversies. It wasn’t a well-thought-out proposal, and it has proven costly for the local community.
Image/Video Credits: Telluride Ski Resort, PeakRankings
