Political sniping takes over in New Hampshire’s Gunstock saga

Gunstock's summer adventure park remains closed until further notice. (Gunstock Mountain Resort)

The drama continues to unfold at Gunstock Mountain Resort. 

One week after the New Hampshire ski area’s entire management team resigned due to an ongoing feud with the Gunstock Area Commission — a five-member board appointed by the Belknap County Delegation with the responsibility of managing country-owned Gunstock — political sniping has taken precedence over trying to re-open the resort for summer activities. 

On Tuesday morning, some 300 people filled Gunstock’s lodge for what turned out to be a raucous meeting. During the gathering, the public demanded the resignations of commission members Peter Ness and Dr. David Strang (the latter of whom former Gunstock general manager Tom Day told New England Ski Journal was the main instigator in the saga). They were calls that promoted Ness and Strang to walk out of the meeting. 

On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Sylvia (R-Belmont), who heads up the Belknap County delegation, fought back with the claim that Day, who led the mass resignation during a committee meeting last Wednesday, was facing internal investigation over a 2020 donation to Gov. Chris Sununu’s reelection campaign with public monies. “Using public dollars to support a political campaign is clearly improper and possible violation of law,” Sylvia wrote in a release. 

Gunstock drama continues: Rep. Mike Sylvia, (R) Belmont (Belknap Co. Delegation Chair) says former Gunstock GM was facing internal investigation over 2020 donation to @ChrisSununu re-election campaign using “money that belongs to the taxpayers of Belknap County” #NHPolitics #WMUR pic.twitter.com/fuUDTjkbJW

— Adam Sexton (@AdamSextonWMUR) July 27, 2022

Sununu had raced to the management team’s defense last week, saying that, “Members of the Gunstock Area Commission have lost the trust of the citizens of Belknap County. These individuals have made bad decisions, and until they are removed from their positions and replaced with good people who recognize the wonderful asset that Gunstock is, the County will continue to suffer.” 

Day, hired as Gunstock GM in 2020, had previously held the same role at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort, a ski resort “owned and controlled by the governor and his family,” Sylvia wrote. 

That led Sununu to lash back at Sylvia’s political views. 

“They wanted to secede from the United States of America, completely un-American,” the governor said via NH Journal. “They don’t believe in democracy. I think those individuals should be removed for a variety of reasons. This is just the latest episode of their craziness.”

In his release, Sylvia claimed that Sununu called for the resignation of the entire commission despite the “financial malfeasance” it had uncovered. It is an ethical quandary, Sylvia wrote, “as it interferes with the leadership of a competitor ski area, whose closure stands to benefit his family and his pocketbook.” 

In a statement to WMUR-TV, Day disputed that the contribution came from public money. 

“We are a for-profit entity that has a donation line item in our budget and we donate to different things to promote Gunstock and promote the area and promote skiing in general,” Day said. “We generate our own revenue and this donation does not affect Belknap County residents because we don’t take Belknap County money.”

Gunstock Area Commission members Jade Wood and Doug Lambert requested that the delegation hold a meeting in August to consider removing Strang and Ness from the commission. Following the pair’s walkout on Tuesday, Wood told WMUR that she does expect the pair to resign. 

Gunstock, meanwhile, remains closed to the public “until further notice.” The resort is scheduled to host “Soulfest,” billed as New England’s “largest Christian music festival,” Aug. 4-6. According to the resort’s website, the festival is still on. 

But with ski season preparation due to begin in September, there is still plenty of question whether Gunstock will be ready for winter with no staff in place. 

Eric Wilbur can be reached at [email protected].