“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,” he said. “We generate our own revenue and this donation does not affect Belknap County residents because we don’t take Belknap County money.”
-former Gunstock General Manager Tom Day’s response as to why he wrote a $500 political donation check using Gunstock Mountain Resort money. Honesty much?
Keep in mind, that Tom Day is now under investigation. The big question now is this: is Sununu going to write a check to Gunstock to reimburse the citizens of Belknap for a check to him that NEVER should have been written in the first place?
Or how about Tom Day? Will he write a check which SHOULD have come out of his own pocket in the first place??? Naw, both of them are too arrogant – but I’m willing to eat crow bout that characterization and admit that I was wrong if either of them did exactly that! Better yet, how about BOTH of them?
And then there’s that “for-profit entity” bit as well. Keep in mind as you read this: Gunstock is not subject to Business Profits Tax and Business Enterprise Tax that “for-profit entities” must pay here in NH.
Yep, now that disgraced former general manager Tom Day has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar at Gunstock (see here) we can take another slice or view at how false his statement was in trying to downplay, deflect, and distract the falsity of his patently ridiculous statement in defense of his issuance of a Gunstock check to the partisan political campaign of Governor Sununu. And remember, he was Sununu’s General Manager at Sununu’s Waterville Valley ski area before being “transferred” (??) to Gunstock. Just sayin’…
Is Gunstock a for-profit business? Does it refuse money from Belknap taxpayers either on a regular basis or when in need? True or False?
False: Gunstock is owned by Belknap County so all of its assets, including its money, is a taxpayer asset. Add to that this obvious observation – regardless that it is providing a service, like the Dept of Motor Vehicles, it takes money from Belknap taxpayers all the time. Instead of getting a driver’s license, they are getting an RFID chipped ski pass so they can be monitored every second that they are on the property.
False: what other private for-profit business pays less than $7,000 per year in property taxes on assets estimated to be valued at over $15 Million? In other words, Gunstock is being subsidized by all the other taxpayers in Belknap County and this situation has existed for over 50 years.
False: what other private for-profit business can borrow money at very low-interest rates based on its own creditworthiness? Not Gunstock. Its ability to borrow money from time to time, and to issue bonds, is entirely dependent on the full faith and credit of Belknap County and its taxpayers. All of those loans/bonds for Gunstock have to go through the County and those notes are signed by Belknap County Treasurer after approval by the Belknap County Commissioners – then and ONLY then is the taxpayer-guaranteed money handed over to Gunstock. Again, a taxpayer subsidy for Gunstock. Thus, it takes money provided by Belknap taxpayers.
False: While recently financially successful, Gunstock operations have not always been successful. Thus, a few years ago, when Gunstock was unable to make the payments due on some of “its” bonds, the County had to step in and take over those payments with the promise of being repaid by Gunstock, which repayment in full has never happened. Again, a taxpayer subsidy for Gunstock.
False: What other for-profit businesses in New Hampshire can avoid the state’s Business Profits Tax and its Business Enterprise Tax? Answer: NONE. Not even Sununu’s Waterville Valley ski area pays both taxes (well, I’m assuming so). But Gunstock does not pay either the BPT or the BET; it gets a free ride. Another subsidy of Gunstock by all of the taxpayers of the state, not only by those in Belknap County.
Let’s ask the most important question AGAIN! Where are the minutes of any properly-noticed meeting of the Gunstock Area Commission in which the payment to the Sununu campaign was discussed or approved? As a former Budget Committee member, we had to put it into the budget which THEN had to be approved by the voters at Town Meeting either as a line item in that budget or by a petition warrant (or for SB2 towns, Deliberative Session/Ballot day). Same with Belknap County contributions to outside agencies- they must be discussed in public and must appear in a published budget finally voted into effect by the Delegation.
And I have yet to find, in Law, where Gunstock is just sooooo special? Obviously, Tom Day did. Willing to share all of the property tax payments, the BET payments, and the BPT payment (especially THIS year where y’all were crowing about the millions you made this year) if you are a “for-profit entity”?
So, Tom Day put up or shut up (other than to apologize for lying to the rest of us).
We do not let town or city or county employees dip into the public trough and make political contributions with taxpayer money. But not so for Gunstock apparently (they DO believe that they are just soooo special that they don’t have to follow the same Law that the rest of us have to!).
So now the issue of the political contribution will head to the office of Attorney General Formella. The same John Formella who is listed on the Sununu campaign finance reports as having been a significant contributor to the Sununu campaign. Will he recuse himself and appoint a special independent counsel or prosecutor? Will Sununu ask for this?
Whether it turns out that the Gunstock donation to the Sununu campaign was illegal or not, the simple fact of the matter is that it was not right.
But do either Tom Day or Chris Sununu even care?
Oh, this – I have heard that NH State Rep Mike Bordes is trying to sweep this under the rug by saying, in effect, “hey, what’s the deal – it was only $500”. Seriously?
He’s running for re-election – with such a slovenly attitude towards YOUR money, why would you vote for him? He obviously doesn’t care either. But that’s part and parcel of being part of the [Tim] Lang gang…
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