Laconia Daily Sun – Feb 13, 2024
I had a bad dream the other day. But I was wide awake and watching a NH House hearing for Rep. Barbara Comtois' House Bill 1414, and it triggered my PTSD from the Gunstock War of 2022.
Why is HB 1414 so scary? Because it is a full-frontal attack on Gunstock that returns us to the dark days of 2022. In this bill, Rep. Comtois and her Cohorts of Chaos pick up right where they left off — again declaring war on Belknap County’s gem.
Specifically, this bill proposes to almost double Gunstock’s annual payments to the county, requires forensic audits every five years (the last one cost you $50,000 and found almost nothing), and redundantly mandates Gunstock Area Commission meetings be recorded (they already are).
In Rep. Comtois’ narrow-minded testimony, she emphasized that Gunstock’s profits should go to the taxpayers. She ignores the fact they already do. In addition to the $352,000 turned over to the county last year, much of the mountain’s $5 million payroll flows right back into the county’s economy, as does revenue from tens of thousands of visitors to our many small businesses. And she totally ignores the importance of maintaining a healthy cash reserve, and the intangible benefit of having this world class gem in our backyards.
Further aggravating my PTSD, former Rep Michael Sylvia’s truth-free testimony took me back to those dark days when we watched the Belknap County Delegation and their plants on the GAC wage war on Gunstock’s outstanding management team.
Rep. Comtois’ co-conspirators on this predatory bill are Reps. Lisa Smart, Paul Terry, Peter Varney and Nikki McCarter, aided and abetted by Rep. Thomas Ploszaj and former Rep. Michael Sylvia. Remember those names this coming fall. They brought you the Gunstock War of 2022, and it looks like they are ready to do battle again.
Al Posnack
Alton Bay