Monday, April 07, 2008

EN BANC

The election results were very curious to the Estes Parkian, we are somewhat stymied as to the political paradigm in Estes Park.

The citizens voted overwhelmingly that… they want a say…in the sale of town property, as they no longer trusted the elected officials to know when voting is or isn’t appropriate. The town finds itself a looser at the Supreme Court of the State of Colorado over the exact same issue…which certain acts are legislative or administrative. Come now people of Estes Park, you need to get your heads on straight here. Do you want a say in your town government or not? Your votes on “Lot 4” say you do, overwhelmingly.
You had better start getting your brains wrapped around this issue…fast!

Let us explain:

You elected a mayor and trustees that have proven to do nothing they say they are going to do, except become team players that…go along-to-get along…with town staff. You elected Jerry Miller who has shown zero interest in Estes Park politics to date, but ran for trustee at the bequest of his close personal friends Peter Marsh, Eric and Susan Blackhurst. He already made a public statement in the “Trail Gazette,” to alibi his campaign promises and he hasn’t even been sworn in yet.

One week prior to the elections, the Supreme Court of the State of Colorado refused the Town of Estes Park’s case
en banc; meaning none of the supreme court judges were interested in the town’s arguments. The town broke the law and now the case has been remanded back to the District 4 Court to be investigated - as to the depth of the town’s lawlessness. Chuck Levine and Bill Pinkham have spent hundreds of thousands of the citizen’s dollars over the past four years defending your town’s lawless acts, and then they get reelected!
Not one word in any of the local media about this case…curious wouldn’t you say? The town is busy behind the scenes buying off Lois Smith and the Chamber of Commerce, working in secret to stop the bleeding…what is the price of the rule of law anyway? How can your elected official use the Constitution of the State of Colorado as a door mat?

Estes Park has the same problems today that it did fifty years ago. The same problems only on a grander scale, with tougher potential solutions, and yet you elect trustees that offer you NO solutions or additional credibility.
Why is this significant you ask?
Simply it is about the administration of town hall and can your town be operated lawfully; in fact - town staff, the trustees, and the mayor have acted in concert to break the law as a tactic in an over all plan…they know and plan on the fact that fighting them is very expensive. Even more startling is that the citizens seem clueless, or at least the majority of you are civics challenged. Look around…your businesses are leaving and your tax base is going into the latrine. You can bet your town marketing folks are burning the midnight oil - polishing off their best excuses;…the cost of oil,…the economy,…the cost of hair cuts in India,… we broke the law for you,…it will be something - you can count on that, they are marketers after all, “spin doctors” - “snake oil salesmen!”

The town spends millions of dollars annually on the same old tired advertising and marketing program that are proven useless, ineffective and unprofessional. Millions of dollars are diverted from essential services; like fire protection and public works projects…at the same time they keep upping your utility bills. If you would take fifteen minutes of your time and stroll through the town ordinances, you will find services like the “fire department,” and the “police department,” and the “drinking water treatment plant,” supported by town ordinance as essential services…and advertising and marketing are not. Every year the town spends millions of our precious sales tax dollars running worthless print ads “branding” Rocky Mountain National Park, and renting the convention center from the Holiday Inn…the single largest budget line item cash outlay each year…and it is not supported by town ordinance as an essential service. These are budget black holes…sucking money at an unsustainable rate. Who benefits besides a few motel owners and town trustee spouse salaries? The amounts spent are unjustifiable, it would be more cost effective to split the money up between the motels and let them do their own advertising and marketing.

What in the name of “Sam” is going on down there? Town Hall wants a fire district for more money, they want a marketing district for more money, and they want to renew EPURA for more money. They spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on free bus rides for visitors…because all private companies that have attempted to run a system for profit have failed…no one rides the bus - free or other wise. Like we have told you…your elected officials burn our money like mindless twits. They now want to run a performing arts center, with whose money and where is the money going to come from? The same number of people that came to RMNP in the 1970’s came to RMNP in 2007…we are at capacity in the summer and have been for years! We are spending one hundred times more money and getting the same results.

You, and your new mayor, and the trustees are shipping the community off to District Court for the penalty phase; costing us how much money to defend a program that is unique in all of Colorado…proven ineffective, irrelevant, stupid, expensive, and unlawful. A small group of failed salesmen and women - having weaseled town salaries for themselves and spouses - have convinced everyone that if we do not allow them to spend millions of our dollars on the same ad program every year, no one will come to Rocky Mountain National Park. They have convinced everyone that the future of the entire valley and the national park rests on their shoulders. The “Snake Oil” salesmen have convinced you…that they and they alone are the center of the universe…when in reality they are marketing people/marketing themselves…get it?

Let me see…free rides for visitors, but they want to charge you a fee for fire protection or they will let your house burn down. How many visitors voted in the election? Zero, nada, none, not one… yet they spend more money catering to visitors than they do on the people that elected them.

Estes Park's statutory elected officials are not Intrawest,” they are not “Vail and Associates,” they are not “Forever Living Resorts,” they are not "Rocky Mountain National Park." but they do like to pretend like they are and the court system reminded them they are not, they tell you a tale…you go along-to-get along… that is why you have the same problems you did fifty years ago. Now you all have a big headache of a problem.

They are your officials - you elected them - you allow this kind of crap government, so we say “suffer through it”…“tuff luck”…“to bad - so sad”…“ if you snooze you loose”…“you are what you eat!”


No. 07SC738
Court of Appeals Case No. 06CA0953 (7/12/07)

Petitioner:
TOWN OF ESTES PARK, COLORADO, a Colorado municipal corporation,
v.
Respondents:
ESTES PARK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, a Colorado nonprofit corporation; NORM PRITCHARD and DEE PRITCHARD, individually and d/b/a BLACK DOG INN, a Colorado sole proprietorship; and BALDPATE INN, LTD., a Colorado corporation.

Petition for Writ of Certiorari DENIED. EN BANC.


Well….we do not like it, and we will not go away, and we intend to keep harping in your ear about the importance of lawful government….whether you like it or not.

Estes Parkian for a lawfully operated community, not operated by “Snake Oil Salesmen.”

“Branding” indeed!

National news media “branded” Estes Park already!

"Deep blue glacial lakes and majestic mountain views" in a "totally overstressed" park. "Traffic, condo developments, and noise around the sappy, touristy town of Estes Park lessen appeal."
NICE!!