Rebekah Hall was packed on Tuesday as the Telluride Town Council prepared for an update with Telluride Ski and Golf (Telski) owner Chuck Horning. However, despite the anticipation, Horning was not in attendance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMr. Horning is not with us today,\u201d said Telluride Mayor Teddy Errico. \u201cHe chose to decline the invitation. We thought he was coming, but he advised us he will not be in the room and he will not be online.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement to KOTO News, Horning said he informed Town Council he would not be attending the meeting, stating he works \u201c12 hours a day, seven days a week, so I don\u2019t go to football games or town council meetings, even though both can be enjoyable.\u201d He added that he has \u201cgreat people running the resort,\u201d explaining that his management style is to \u201cstep out of the way, let them do what they do best, and stay out of politics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since Horning wasn\u2019t present, Town Council discussed a list of questions it plans to present to the ski company in hopes of getting answers. The questions focus on commitment to collaboration and shared vision, strategic leadership and organizational direction, investment in community and regional sustainability, and infrastructure reliability and risk management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the conversation, Councilmember Dan Enright clarified that his goal was not to attack or publicly shame Horning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want, and I think we all want, to work collaboratively and in a positive manner with the ski company,\u201d Enright said. \u201cBut that needs to be a conversation, and we need to have trust between our partnerships. I don\u2019t feel like that trust is there. I don\u2019t feel I can trust Mr. Horning\u2019s word, and his failure to show up today is a prime example of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mayor Errico emphasized that the discussion was not a criticism of the staff who work diligently on the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you think how they\u2019re operating the ski resort and doing the best they can \u2014 from ski patrol to ski school, Bon Vivant, groomers, lift ops \u2014 I want to make sure it\u2019s very clear these questions, these challenges, that we will pose to Telluride Ski and Golf are not a criticism of the people who are making sure we are functioning on a daily basis, and often do it with a smile,\u201d Errico said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Councilmember Elena Levin, the conversation centered on accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey really don\u2019t see any consequences for their lack of follow-through; we do,\u201d Levin said. \u201cSo, I think it\u2019s an accountability problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the central challenges for Town Council is a lack of understanding of the leadership and decision-making structure at the ski company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe lack of leadership, or the lack of a leadership structure, is starting to rear its head and affect us in meaningful ways,\u201d said Councilmember Ashley Von Spreecken. \u201cIt\u2019s something I would hope Mr. Horning would take seriously and find that there is power in having strong leadership and this type of structure that pretty much every other corporation utilizes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Councilmember Enright echoed the call for leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need strong leadership,\u201d Enright said. \u201cSo, Mr. Horning, if there\u2019s one request I have of you today, hire a CEO.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Council members asked for better communication and accountability from the resort, Councilmember Geneva Shaunette called for action rather than more meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cActions speak louder than words,\u201d Shaunette said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had quite a bit of discussion, and a lot of people have been discussing these issues or concerns in the community. We\u2019re finally bringing this up at a public meeting \u2014 at the Town of Mountain Village, at the Town of Telluride Council meetings. We want action. And I think the community wants action on all these issues, not just more meetings to talk about what the plan is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During public comment, nearly a dozen elected officials and community members shared their feedback. Only one commenter, Luke Weidner, spoke in support of Telski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt seems bizarre to me that this body feels it is not only their duty but their right to micromanage the operations of a privately held business within its community,\u201d Weidner said. \u201cJust because Telski is arguably the most important business in this community, it does not give this body any additional rights to oversee its operations or to force the owner\u2019s hand should it not be run in the way this body would like it to be run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mountain Village Town Manager Paul Wisor expressed his appreciation for the Council holding the meeting, arguing that showing up was the most important thing Horning could have done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe leadership you\u2019re showing today is not only important for creating room for this discussion, but you\u2019re speaking for any number of people who are afraid to speak out,\u201d Wisor said. \u201cThey are afraid of retribution from the ski company if they voice the very concerns that you are setting forth today. So, thank you for being their voice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Katherine Devlin, vice president of the Telluride Ski Patrol Local Union Unit 7781, echoed calls for Telski to fill management positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is our goal to work amicably with the ski area and to reach a solution that is mutually beneficial,\u201d Devlin said. \u201cWe believe it would be in the best interest of patrol, the community, and the ski area to fill upper management positions at Telluride Ski and Golf, including Mountain Manager and CEO. At this time, our department sufficiently meets safety standards through institutional knowledge. We are extremely privileged to have this institutional knowledge despite lack of upper management input. This year alone, we\u2019ve handled 799 injured guests safely and professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several community members, including Michael Grady, urged the Council to take action to challenge the ski company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight now, Telluride Ski and Golf has near-total control of our tourism engine,\u201d Grady said. \u201cTheir pricing and marketing decisions directly affect who comes here, when they come, and how long they stay. That\u2019s not a partnership, so much as a power imbalance. My opinion is it\u2019s harming our regional tourism, local business, and public trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mountain Village Mayor Marti Prohaska noted the personal impact of the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is an issue that impacts me deeply as someone who has grown up here and whose family worked for decades to create the world-class destination that we currently enjoy,\u201d Prohaska said. \u201cIt\u2019s heart-wrenching to hear the concerns our community has about that continuing into the future. I hope that we can move forward in collaboration to find solutions for these problems because our community truly deserves better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Telluride Town Council plans to present Horning and Telski with their questions and hopes for a response.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Telluride Town Council is calling out Telski for a lack of leadership and accountability, urging owner Chuck Horning to step up and address community concerns. Council members stressed the need for collaboration while advocating for more transparent decision-making.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":3796,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"news-category":[514],"news-tag":[374,704,631,630,477,708,633],"class_list":["post-3795","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-category-featured-stories","news-tag-koto","news-tag-koto-news","news-tag-mountain-village","news-tag-telksi","news-tag-telluride","news-tag-telluride-ski-and-golf","news-tag-telluride-ski-resort"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n