Current Watch: City of Glenwood Springs oversight of tourism promotion within 81601"

This post is brought to you as a group compilation from 'smalltown7' and posted by 'gws44'.

As a group we make the public statement that we had hoped the passing of a little time would see the end of the few remaining issues surrounding current and past use of public funds by GSCRA.

Not only does that seem to not be happening, public awareness now holds serious concerns over conflicts of interest that effect fair process in the tourism RFP, still no control over the funds surrounding Strawberry Days and no answers to the citizens on the legal concerns surrounding public monies.

The highly effective medium of this blog seems to be the answer once again in getting voices heard.  Now that confirmation holds the innocent in this scandal are safely tucked aside, we can return to the cause we began in 2003.

Which is the full securing of past, present and future aaccommodations tax revenues within 81601.

This post is a summary of where we are in that battle:


"The standard response from elected officials and city administration anytime the subject of any question raised about the current and past handling of public funds or public events by the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Assoc. is that they believe the chamber does an excellent job and has their full support.

To say that answer is an evasion of the question(s) is unnecessary.

Anyone can see that it is not only an evasion, it's a deliberate spread of disinformation by omission.

Anytime a question of concern by taxpaying citizens is not only avoided but deliberately steered in another direction, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that something is being kept hidden.

If the problems and concerns were fresh, new and few then maybe some understanding of officials possibly wanting to not tarnish their city could be found.

But in the case of 81601 the diversion and aversion has run rampant and unchecked for literally decades.

Where exactly do the citizens of Glenwood Springs stand now?

Let's take a look:

• A quick review of this blog shows that not without a great deal of passive aggressive manipulation by the Chamber and its Board of Directors, 81601 now has a strong Tourism Board in place that is under the control of the city.  Also in place is a first ever competitive bid process for the tourism promotion contract, starting with the 2012 award.  What is very important to note are the subtle manipulations in the background and throughout 81601 to try to undermine this good work.  The people see it, they know it, but yet the behavior remains tolerated by our sitting officials.  There is some hope that our new council members will finally get their legs under them and begin to objectively look at what is ultimately best for 81601 when it comes to tourism, events and city functions that draw revenue into our community and meld all factions into a working unit rather than under the umbrella of a unilateral determination of direction.

Let's take a look at the loose ends surrounding those two big changes.  All of which are not minor, but rather are major thorns in progressive movement for 81601:

*  The allowing of a bidding vendor, in the Chamber Resort Assoc. to hold a monopoly of seats on the new Tourism Board.  The people still state that this is not a popularity contest nor is the rationale that just about everyone on the Tourism Board is a chamber member.  This conflict is directed at any sitting Tourism Board member that is also a sitting director on the chamber board.  There are at least three in Peter Tijm, Ken Murphy and Carl Moak.  The solution is simple.  All should have abstained from any input whatsoever on the RFP, any input whatsoever on selecting who can and cannot bid and certainly abstain from any voting.  We can see in our own city council that even the slightest hint of conflict of interest and councilmen abstain.  Actually leaving the chambers during discussion. 

*  While on the topic of conflicts and special privilege granted to certain members, the question of whether or not Ken Murphy's application to re-up his seat was done in a legitimate manner or should Jon Zalinski actually be sitting that seat needs to be answered by council.

*  The  tourism board, because it is a public funds accountable board, should have minutes and taped meetings available for public view instead of kept under lock and key with the city clerk.  

The point to these questions is that our board needs to be held to legitimate standards, not selective and preferred by some standards.

What is our call on these points? 

Publicly announce what has been done to date on the issue of conflicts and if the answer is nothing, then GSCRA should disqualify.  

If the answer is only abstain from voting, then the public should be informed of all the reasons why the Tourism Board is being granted any special privileges above any other city board and requirements of charter and law.

This board is the only board that handles public funds and they should be held to the highest of standards as they are in a position of trust.  Be accountable and transparent in public ways.

Moving forward with the remaining issues we see:

• The current tourism marketing contract for 2011 was given blindly to the chamber in early 2010.  No one really has a problem with that, it's best we have someone familiar to keep things going while transitions are being made.  Where the problem lies is still in the stone wall to show transparency to the money. Since the time of giving them 2011, publicly recorded minutes and videos of meetings show the see-saw effect of the chamber's attempt to push council and the citizens back to 'the way things used to be'.  These public records then show a grudging acceptance. 

The three issues still unanswered, but still on public record as questions and concerns are: 

a)  Where is the accounting for at least the 2010 bailout of the grant fund? Why haven't the detailed records of exactly where the 2010 20% to the chamber went been seen by the public?

b) Why  hasn't the accounting for the tourism contract cushion, spoken of by Lindsay Lewis as being sat on by the chamber and the obvious accounting for the salary of Kate Collins that was not spent after she quit yet was funded by the contract; been accounted for publicly?  The chamber is boasting of sitting on a positive bottom line at the end of 2010 fiscal year.  How much of that is public money?

c)  Mayor Christensen showed a rare moment of both anger and disdain when confronting Virgili over the signing of the 2011 contract.  On public record, the city returned to the contract the more rigid requirements and accounting mandates for the 2011 contract that had previously been imposed, then removed to soothe ruffled feelings by the tourism board.  Those accounting mandates held to a placing of the bookkeeping into the hands of private and tourism board/city controlled hands as of April 1, 2011.  Where is that accounting?  Does it finally include forensic accounting of past year's records?

What is our call on these issues?

a and b) Forensic accounting of legal strength and standards needs to be done on all public funds passed through GSCRA to date.  If the dogma defense that it is more important to maintain the popularity contest stature of our council and chamber still prevails, then fall back on city charter and law that mandates good stewardship, not guessing games, of public funds.

If any type of forensic look of any type of legal strength and standard is being done already, then control the press release that divulges that information and let the people know.  The people of 81601 are struggling mightily and working hard to prosper, they need to know exactly where the money is, where it has been spent and how it has been accounted for.

c)  The public focus on Virgili has been proven, time after time, to have nothing to do with one individual.  Yet, our esteemed council, our city administration and our law enforcement have now put many levels of 81601 in legal jeopardy from failure of their duty.

The citizens who ultimately have to pay for that loss and not just in monetary ways, deserve to have their minds put at ease that the time of blindly stumbling about making governing judgments from the foundation of gossip are over.  To alter a legal contract, given by us as a people in good faith and then attempt to shove that contract into signature was an outrageous showing of contempt for our community.  As shown in our last municipal election, the people no longer tolerate the abuse of power from anyone, including our elected officials.

Our call?  Announce publicly that the city has proven smalltown7 wrong on every point.  If that cannot be done, then begin the painful process of telling the full truth publicly.

• Strawberry Days.  81601 needs every dime of tourism related revenue we can get.  Before our esteemed council even tries to run a new attractions tax by us, they need to get control over all the loose ends in tourist related revenue we have.  Our biggest event of the year is Strawberry Days.  And it used to be a fund-raising civic event.  We just blew another $9,000 in bailout money for fireworks, on top of the tens of thousands we bailed out the grant fund in 2010 when the chamber ran that dry.  Strawberry Days should not be a Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Assoc. fund-raising event, it should be returned to the City of Glenwood Springs control.

Our call on this one?

The city either needs to show the public, through council, the contract for the turning over of Strawberry Days to private controls or take it to the people on whether or not the event should be returned to city controls.  Including the money generated, which would be a great source to fund our discretionary grant spending.  If it should turn out that the event and all monies it has generated over the years is just another one of those 'whoops' of being asleep at the wheel by our elected officials, then the chamber needs to provide an accounting.

• Sunshine.  Since when does our community sit back and allow a few in positions of power make the kind of governing decision that the public should be kept in the dark?  Obviously, since our own council members have remained oblivious to what the common man on the street has known for months; we have a very real concern that our leaders are possibly deliberately keeping themselves blinded.

Our call?

Get it all out in the open and make certain there is no twist or spin on the content.  Otherwise, the citizens of 81601 are not going to trust where they are being led.

smalltown7 keeps talking.

Current Watch: Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association: "New tourism oversight board mandates accounting of public funds be removed from chamber control"

smalltown7 commends the new Tourism Promotion Board for their recommendations to the city on December 16, 2010.

Requiring that the following changes be made before they would endorse recommending that the city keep it's verbal word from early 2010 to award the 2011 tourism marketing contract to the chamber.

• Board oversight on every contract and sub-contract that GSCRA enters into on behalf of tourism promotion.
• Accounting for any public monies in GSCRA's control for tourism promotion be pulled from the in-house methods controlled by the GSCRA staff and board of directors.  Moving instead to a private accountant to be determined by the Tourism Promotion Board.

With Councilman McKinney being the only absent vote, City Council, at their regularly scheduled meeting last night  unanimously  voted to accept the requirements of the new oversight board.

Locals have been aware, since mid-November, that the new board found it necessary to call for the ability to hold executive session meetings as needed.  No surprise to all who know the inner-workings of the protracted relationship between the decades old marketing contract held by the chamber and city council. 

Other changes over the past few months where tourism oversight and the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association are concerned are transparency and accountability requirements.

• Public disclosure of tourism board minutes have never been available without an act of God or Congress to get them out of the hands of chamber staff.  Since the onset of the first tourism board, unilateral control was held by the chamber in selecting the board members, setting the agenda and controlling the minutes in-house.  At any time, during City Hall hours, anyone may view the minutes of the tourism board meetings now that they are city controlled by the new oversight board.  City clerks can help you access.  Another change in logistics is the posting of board meeting dates will now be done on the city calendar.

• Accountability for the types of promotion done by the chamber, as the current marketing vendor has also occured.   Locals have watched the glimpses given at city council meetings of the new board  vetoing gimmick type promotions and admin expenditures.  Instead obviously choosing to head more in a direction conducive to less fat in the administration of the contract  and more substance in promoting draws rather than gimmick promotions.
• Once the 2011 contract and the 2010 verbal concede to give that contract to the chamber is completed, all future contracts are to be done under RFP process and competitive award. 

Overall, safeplace is exceptionally pleased with the strength and also the courage of this new board.  Thank you, from the many citizens within 81601 who have encouraged you for close to two years now.

smalltown7 keeps talking.

Current Watch: Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce. City Council Brings Forward Ordinance Changes to Protect Tourism Fund

(Below this post today is a summary of the long standing whistleblower issues surrounding our Chamber of Commerce. The primary issue being the surrounding of the Tourism Marketing Contract and alleged misappropriation of public funds. )

On July 1st, 2010, our City Council meeting begins the process of covering proposed changes to the relationship between the public Accommodations Tax, the current Tourism Board and the tourism marketing contractor in our Chamber of Commerce.         http://alturl.com/wv7y

Smalltown7 has reviewed the current council packet and the proposed changes to the existing Ordinance.

We state again that we will take the win.

We state again that it is not enough.

Especially now that the wording of proposed change is reviewed.

This proposal is a watered down, designed to make politicians happy piece of milk toast.

Change will come for sure and it is good change. It’s also change that has no accountability except for 'future' board, council and city administration. There are no answers to any of the list of issues below.

Issues brought time and time again before City Council.

Will there ever come a day when the general public gets their answer to the very simple questions of ‘Where is the estimated 14 to 18 million dollars flowing through suspect Chamber coffers? All of it and not just surface scanning of receipts and expenditures? Is there anyone at all in charge of these funds who is willing to show transparency and accountability to the people?’


Smalltown7 feel that in the future there will be. Thanks to this hard fought, but still way too small win.

We remain thanking City Council for the effort made so far. 

We remain challenging you to do better.

What say you, all followers of this blog watch?


When you look through the decades worth of issues below this post; is this effort by council enough for you?

How are you feeling about the public disgrace surrounding Glenwood Springs right now?

• Currently, our President and CEO, Marianne Virgili remains under investigation, as does our Chamber. Currently, our Chamber of Commerce Board and our City Council are public disgraces for their continued apathy and blind eyes that ultimately authorize breaches of ethics directly traceable back to this organization.  Breaches so extreme they are shocking. Breaches of ethics that are traceable back at least 13 years now.

• Currently, we have major political races in our county. County races that ironically have ties directly back to the Chamber. Alleged illegal acts performed within a county owned building that the Chamber sits in and our public funded by Tourism Visitor’s Center operate through. Not one commissioner doing anything about any of the allegations. We currently have one of the founders of the Tourism Board concept, Tom Jankovsky, trying desperately to distance himself from the Chamber as he runs for County Commissioner against incumbent Democrat Tresi Houpt. Should we elect a powerful commissioner’s seat to someone who not only has been blind for a decade but who also apparently has the type of ethics that condone and allow this mess to effect all of us in such adverse ways?

Smalltown7 does not believe so and announced this week our support of Ms. Houpt, the Democratic incumbent.

Should the public allow an obvious biased local media to continue to attempt to brainwash by using artful spin tactics and wordsmithed press releases handed to them by our marketing vendor?

Smalltown says absolutely not. Continuing local commentary and their work here.  Pointing out the seemingly small discrepancies that later turn into things that can blind a public for years and cause all to have to wade through and sort out to get to the full truth.

• Currently, we have a growing population following this watch,  that is so fed up and filled with both disgust and horror at the extreme abuses of power present in our town; that one of our members coined the phrase: “..a puss filled, malignant tentacle..” in describing for a local forum how deep these issues of years infiltrate.

We all are watching impending change from the empowerment of smaller voices gathered together. The sub community of this town that holds up higher standards for our officials, civil liberties free from encroachment, common sense with practical applications and a zero tolerance policy for the unjust, unfit and obviously lacking individuals and policies that presently shape portions of our community.

Yes, smalltown7 takes the win coming at all of us this Thursday night.


No.


It is not nearly enough.

Live feeds of City Council meetings can be found on meeting night on the City of Glenwood Springs website. http://alturl.com/s5ty   

You do not have to be present in order to speak up.

Let go of feeling pushed or bullied to do so. 

There is no mandatory requirement to be publically displayed in order to speak your mind. 

With the track record of protection that our city officials have towards anyone speaking up; there are few in their right mind who would speak publically.

Send an email to any councilman. Watch for openings in local media to voice your opinion.


Keep talking.

If you are one of the quiet ones listening, listen to all and do so actively not passively. Brainwashed and spun for decades ends in present day. Remember threads, remember all the facts. Eventually, speak up and be heard.

Here is the summary of complaints against the sole source marketing vendor; the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce: 

All of these issues tie into the public accomodations tax because of the long standing sole source governship by the chamber.  Since we have a Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors acting on bruised egos now instead of complete and total  fiscal responsibility to all citizens in the 81601 zip code; the list below is sorted into two sections.  The first being what the people can push hard and forward on with likely a good result now.  Power is in your corner.  The second part of the list will either be forced to scandal resolution or die a natural death with no accountability or restitution for citizens when the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association finishes it's current spiral downward.

It is worthy to note:

“The claims from all actual whistleblowers who have spoken up since the late 1990's to
current day are all the same. It’s important to note that none of these people collaborated
or even knew each other at the time they came forward with their claims."

Part one of summary.  Directly related to public funds:
• There are false line items within the 1/4 allotment for expenses contracted to the Chamber ea. year in the marketing contract. Items such as $20,000 to $25,000 for building rent when the building is rent free from Garfield County. Travel related expenses that don’t exist. Equipment that either was not purchased for Chamber use or was logged as a new purchase when old equipmentwas actually still in use. The claim of the expenses never being forensic scrutinized has held up over the years. No audit or transparency has been made public. As recently as February 2010, close to one year after the last complaintant came forward  City Council notes (minutes of 2/6/10) the heated debates over this issue.


• Credit card use as allegedly fraudulent. Trips for travel with employees that showed a few
dozen credit cards being shuffled to pay for lavish hotels, meals, travel and gifts.  Much of the use being done under the disguise of being tourism related work trips. Until the last whistleblow, it was not known how many cards were out there. It was only known that all the incentives,
rewards, air miles earned from card use were never used by anyone other than
the Chamber President and CEO. That the cards high balances, averaging around $8,000 per month, were always paid off in full every month. It was also brought forward that often new cards were brought in and balances shuffled instead of paid off.


• Vehicle expense logs as false. 5000 miles per month and upwards logged as actual
miles driven and then billed out as expense. Far less reported in actual drive miles
based on the schedule of how often driver was out of building.  Again, supposedly tourism related. Issue becomes a question of double dipping, possibly triple dipping.  Tourism related expenses are supposedly a part of expense reimbursement in the Tourism Marketing Contract. 

• False mailing lists created based on direct and reported as power abusive
instructions to employees to create them no matter how or where names and
addresses were obtained. The items passed through billing meters and the City was
charged.  Old complaint, but still valid because it was never resolved except to slap wrists at the chamber. 
 
• Hand picked within the Chamber the oversight board in the Chamber Board of Directors.
At the inception of the Tourism Board, they too were hand picked and selected as
sitting members. Council Minutes of 06/03/10 reveal that has now been changed
and ordinance is being drawn up (first reading July 1, 2010 council meeting) to eliminate all but the City of Glenwood Springs control over the Tourism Fund. The Chamber Board of Directors to remain as the governing power of the non-profit Chamber Resort Association.  ***Headed to resolution.


• Misuse, for intentional purpose to harm political campaigns and whistleblowers, the use of Chamber of Commerce infrastructure in the powerful database and search optimizing ability of the computers purchased through the Tourism Fund Marketing contract.


• Complaints of no RFP issuance, ever, on this large of a public contract.  ***Should resolve in the future with the new Tourism Board structure in place.


• Complaints of a non profit organization acting instead as a for profit marketing
company. The reasoning behind the for profit appearance was because the
argument from the chamber, every year, to others having a chance at the award was
that the chamber “owned” all that it had created within the Tourism Marketing
Contract. Website, reservations control, etc. etc. At the high dollar monies being
discussed, it would show a very high profit margin for this 501c6 non-profit organization.


Part two of summary:
• Complaints from the membership/small business sector that the Chamber of
Commerce was supposed to serve took/takes a backseat to their work as a
marketing company for the tourist industry. Numerous and costly to the public
entities over the years have had to be created to compensate. Downtown
Development, Downtown Partners, etc.

• Legitimacy in awards to the Chamber and head personnel. Complaints that most of
the awards and accolades to it’s sitting President and CEO were self applied for

rather than earned.


• Complaint of misuse of employee rights in hiring and firing. The change the
Chamber implemented after the 2005 situation was to start hiring 1099 contractors
instead. The current complaint is that these contractors actually are housed for
their work duties within Chamber walls.


• Complaint of being harassed via internet and email to her new employer in another
state, by one of the 2005 era of complaintants.


• President and CEO, Marianne Virgili named as a primary suspect in felony complaints filed to authorities by a private citizen that span in date range from December 2008 through to current day.”

Current Watch: Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce: City Council Meeting Set to Decide Fate of Tourism Board

Today's post to SafePlace is authored by (2) former employees of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association. 

This post is dedicated to the group now widely known as smalltown8.


"Over 12 years ago now, we were the first employees of the Chamber to start the rise upward to expose a corruption that at the time was just becoming obvious.

A little over 12 years later.  Coming along behind (3) additional episodes of more whistleblowers coming forward; the many who have had the courage to stand up have finally accomplished the goal of public exposure to protect the tourism tax revenues of our community.

The efforts span 12 years of rising public view. 

They span at least 8 to 10 years of public concern in quieter ways prior to public view.

 In summary, close to 20 years of concern over the lack of true and fiscally responsible oversight of one of the largest revenue bases in our community. A fund that has generated an estimated 18 to 20 million dollars of revenues into our city coffers.

On the 3rd of June, 2010, City Council sits down, with the eyes of a community and now unfortunately a minimum of additional 48,000 eyes and numerous  world news feeds, to determine the fate of the tourism fund.

http://alturl.com/s4qa

For the first time in the history of the Tourism Fund, there is no ability to make decisions on these funds without answering to the public while doing so.

Council, on the surface has supplied rhetoric that they will final determine what type of accounting oversight there will be on these funds. 

Council, on the surface has supplied rhetoric that there are many issues and concerns over the relationship with the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association and Tourism Board.  Those issues to be thoroughly analyzed and the fate of the relationship and it's oversight is to be determined.

Council, on the surface has supplied rhetoric that the long standing non compliance City Council has indulged itself in by not putting the Tourism Marketing Contract out for RFP (Request for Proposals) each year is to be thoroughly analyzed and ear marked with a mind for acceptance to non compliance of standards (or) placed into compliance with all other contracts of this magnitude.

What Council has not yet done is provide a commitment to the public on transparency of all funds issued to the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association to date.

This upcoming commitment from our City Council is a major win for the community of Glenwood Springs.   

Finally seperated from a single organization, the marketing portion of the Tourism Tax revenues now stands a chance to be tightly held and all of it's strength focused on the good of a community.

It is by no means all that needs to be done.

It is our hope, as (2) of the small voices who have managed to bring this win, that the rest of what needs to be done will see fruition as well.

Long standing change is at now at hand at the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association.  Still yet another high employee, in Kate Collins VP of Tourism Marketing at the Chamber, resigned on May 5th, 2010.    Marking another of so many of us who have fallen by the wayside.  Kate's path did not follow whistleblowing.  For that, we are glad for her.  This is not a road to be wished on anyone.

A recent public cry rose up for the City Council meeting of June 3, 2010 to also hold discussion of securing the current contract now with the Chamber Resort Association.

There is no doubt in our community that scandal rocks, with more to come that pulls the Chamber of Commerce into public view.

For us, the avatars known as formerchamberlady and Former Chamber Employee, we join that cry to protect what may be remaining within the contract for 2010.  Gone are the excuses always cried out from the Chamber that there would be no one to run it.

There is now.

The creator of our Tourism Marketing, known as the Marketing Guru, Kate Collins and her new firm Write Brain Left, Inc. should now be available to safehold the Tourism contract for 2010.  It's a great fit as City Council makes plans to change.

You'll notice a change to the look of SafePlace today.

There are a couple of reasons for that.

The first, is that the clean up of a vile, malignant infection that has followed so many who go up against the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, is in process.  A clean up that began with us, (2) employees over 12 years ago.  That clean up remains supported fully by smalltown7 at a SafePlace.

The second is that we have decided as a group, to take the major win of public eyes forever now on the Tourism Tax revenues and their handling.  And to let the Glenwood Springs Chamber move on.  We feel strongly that we have managed to protect an asset of Glenwood Springs and the public can now join in our watch dog on City Council and City Management's stewardship of that asset until the time comes it is proven to be in good hands.

Here are the visual changes to the blog that you now see:

First, we are leaving only a few selected posts, specific to relevant events within clean-up of lives damaged. 

One is the post of Marilyn LaMont, aka bigtown1, in her "Free Speech and the Unalienable Right to Protection by Authorities" post.  Marilyn is one of two owners of a local business that has now seen the 'best' of our community.  We remain welcoming Marilyn and Keith to the business community of Glenwood Springs and are also very glad to hear of the recent upsurge in day to day sales as the community we love and know reaches out to them, hoping that they stay with us.

The second post archive available to you is the post speaking to you of the real County of Garfield and City of Glenwood Springs and the love we all have of our community.

Good wishes to the Glenwood Springs City Council as they sit down on June 3rd, 2010."