Current Watch: "City of Glenwood Springs: Tourism Marketing Contract and the Public Accommodations Tax"

'gws44' bringing you this post.

It's official. 

The talk around town, that the new Tourism Promotion Board, with no dissent among them now believes an RFP for tourism marketing is in the best interests of 81601, has been substantiated by board vice chairman Don Gillespie.

By unanimous vote at the 02/03/2011 City Council meeting, and after council comments, unanimous support was given to the board's recommendation.

Enough said. 

The citizens of Glenwood Springs have now not only accomplished Ordinance #12, Series of 2010, they have made effective changes in oversight policy and placed the wishes of a community into putting the contract out for competitive bid and positive change.

Filling available seats on the board is Steve Beckley retaining. 

While disappointing only because of his conflict of interest serving as a Chamber Director while the chamber is the tourism vendor; Ken Murphy retains.  We assume that in any bid the Chamber may wish to put in for the future, all Tourism Board members who are also Chamber Board directors will abstain.
 
By unanimous vote, Scott Hemmen retaining his current seat.  A very special thank you goes out to Hemmen for his desire to retain.

This is a board that was given a very, very tough job that made the conscious choice to pull together as a team.

Enough said.

'smalltown7' feels this action on the part of the City of Glenwood Springs closes the Current Watch on the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association. 

Public funds are secured into oversight's hands and the voices of a community have had the ability to raise in a safe place.

Allowing your public comments now, in our view, is neither necessary or appropriate.  smalltown can be reached by email at smalltown8@gmail.com and also by personal contact for those of you that have that information.

smalltown7 goes dark. 

Current Watch: "City of Glenwood Springs City Council"

"'glenwoodsprings22' writes you this post.

'Ok, everyone.  I am going to put this comment into a post so that I can make sure it's seen.

Here are the answers we have:

No, there is no video of the 1/20 council meeting, where you can see for yourself the reactions of council and listen to their statements as they reviewed board meeting attendances.  No, that is not normal and yes, it is something that you should all be upset over.  Totally inappropriate given the current climate. 

Yes, your board applications are in.  They look great.  Murphy is not re-submitting, tomorrow night's meeting will show if that stands.  Beckley is.  Jon Zalinski and his latest venture 'Treadz' has stepped up for the tourism seat.  Great choice.  The next move we feel should happen is for Peter Tijm to resign from the Chamber Board if he wishes to sit the Tourism Board as long as the chamber is the marketing vendor.

Scott Hemmen has stayed the course for the resident seat.  Retain him, even though Judy O'Donnell is the best pick ever to be strong enough to also stay the course.  When the next resident seat is available, we hope Judy steps up.  Scott is settled in and should stay, in our view.

Yes, we see the staying away from the PI Hub that many are doing.  We feel that is the very best thing for you to do.  If you want to chat with us, we are over on Sandbox.  No, it is not safe on the PI Hub.  This morning, as I write this, one of the predator trolls that hub is infested with has showed up.  Probably because of today's news media reports, Russ Arensman and Dirk Myers putting up their websites and blogs.  Because it is standard news, SandBox has posted and we have commented.  'FCL' gave a great commentary for us on Russ's news that started it off.  Of course, predator trolling is going to start again on the PI Hub, there is no longer an opening to get close elsewhere.

You need to take your own stand.  The good news, is that Russ has comments open on his blog and we are sure he would welcome you.

Dirk Myers has a great website up and we notice he has extended himself to you on the PI Hub.  Take him up on that and communicate with these guys in a safe and controlled environment.

No, we will not be on either one, there is simply no safety.  You can find us on SandBox, along with the vast majority of previously censored by the PI avatars.  Just click on the title of this post and you will get there.

Here's Arensman's blog: http://arensman4gws.com/

Here's Dirk Myers site.  Looks like he is moving fast to get it up to speed, but it's there. Frankly, impressive.  http://www.dirkmyers.com/

'smalltown8' encourages every council candidate to set up a blog arena and chat ability for 81601.  It's not as easy as it sounds to guarantee anonymity.  Likely, you won't.  Come to think of it, every sitting seat on the big boards should also have a blog and chat ability that guarantees anonymity.

But sooner or later, the leaders in this town need to step up and openly acknowledge that they have a very real and very serious concern. 

Time for change. 

Time for the end of an era. 

Time to come out of the shadows and work for what a community wants and needs.  Not just a self-appointed elite circle of a few.

Watch your council meeting tomorrow night, folks.  If you need to, access through the link in the post below.'

'glenwoodsprings22'

Current Watch: "Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association Investigation"

Today's post is put up by 'GWS44'. 

Yesterday, a Garfield County citizen commented and put up his name.  This individual has been aware of the whole scope of problem from the beginning.  His comment was heated, direct and if there were no concerns for harm to others, we would let it stay.  In fact, we wanted to let it stay.  It was pulled by grace that runs far, far deeper than my own.

With everyone agreeing this morning we're putting up his revision at his request.

For anyone else wanting to speak while we have comments down again, write in by email in a letter form and we'll review it.

"smalltown:

I talked to her at length yesterday after she pulled my name and comment off this blog.

There’s 2 reasons I’ll go along with that.

The biggest one is after talking, I see your right.  There’s a list now of people hurt and after a lot of years, clear evidence that shows who did that. That woman is known now with hard evidence that eventually stops her.  If people don’t have a safe place from that, they not only won’t talk, she’s daily revealing she doesn’t think she has anyone stopping her and anyone getting in the way gets hurt.   

The second reason I’ll go along with being yanked is because the men involved in this group and the men who have fallen in alongside them since you started now have one who needs help staying standing. They now have vulnerable younger kids and their parents in the line of fire from that same woman running loose. The goal seems to be complete destruction of their lives. On the other hand it’s not an option to let lives be taken. Those men are right that the thing to do is stay standing in front until authority deals.  Those men are right that there isn’t anyone stopping her.  The vulnerable come first.

You put me up in an email post too.  For now, leave my name off and I won’t post it again until we agree on that.

Here’s my words:

“Interesting to see the delay in the video put up on the city site.  Save the smoke and whistles trying to slap an excuse on that. I don’t want to see minutes like I saw yesterday on the city site that are shaved down from what they were when they came in the council packet last Monday.  Shaved down in Kaup’s stmts of why she’s not running again.  I don’t appreciate the attempt to insult my intelligence.  Remember, your all on public record now in a lot of areas and your actions reveal. 

Chuck out to the garbage every single word out of council, city leaders, tourism and the chamber mouths that distracts from that fact and please do so from this point forward.  I don't want to hear it.

At this point, I want to know where in the hell my Garfield BOCC is. 

They oversee the county.  What we have here that a blind man can see now is verified proof that more than one of Garfield’s citizens has a complaint against the chamber of commerce.  And every one of those complaints says the same thing.  Get the problem of your public tax, your public contract and your whole relationship with the chamber away from the victims.  Deal with it, it’s your responsibility, they have nothing to do with it and never have wanted to.  What we have here now is a proven city council not doing anything about at least the current for over a year now until recently when it's so bad it gets filed in a court of law.  What we have here now is a legal process trying to back track and clean up but think it's Ok to still let more fall and all to go deeper into the shadows.   

The writer before me is dead on right.  Those things stand when all else falls away.

What really stands up that needs intervention from higher, is council and chamber board not just turning backs on those complaints, but encouraging the harm happening to people by encouraging a process that is now proven to allow anything to go on because they're being led around by the help that can't be fired.

To hear at Christmas another family has fallen prey. And to keep hearing no matter how bad or obvious it gets, there’s still a council sitting that has the audacity to act like they are now in public meetings plus still sit cowering in front of that one sick mind in the help that can’t be fired,  sends nothing but a cold chill up my spine. 

To watch with my own eyes that council has the power to run human lives, businesses and physical bodies into harms way is a feeling of fear looking at the depth.

Since when is any part of this allowed?”
MR 

Current Watch: Glenwood Springs City Council puts start of initiative forward to completely change oversight of Tourism Board and Chamber

ihttp://alturl.com/8bhx

Tremendous progress, albeit at the snail's pace our City Council is noted for, is in process as a result of the June 3rd, 2010 Glenwood Springs City Council meeting.

While the local newspaper is obviously being given limited information or is purposely not reporting all that is going on in the background regarding the Tourism Marketing Contract and oversight of the Chamber; smalltown7 is greatly encouraged by this progress.

We are also calling for fast movement in drafting the ordinance that changes oversight.

We are also calling for fast movement in putting together an RFP (Request for Proposals) for the 2011 awards.  Kate Collins, former VP at the Chamber of Commerce resigned on May 5th, 2010.   Kate's new firm, Write Brain Left, Inc. is one we are hoping makes a grab for the work.  Also Kim Doose and her local company, Snap Storm Media.  Both would be excellent candidates.

We remain calling for an immediate pull of the 2010 contract from the Chamber as mounting scandal is moving faster than our City Council.  It is a question of protecting what little remaining legitimacy and dignity this community has where the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association is concerned.

As smalltown7 conferenced last night to make final plans on how to move off the Current Watch on the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association now that both goals have been met.

 The goal of protecting public money is in process now after June 3rd. 

The goal of law enforcement awareness of tremendous deception within the Chamber has been and remains being met.

So, what to do from here?

One of the ideas is to start a new section to this SafePlace blog.  "Ongoing Status Watch".  All updates can then be shortened and dropped right in there.  Yes, we are now moving on to finish up what we have on the Eagle Valley Chamber of Commerce.  Watch here for that Current Watch to move forward.

Thank you, City Council.  Now, get moving to clear us and put as much distance between the citizens and the Chamber as possible as the 9th Judicial District and City of Glenwood Springs begins to clean up the "multiple layers of deception" associated.

Congratulations again, Glenwood Springs.  This is a very, very big win for our community.