GONDOLA GOSSIP

by: Staff Writer

How long have you lived here? It's the question asked by lots of locals in many resort towns. This is their ego seeking validation based on a belief that being somewhere before someone else indicates their importance or superiority. Although remembering what was and will never be again is quaint for museums it's not effective modern resort community policy. Since we can't put the toothpaste back into the tube we can only look forward. The hard facts are that the real culprits want to shift blame to newcomers and second home-owners for what amounts to longtime systemic greed and cronyism. With 20/20 hind-sight this appears to be even more obvious knowing almost every lodging tax dollar for years was allocated to marketing mountain resorts, real estate and tourism… this seems like the results are unintentional but from self-inflicted over-promotion. In the end complaining about the problem without proposing solutions is just whining, while those with the power and resources to fix these mounting issues lack the will opting instead to kick the can down the road protecting their money-maker and the status quo.

What you see is not what you get in many resort communities. The prices of a vacation, real estate and restaurants are all significantly higher at "world-class" destinations. When you can buy filet mignon, potatoes & broccoli for two at the grocery store and cook for the same price as a two topping pizza takeout in your favorite resort towns that says a lot. This is the result of marketing investment not an accident. Resort communities are a microcosm of America if you examine the local minimum wages keeping up with the cost of living compared to the wealth increases of billionaires and corporate revenues. A market with a shrinking number of individuals controlling the majority or all of a commodity or resource ultimately forces different choices. Wages and cost-of-living dictates poverty not geography. That's why many resort towns prefer being ghost towns between seasons not year-round communities.

All politics are local, and winning local popularity contests doesn't make one competent or qualified… but they do have consequences. Locals elected realtors and restaurant owners for years, and then are shocked when they leverage the community brand and resources to advance their personal economic agendas and those of their developer friends and select corporations. Now look closer. Imagine working and retiring in a resort community before the tax-funded marketing and corporate revenue center takeover. Imagine your property tax out of control and being forced out of your home, lifestyle and community. This is one example of unintended consequences when the greed of a few is prioritized ahead of the dignity of many who live in the community that provides them with many opportunities to exploit it. Data doesn't lie, but those who deny or omit it do. If you haven't lived here as long as they have don't question local one-size-fits-all solutions or popularity contest winners... and don't suggest adding more proven expertise, options and transparency without risking being labeled, bullied and excluded.

Back in the good old days… getting a good job meant working for the local hospital or school district. Living the dream meant you picked up a second job at the local ski mountain during the winter. You could say that the locals worked to build their dream, the community identity and a resort brand. Without these foundations would the corporate resorts and real estate investors have been as interested? Many of the first visitors and second home owners bought into these original mountain community brands and identities, and not the one-size-fits-all corporate resorts that came later. Unfortunately, instead of sustaining that community alongside their real estate investments and revenue centers they opted for a temporary seasonal workforce and employee housing. Next the resort corporations moved most good paying jobs out of the towns they operated in and cut budgets at every opportunity, all while driving up prices and the local cost-of-living. Those things are very different from the needs of local families and professionals who live and work in a year-round community.

A good job today they say is with the local town or county governments funded by the windfall of growth and tax dollars. It looks like another good job is at a government funded one-size-fits-all charity deciding who is worthy of being included. Remember politicians campaign for their jobs and all should be held accountable. Data identifies needs and measures results... it is not a personal or political attack. If the goal is to rebuild better or stronger communities then we should start by making sure every local is represented and included first. You cannot treat people fairly if you deem those you dislike or disagree with as inferior or undeserving. Perhaps the pandemic and inflation will remind local leaders that there is a direct relationship between community morale and the resort visitor experience. Let's get back to basics. STOP worrying about how long you lived here, what it was like 30 years ago and who moved away… and START focusing on who lives here now, including the talents they have to offer and integrating them into the community moving forward. It's time for resort corporations and the communities they operate in to repair these critically important and mutually beneficial relationships so we can all move forward together.