(See related stories, more links to related and public commentary here, here and here)
Andrew Travers:
"The press and public were not allowed at the chamber retreat. The bulk of the meeting allegedly addressed ACRA’s strategic plan and preparing for an upcoming change in board leadership. Donnie Lee, general manager of The Gant, will be taking over as board chair....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Showing posts with label US Chamber of Commerce. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Chamber of Commerce. Show all posts
April 19, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "ACRA board should own U.S. Chamber decision"
(See related stories and comments here and here)
A couple of years ago, 'SandBox Nanny' was quoted a comment that she was told came from an Aspen Daily writer.
Something along the lines of his 'boss would never even think to tell him what to write in his reports'. The impression left was one of high ethics within the publication and its ownership. Commendable in the environment of 24/7 news.
Aprx. two years ago, a small group of local micro-bloggers said this, as background explanation for their post on their blog, regarding the complete power dominance that our three local newspapers hold in the Valley. A fact that explains many regional issues and helps one to understand the dynamic of Aspen as the core lifeblood of the Valley:
"Using the influence of long standing power and control, a dying era has resorted once again to manipulation and spin of the internet and media. Glenwood Springs, Colorado is a fairly small town. Two grocery stores, one post office and only one parent newspaper that holds a monopoly on local newspapers. Glenwood Springs Post Independent, Aspen Times, Citizens Telegram, Summit Daily, Vail Daily, GJ Free Press are all owned by Swift Communications, which serves a number of communities in California, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota. Corporate offices located in Carson City, Nevada. We have only one independent and strong local newspaper that has been around for a long, long time that is not held by the monopoly of Swift Communications. The Aspen Daily Newsremains free from "corporate news media" with business offices located in Aspen, Colorado. The differences between the two newspaper companies is easy to see. Logistics level sees the Glenwood Post Independent filled with advertising in it’s print edition and SPAM filled pop ups in it’s online edition. We also have “up valley” and “down valley” views of our newspapers. Over the years, politics in our corridor has given strong class distinctions that distinguish between the two. The Daily is read by “billionaires” and “workers” alike. The “ghetto elite/wannabe elite” surf between the two. A growing number of citizens making a rising and impressive surge into social and political scenes are none of the above and use the Daily as the grounding point and the Post for a quick skim to catch up on buzz. The Post is the “down valley” for Swift. The Aspen Times is Swift’s “up valley” with both papers rarely in a war with each other over content as their content is the same. The Citizens Telegram, also owned by Swift, is the “real down” valley paper and is located in Rifle. Rebellious when it can to it’s parent and serves the seat of our big oil and gas industry. For those not familiar with the demographics of our town, Glenwood Springs sits in the middle and is considered the gateway to three influential and powerful commodities: big oil and gas to the west, public owned Vail Ski Resort and private held Aspen Ski Company. From the Summit Daily to the Grand Junction Sentinel, our news is followed all over the world. Politically, the Swift family is mostly blue but does once in awhile pander to the red, depending on which community it’s sitting in. "With the recession, folks cut back on the Post’s paid subscriptions and deliveries, instead picking it up free at newstands and walking the few blocks to do that. The Post and Times are larger in size and there are more pages. Logistics level with the Aspen Daily, shows less advertising and the folks still pay for subscriptions. It’s also the favorite of the estimated hundreds of blue collar workers who come from “down valley” to “up valley” and most locals throughout. Also holding the earned claim of being the paper absent second and third home owners subscribe to by mail. Politically, it’s hard to tell if the Aspen Daily News is blue or red. On journalistic levels, locals know if they want to read the full story, they go to the Daily. To get the gossip or juicy spin, they go to the Post or the Times. The Daily is also a free paper as well and can be found not only at news stands but piles delivered to local businesses, such as professional offices where one has to wait to meet an appointment. A “Good Morning” to another local hitting the newspaper stand at the same time, often holds a little eye contact and partial smile of knowing from each, as they nod politely and then reach for the symbols of what they support and believe in." (smalltown7)
The Aspen Daily News sometimes appears to be this slumbering force. One that is more than slightly eccentric as the staff and locals use it as a voice box. However, there is a reason the Daily is where locals really do go for the best insight into just the facts. There is inherent trust that staff and ownership have built up over a long period of time. Earned trust.
When the Aspen Daily speaks with breaking information or gives the somewhat rare editorial; the folks listen. Powerful at the right time, the Daily gets the point across.
'SandBox Nanny' agrees that it is inappropriate (at best) for ACRA to close off this meeting next Monday.
A meeting where we all know perfectly well the 'US Chamber flap' is not the real topic of the day. Amazing how power abuse can get away with so much more closet activity than everyone else.
Aspen Daily Staff:
"Officially, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association’s board of directors is not a public body. That may strike transparency advocates as off base, considering that 49 percent of the agency’s budget comes from lodging and sales taxes.
ACRA always seems to walk a fine line, between representing the interests of private businesses, while also maintaining its public role in the marketing and image crafting of Aspen. It’s caught in between these two missions with the question of its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has staked out positions fighting federal climate change regulation.
The Aspen Skiing Co., the area’s largest — and wholly snow-dependent — local business, wants ACRA to cut ties with the U.S. Chamber, as do others in the community. Many ACRA businesses, as well as the chamber’s executive staff, say the $800-per-year membership has benefits, including networking and training opportunities.
After years of debate, the issue will be decided on Monday at the ACRA board’s daylong “retreat” meeting, but the public — including the owners and employees of hundreds of ACRA member businesses — is not invited. The ACRA board has decided to invoke a provision of its bylaws that allows the public to be excluded from its meetings, even though the regular monthly gatherings are open to anyone who wishes to attend.
We urge ACRA to change its position and open the retreat to the public, at least for the U.S. Chamber membership discussion. The board needs to hear from its constituents one last time before making this decision. Either way, the decision will make headlines and draw attention from outside the valley, so the deliberations should be done publicly. As a private nonprofit, ACRA might not be breaking any state open meeting laws but we argue that it’s certainly violating the spirit of them by keeping the public out of Monday’s discussion...."
(Read more? Click title)
A couple of years ago, 'SandBox Nanny' was quoted a comment that she was told came from an Aspen Daily writer.
Something along the lines of his 'boss would never even think to tell him what to write in his reports'. The impression left was one of high ethics within the publication and its ownership. Commendable in the environment of 24/7 news.
Aprx. two years ago, a small group of local micro-bloggers said this, as background explanation for their post on their blog, regarding the complete power dominance that our three local newspapers hold in the Valley. A fact that explains many regional issues and helps one to understand the dynamic of Aspen as the core lifeblood of the Valley:
"Using the influence of long standing power and control, a dying era has resorted once again to manipulation and spin of the internet and media. Glenwood Springs, Colorado is a fairly small town. Two grocery stores, one post office and only one parent newspaper that holds a monopoly on local newspapers. Glenwood Springs Post Independent, Aspen Times, Citizens Telegram, Summit Daily, Vail Daily, GJ Free Press are all owned by Swift Communications, which serves a number of communities in California, Nevada, Oregon, Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota. Corporate offices located in Carson City, Nevada. We have only one independent and strong local newspaper that has been around for a long, long time that is not held by the monopoly of Swift Communications. The Aspen Daily Newsremains free from "corporate news media" with business offices located in Aspen, Colorado. The differences between the two newspaper companies is easy to see. Logistics level sees the Glenwood Post Independent filled with advertising in it’s print edition and SPAM filled pop ups in it’s online edition. We also have “up valley” and “down valley” views of our newspapers. Over the years, politics in our corridor has given strong class distinctions that distinguish between the two. The Daily is read by “billionaires” and “workers” alike. The “ghetto elite/wannabe elite” surf between the two. A growing number of citizens making a rising and impressive surge into social and political scenes are none of the above and use the Daily as the grounding point and the Post for a quick skim to catch up on buzz. The Post is the “down valley” for Swift. The Aspen Times is Swift’s “up valley” with both papers rarely in a war with each other over content as their content is the same. The Citizens Telegram, also owned by Swift, is the “real down” valley paper and is located in Rifle. Rebellious when it can to it’s parent and serves the seat of our big oil and gas industry. For those not familiar with the demographics of our town, Glenwood Springs sits in the middle and is considered the gateway to three influential and powerful commodities: big oil and gas to the west, public owned Vail Ski Resort and private held Aspen Ski Company. From the Summit Daily to the Grand Junction Sentinel, our news is followed all over the world. Politically, the Swift family is mostly blue but does once in awhile pander to the red, depending on which community it’s sitting in. "With the recession, folks cut back on the Post’s paid subscriptions and deliveries, instead picking it up free at newstands and walking the few blocks to do that. The Post and Times are larger in size and there are more pages. Logistics level with the Aspen Daily, shows less advertising and the folks still pay for subscriptions. It’s also the favorite of the estimated hundreds of blue collar workers who come from “down valley” to “up valley” and most locals throughout. Also holding the earned claim of being the paper absent second and third home owners subscribe to by mail. Politically, it’s hard to tell if the Aspen Daily News is blue or red. On journalistic levels, locals know if they want to read the full story, they go to the Daily. To get the gossip or juicy spin, they go to the Post or the Times. The Daily is also a free paper as well and can be found not only at news stands but piles delivered to local businesses, such as professional offices where one has to wait to meet an appointment. A “Good Morning” to another local hitting the newspaper stand at the same time, often holds a little eye contact and partial smile of knowing from each, as they nod politely and then reach for the symbols of what they support and believe in." (smalltown7)
The Aspen Daily News sometimes appears to be this slumbering force. One that is more than slightly eccentric as the staff and locals use it as a voice box. However, there is a reason the Daily is where locals really do go for the best insight into just the facts. There is inherent trust that staff and ownership have built up over a long period of time. Earned trust.
When the Aspen Daily speaks with breaking information or gives the somewhat rare editorial; the folks listen. Powerful at the right time, the Daily gets the point across.
'SandBox Nanny' agrees that it is inappropriate (at best) for ACRA to close off this meeting next Monday.
A meeting where we all know perfectly well the 'US Chamber flap' is not the real topic of the day. Amazing how power abuse can get away with so much more closet activity than everyone else.
Aspen Daily Staff:
"Officially, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association’s board of directors is not a public body. That may strike transparency advocates as off base, considering that 49 percent of the agency’s budget comes from lodging and sales taxes.
ACRA always seems to walk a fine line, between representing the interests of private businesses, while also maintaining its public role in the marketing and image crafting of Aspen. It’s caught in between these two missions with the question of its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has staked out positions fighting federal climate change regulation.
The Aspen Skiing Co., the area’s largest — and wholly snow-dependent — local business, wants ACRA to cut ties with the U.S. Chamber, as do others in the community. Many ACRA businesses, as well as the chamber’s executive staff, say the $800-per-year membership has benefits, including networking and training opportunities.
After years of debate, the issue will be decided on Monday at the ACRA board’s daylong “retreat” meeting, but the public — including the owners and employees of hundreds of ACRA member businesses — is not invited. The ACRA board has decided to invoke a provision of its bylaws that allows the public to be excluded from its meetings, even though the regular monthly gatherings are open to anyone who wishes to attend.
We urge ACRA to change its position and open the retreat to the public, at least for the U.S. Chamber membership discussion. The board needs to hear from its constituents one last time before making this decision. Either way, the decision will make headlines and draw attention from outside the valley, so the deliberations should be done publicly. As a private nonprofit, ACRA might not be breaking any state open meeting laws but we argue that it’s certainly violating the spirit of them by keeping the public out of Monday’s discussion...."
(Read more? Click title)
April 12, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "ACRA to decide on U.S. Chamber membership during private meeting"
(See related links to story along with public commentary here)
Andrew Travers:
"The board of directors at the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) will go behind closed doors to make its long-awaited decision on its controversial membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
ACRA is expected to take a final vote on the issue during a board retreat on Monday, April 23. The press and public — including chamber members — will not be permitted to attend the 45-minute discussion on the U.S. Chamber or any other portion of the daylong board retreat at The Gant.
Though 49 percent of ACRA’s budget comes from local tax dollars and public funds, the chamber is a nonprofit membership organization, and not legally considered a public body. So, it is not bound by Colorado’s open meetings laws. Those laws require public boards, like county commissions and city councils, to post notices for meetings and abide by strict rules controlling when and why they can exclude the public and press from meetings........
.......Chamber president Debbie Braun said Wednesday that board members want to speak openly without fear of having their views broadcast publicly through the media, as they make a final decision on this long-simmering and divisive issue.
“We want to have an honest dialogue,” Braun said. “We want to hear from everyone on the board, and we don’t want them to think they might get caught with a pull-out quote in the newspaper.”...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Andrew Travers:
"The board of directors at the Aspen Chamber Resort Association (ACRA) will go behind closed doors to make its long-awaited decision on its controversial membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
ACRA is expected to take a final vote on the issue during a board retreat on Monday, April 23. The press and public — including chamber members — will not be permitted to attend the 45-minute discussion on the U.S. Chamber or any other portion of the daylong board retreat at The Gant.
Though 49 percent of ACRA’s budget comes from local tax dollars and public funds, the chamber is a nonprofit membership organization, and not legally considered a public body. So, it is not bound by Colorado’s open meetings laws. Those laws require public boards, like county commissions and city councils, to post notices for meetings and abide by strict rules controlling when and why they can exclude the public and press from meetings........
.......Chamber president Debbie Braun said Wednesday that board members want to speak openly without fear of having their views broadcast publicly through the media, as they make a final decision on this long-simmering and divisive issue.
“We want to have an honest dialogue,” Braun said. “We want to hear from everyone on the board, and we don’t want them to think they might get caught with a pull-out quote in the newspaper.”...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
April 11, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "PitCo to stay out of U.S. Chamber flap"
(See public insight through commentary here on a related story)
I know it will be hard to do. Possibly you won't even be able to pull it off. But 'SandBox Nanny' is going to ask you to try anyway.
Try to set aside the blatantly obvious fact that this is the first time in recent years, that PitCo has swayed from their modus operandi and acted out of character by staying out of a crony's business. And the likelihood of that is probably because they are under a federal microscope right now.
Try to set aside the angst you're likely feeling on how wrong it is that there is a sitting, governing body in Pitkin County that has to wait to exercise obvious measures of ethics, accountability and transparency until 'muscle' puts them under a microscope.
Try to set aside your concern that just as soon as that microscope is pulled off them they will resort right back to their preferred modus operandi.
Once you get all those things set aside...find relief and a sense of well being in the knowledge that they are capable of seeing the difference between right and wrong and the boundaries of what they should be sticking their fingers into as the pie is passed around. And what they should not be touching in any way because they have one job and one job only to do. That job is to be the governing body of Pitkin County and attend to only the county and folks business with no political statements, no cronyism, no favortism or social dividing and certainly no personal gains, on any level, from inside knowledge while in office.
Your sense of relief may be brief. But from the point forward of 'muscle' coming to town, it can never be said again that Pitkin County commissioners don't know the difference between right from wrong. Which could translate out to that sense of relief coming back to you in the future through the course of the way of rightful things.
A special thank you goes out to PitCo BOCC today. Simply for doing their job.
(Read the article? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
I know it will be hard to do. Possibly you won't even be able to pull it off. But 'SandBox Nanny' is going to ask you to try anyway.
Try to set aside the blatantly obvious fact that this is the first time in recent years, that PitCo has swayed from their modus operandi and acted out of character by staying out of a crony's business. And the likelihood of that is probably because they are under a federal microscope right now.
Try to set aside the angst you're likely feeling on how wrong it is that there is a sitting, governing body in Pitkin County that has to wait to exercise obvious measures of ethics, accountability and transparency until 'muscle' puts them under a microscope.
Try to set aside your concern that just as soon as that microscope is pulled off them they will resort right back to their preferred modus operandi.
Once you get all those things set aside...find relief and a sense of well being in the knowledge that they are capable of seeing the difference between right and wrong and the boundaries of what they should be sticking their fingers into as the pie is passed around. And what they should not be touching in any way because they have one job and one job only to do. That job is to be the governing body of Pitkin County and attend to only the county and folks business with no political statements, no cronyism, no favortism or social dividing and certainly no personal gains, on any level, from inside knowledge while in office.
Your sense of relief may be brief. But from the point forward of 'muscle' coming to town, it can never be said again that Pitkin County commissioners don't know the difference between right from wrong. Which could translate out to that sense of relief coming back to you in the future through the course of the way of rightful things.
A special thank you goes out to PitCo BOCC today. Simply for doing their job.
(Read the article? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
March 11, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News/Letter to the Editor " Aspen boycott"
Mark Thomas, Hood River, Oregon:
"Editor:
Presumably, ACRA’s job is to help the business community in Aspen thrive. But by paying dues to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is does just the opposite, because the U.S. Chamber actively works to prevent a fix on climate, which the city’s own research says threatens the economy. There’s another problem though; people don’t want to visit a town that’s unethical and hypocritical. I used to live in the valley and love Aspen, but I can and will plan my next ski vacation in Steamboat Springs, which is not a member of the U.S. Chamber and seems to be doing just fine. Would a boycott be good for Aspen’s businesses? Does Steamboat’s chamber know something Aspen doesn’t?..." (Read the original? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Editor:
Presumably, ACRA’s job is to help the business community in Aspen thrive. But by paying dues to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is does just the opposite, because the U.S. Chamber actively works to prevent a fix on climate, which the city’s own research says threatens the economy. There’s another problem though; people don’t want to visit a town that’s unethical and hypocritical. I used to live in the valley and love Aspen, but I can and will plan my next ski vacation in Steamboat Springs, which is not a member of the U.S. Chamber and seems to be doing just fine. Would a boycott be good for Aspen’s businesses? Does Steamboat’s chamber know something Aspen doesn’t?..." (Read the original? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
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