Eaglecrest Ski Area’s board is hiring a new general manager. The job posting went live on Friday.
But, at a meeting the night before, local skiers and residents asked the board to reinstate the previous general manager, Dave Scanlan, whom the board asked to resign last month.
Barney Bogart said he was disappointed in the board.
“Dave should never have been fired. Give us a reason. Don’t just leave us in the lurch. We’re not stupid idiots,” he said. “We need an explanation. And if you can’t give us one, reinstate him right now.”
Bogart was one of 50 people who came to the meeting at the downtown library. There were so many people that some attendees were asked to step outside the room to comply with fire code. At least another 50 attended online.
Many testified in support of the previous general manager and wanted to know why the board abruptly asked him to leave his role after seven years.
Another resident and former Eaglecrest board member, Dave Hanna, said the board is going to have a hard time finding a replacement for Scanlan.
“This board apparently failed to engage Dave in his review, and they failed to get his perspective and his advice on dealing with whatever procedural or personnel issues that were perceived to exist,” he said.
Hanna is also part of a group that is gathering signatures for a petition to demand answers from the board. As of Monday, it had 485 signatures.
Scanlan’s resignation came after he met with the board late last month to evaluate his performance. The decision to ask him to resign came after the board met in executive session.
Board chair Mike Satre said the details of Scanlan’s performance review and the reasons behind the decision can’t be shared with the public.
“It is simply not appropriate to disclose items discussed during the review process,” he said. “I doubt that there’s anyone in this meeting who would want the details of their reviews made public.”
Scanlan has said openly that he did not want to resign. At Thursday’s meeting, the board asked the city to move forward with the hiring process for a new manager, despite public opposition.
According to the city’s Human Resources and Risk Management Director, Dallas Hargrave, the position went live on the city’s website on Friday and will remain up for the next 30 days. The posting lists the starting salary as $100,000 dollars a year. Scanlan was making $114,000 at the time of his resignation.
