The history of what has taken place in American Fork Canyon, with proposed land swaps under the radar of the public from our research traces to a handful of individuals, and really should have an investigation from the FBI and EPA. The short version is contained in this short video. Snowbirds President Bob Bonar tells the public what they want to hear, and then works to navigate the take over of a canyon. Its possible his new boss bought a bill of goods and didn’t know about all the costs associated with toxin mine tailings, if thats the case, Bob should be fired IMHO. The history is long, but includes jet trips for elected decision makers and their wives, lies about who paid for the trip, PAC’s that didn’t exist, helicopter rides, payola in the form of free ski passes to mayors assistants, free ski passes at county Christmas parties, GALA tickets for elected officials… the list is long, $70k in election donations…and key decision makers now, trying to assist the resorts to unload their toxic lands as part of the Mountain Accord land swaps. The 17+/- shell companies set up to help keep the public in the dark, some trace to foreign LLC’s.. is this being done to hide from liability? We believe this should be part of the FBI investigation.
http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/commissioner-larry-ellertson-says-integrity-not-compromised/article_cae266fa-af5f-5623-a50b-b23829cd70a8.html
We beg to differ Commissioner Ellertson. You here finally acknowledge that which you told me in private.. Snowbird paid for the trip. Since that time, you voted for Snowbird, you should have recused yourself. The pleadings of the citizens to protect the canyon, you have failed IMHO. Intellectual dishonesty is what I spoke today of… your article pretty much substantiates what we found in the GRAMA’s. This trip was in excess of $50. You should resign. PPAFC
Item #7 found here.
http://americanforkcanyon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2013-01-08-CC.pdf
Snowbird gives you $3500.00 for your re-election campaign, 6 months later you vote to allow them this.. Jan 8th 2013.
“TAKE ACTION TO APPROVE OR DENY AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE UTAH COUNTY LAND USE ORDINANCE, SECTION 3-47-H-1, TO ALLOW FOR USE OF PUBLIC LANDS AS PART OF ACCESSORY SKI LIFTS AND ASSOCIATED MOUNTAIN RESORT FACILITIES”http://americanforkcanyon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2013-01-08-CC.pdf
8 months later, free trip to Switzerland for you, your wife and other decision makers… nice perk for voting for Snowbird. You should resign.
You lied on the Rod Decker story.. “who paid” … you parsed words.. intellectually dishonest. You had told me in private Snowbird paid. You did a token gesture payment for your wife, but a trip with a spouse along, really does not fit the mix as saving taxpayers dollars. You now say you paid other expenses.. well, we would like to see the receipts and billings as 6 GRAMA’s have failed to produce those documents.
#Mark
What is this all about? The best we can ascertain and in our opinion we are sharing what we have learned. There is more to be uncovered and or learned, but this is a starting point.
http://kutv.com/news/local/who-paid-for-utah-elected-officials-involved-with-mountain-accord-to-go-on-private-jet
In 2013 Snowbird reached out to elected officials and invited them on a trip to Europe, well above the $50 threshold of gifts allowed to be received by elected officials. This trip included (2) private jets and (2) private chefs. As we have been working to protect American Fork Canyon from being commercialized we filed GRAMA requests. This passenger list and trip to Europe were given to us after the 5th GRAMA request and while the county commissioner was traveling, his assistant provided a outline of the trip, a subsequent exchange of emails resulted in a passenger list, and itinerary.
***This discovered Jan 2016 via GRAMA to Mayor GYGI of Cedar Hills. Why would he have a confidential document that outlines Snowbirds plans to take over American Fork Canyon? http://americanforkcanyon.com/grama-request/what-did-mayor-gygi-know-in-2012-about-snowbirds-plans-for-af-canyon-what-did-he-know-about-the-land-swap/
What influence has money played in Mountain Accord and voting? We are not sure, but certainly these layers of close collaboration, even where Bob Bonar asks a Utah County Commissioner to be on the Snowbird private advisory committee to execute the AF Canyon plan, it does in our opinion beg of recusal from some of these elected officials. Details of passenger manifest are noted below.
It should be noted that the Stadler company that has been recently in the news with UTA, also mentioned in the passenger itinerary. This trip to Switzerland has not yet been in the news to our knowledge and GRAMA requests to UTA, again, they are saying they don’t know who went. We believe this is a different trip (prior trip) than reported in the newsarticle mentioned here. http://www.sltrib.com/home/3192038-155/uta-says-it-didnt-know-about
Itinerary Version A- mentions multiple times “Meet with UTA” also mentions “Stadler”
1- August 23-31st 2013 Swiss Trip Itinerary http://americanforkcanyon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Swiss-Trip-August-2013_1-3.docx
2- passenger list including Ian Cumming, Bob Bonar, Mayor Becker, McAdams, Dolan, Utah County Commissioners, Ski Utah, Alta and more…
3- For more detail including Bob Bonar asking a Utah County Commissioner to be on his private advisory board to help execute the Snowbird AF Canyon plan. http://americanforkcanyon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Bonar-asks-Larry-to-be-on-Snowbird-Advisory-Committee.pdf
Bob Bonar asks Utah County Commissioner to be on his “private advisory board for AF Canyon”
4- What is the AF Canyon plan? This was attached to the ask by Bob Bonar to Commissioner Larry Ellertson. Commissioner Ellertson has acted uniformed as to Snowbirds plans in many subsequent meetings. He also sat next to Bob Bonar from Snowbird on the AFCVision planning committee, funded by Snowbirds $50k.
As of May 2015 –Snowbirds AFC Story – May 2015
5- Who paid for this trip? Check in Hand for Lindas Airfare (Commissioner Larry Ellertson)
6- $1370 for Commissioner Spouse, but no information on Commissioner paying his way or reimbursing Snowbird for his portion. The $1370 appears to only cover Delta Airline fees for the spouse of the Commissioner, no hotels, meals, ground transportation or private jet costs. What are the amounts for these “in’kind” contributions? Where are the disclosure filings?
8- Mayor Becker update filings.. read to the bottom, Fair Market Value not disclosed. Also, Mayor Becker said his PAC paid for this, but this seems to read that the SLC taxpayers paid for it… not sure on this one.
http://americanforkcanyon.com/grama-request/8a-grama-for-mayor-becker-on-switzerland-expenses/
9. Mayor Dolan GRAMA responses here. Mayor’s wife appears to have gone for free. Mayor appears to have paid an expedia price for a commercial economy class flight, and got a private jet, private chef, meals, lodging paid for for he and his wife. The Mayors assistant hits Snowbird up for free ski passes for members of her family- they are given. http://americanforkcanyon.com/grama-request/8b-grama-mayor-dolan/
Scott Pierpont – on Ski Utah Board of Directors with Bob Bonar . – https://www.skiutah.com/about/board-of-directors
V.P. SALES DOPPELMAYR CTEC
http://www.saminfo.com/news/pierpont-joins-doppelmayr-ctec
Nathan Rafferty – Ski Utah CEO– https://www.skiutah.com/blog/authors/yeti/ski-utah-staff-profiles-nathan-rafferty-president-ceo
Onno Wieringa- Ski Utah Board of Directors / Alta Ski Resort – https://www.skiutah.com/about/board-of-directors
Lorraine Fry- Executive Assistant to Dick Bass
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/park-cities/kirk-dooley/20150806-oil-man-dick-bass-lived-life-to-the-fullest.ece
Stan Castleton- Developer http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Stan-Castleton/51910191
Mr. Castleton is currently the head of DDRM, a real estate developer in the US with over USD 2bn of projects in its portfolio. DDRM has developed, redeveloped and owned approximately 5000 rooms. DDRM uses the same state lobbyist as Sandy City, Snowbird. Steve Barth.
Campaign Contributions
Ralph Becker says his leadership PAC, the fund politicians raise privately for extra expenses, paid his way. Ian Cumming made a $5000 donation to Mayor Becker 6 months after this trip.
August 23-31 – Swiss Trip
FRI 23 AUG
Depart SLC
Overnite in Halifax, Nova Scotia
SAT 24 AUG
Depart Halifax for Zurich
Lodging in Zurich
SUN 25 AUG
ZRH
Drive to Interlaken Muerren overnight
Site visit Schilthorn with UTA group
Hotel Eiger, (15 double rooms, requested 16 but fully booked) www.hoteleiger.com 41(0)33 8565454
Group dinner at the hotel
MON 26 AUG
Breakfast at Hotel
Train to Jungfraujoch with UTA group
After site visit exit train at Wengen – UTA group goes on to Zurich
Hotel Jungfraublick www.jungfraublick.com 41(0)33 8562727 (16 double rooms)
Dinner on your own
TUES 27 AUG
Breakfast at hotel, free time until hotel checkout
Drive to Luzerne, hotel in Hobiel,CH – 6374 Buochs
Hotel Postillon, (16 double rooms), www.hotelpostillon.ch Tel. +41 (0) 41 620 54 54
Suggested Site Visit- Pilates
Group Dinner at hotel
WED 28 AUG
Breakfast at hotel
Site visit –Stanserhorn Cabrio
Private / Public Partnership –Doppelmayr / Garaventa
Drive to Bregenz, Austria
Overnight in Bregenz, Hotel Krone in Dornbirn (011 43 5572 22 720)
Group Dinner
THUR 29 AUG
Breakfast at hotel
Tour Doppelmayr Factory
Lunch in Egge, Adler Restaurant
Site Visits Funifor, Bezau;
Drive to Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl Burgstrasse 97 Ph: 49 8 8217020 (15 double rooms, requested 16)
Dinner on your own
FRI 30 AUG
Breakfast at hotel
Site visit Zugspitz
Hotel Moevenpick, Zurich Airport (15 double rooms, requested 16)
Dinner on your own
How much does a private jet trip to Europe cost roughly? I asked for a “ballpark cost” last night, here is what came back. $75-85k per leg, x 2 private jets. So $300k-$360k on the Ian Cumming jets would be “ballpark” based upon this bid. What do 10 crew members do while in Switzerland for a week and are their salaries in addition to this? Perhaps so… So, who paid for all of this is a good question?
29 people on the Ian Cumming / Snowbird passenger list – 2 jets showed a capacity of 12 persons per jet. The others got to Switzerland perhaps on public transportation, unknown.
$360,000.00 /24 = $15,000.00 person for just the airfare on the Ian Cummings jet(s).
Delta shows $1540.00 per person round trip cost Round Trip from SLC to Zurich.
What about lodging, meals, ground transportation costs?
Rod Decker “Who Paid?”
Commissioner Ellertson “I’m not certain of that I think there were a variety of people that participated…”
“The city paid for my trip,” Dolan said.
“I paid part of the cost and my leadership PAC, and the county reimbursed some of the cost,” McAdams said.
Ralph Becker says his leadership PAC, the fund politicians raise privately for extra expenses, paid his way.
…2News called the Cumming family’s holding company, they said they didn’t know anything about the trip…..
NEWS-STORY #1
Question that I have is with all the UTA directed GRAMA requests for the past year by the press, why did this trip not be disclosed by UTA 11 months ago or earlier. Why does a little group PPAFC find which has been hidden from the press and their GRAMA requests… thats a story in and of itself.
NEWS-STORY #2
The press should also take a look to see who the largest campaign donors were to Mayor Ben McAdams, Mayor Becker, Mayor Dolan and all other elected officials who have been involved with Mountain Accord.
