WTF?

When a Land Trust board member asked me my initial reaction to the board essentially firing three of its members, my response was; “Honestly?… WTF?”
He was somewhat taken aback.
An organism ridding itself of some of its limbs was a weird idea to me. After firing a current county commissioner, a former Crested Butte mayor and past president of the Land Trust, and someone the Crested Butte Town Council (a major financial source for the Land Trust) admires for her open space acumen, what else could I think?
I’ve been on boards for 20 years in this valley. Every one of them comes with a little ego, some politics, some infighting and disagreements. Now, everyone I spoke with on both sides of this Land Trust situation said it was pretty much the worst they had ever experienced. Meetings were becoming intolerable. Nastiness, personal attacks, innuendo, factions, fighting, mistrust all abounded. It honestly sounds like the situation had to change or there would be a mass ulcer exploding from the Land Trust and nothing more productive would be accomplished.
Is it part of the natural evolution of any non-profit board with turnover of its board members? Perhaps. It sounds like both sides agreed that some drastic move had to be taken and this might be the best course of action. Maybe. Maybe not. Time will tell for that one.

What bothers me the most is the degree of animosity that festered and the outcome. I’m afraid there is some reflection in the macro of the town at the moment. I’ve always liked to believe through an idealistic lens that we in Crested Butte could argue, fight, make points, disagree, make a decision and then move on and buy each other a beer.
The extreme marginalization of emerging or even entrenched factions in this community is a bit disturbing. Whether it’s someone defaming the ski area because they are the biggest business in the valley, a council candidate apparently choosing not to engage in public dialogue because she doesn’t like the paper, citizens taking a public stand on something controversial like Snodgrass and paying a price or the Land Trust board spitting at each other, the edges are getting sharper and the sides more tribalized. That, I don’t like.

I don’t mind a hard fight. If people take a swing at an idea or issue, they should reflect on the reaction but not be surprised if someone punches back. Too often nowadays people are retreating to their pack and grumbling about the other side. There is no desire for moving forward if compromise is involved. But people in this town used to punch with a smile. There apparently hasn’t been much smiling in the Land Trust for a while and the same can be said for factions of various issues we all face right now.
Fight in this town? You bet. There is some grand Crested Butte tradition in that. Argue, decide, move on… and share a drink.
I guess that is no longer the case. My idealistic view got another scratch in the lens this week.
WTF?