​Butler: Sununu's Job Creation Ad Deceives the Public

HART'S LOCATION, NH — In recent weeks, Chris Sununu’s record at Waterville Valley has become a flashpoint in this campaign for governor, specifically regarding whether his management at the resort has been successful. Sadly, in seeking to shore up his credentials a business owner, Mr. Sununu has resorted to deceiving the public.

He is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to tell us about his record as a job creator and to claim that Waterville Valley is the only resort on the East Coast that is expanding. Both statements are simply not true. If you haven’t seen it, Chris Sununu’s ad seeks to cast him as a successful businessman, claiming that as CEO of Waterville Valley, he’s created “hundreds of good-paying jobs.”

The truth, however, is the exact opposite.

An NHPR report found that, contrary to creating jobs, Sununu had actually lost jobs since he took over. In 2011, Waterville Valley had 872 employees but by 2015, the staff numbered only 809. I can’t imagine the mental gymnastics one must go through to believe that losing 63 workers translates to creating “hundreds” of jobs.

And when Chris has been asked about this clear inconsistency, his evidence for Waterville’s success is the fact that Waterville Valley is the only resort on the East Coast that is expanding. He says it’s undeniable—that the proof is in the pudding.

There’s just one problem—it is deniable.

Jackson Ski Touring Foundation just added six kilometers of new trails, the largest expansion in its history. Mt. Abram in Maine is opening six new ski trails by the end of November, and is increasing its snowmaking operations by 35 percent. Cranmore in North Conway recently announced the beginning of a $50 million expansion. Killington Resort in Vermont is spending $850,00 on new facilities, and will be adding an additional 2,300 residential units and 200,000 feet of commercial space in the near future. Finally, Berkshire East in Massachusetts is nearly doubling their terrain. Waterville Valley is hardly the only expanding resort in the East.

In addition to the job losses, other key indicators reveal Waterville Valley is simply not performing well, despite Sununu’s distortions. It has lost over half its annual customers and is suffering shrinking market share. For the first time in recent history, it’s not even listed on Ski Magazine’s top 20 East Coast resorts.

I don’t doubt Chris Sununu tries hard to manage his ski resort and I’m sure he wishes he had the data to back his claims. But no matter how much he wants us to believe that he’s a successful business owner, the numbers simply don’t add up. In this case, the proof clearly isn’t in the pudding.

State Rep. Ed Butler, D-Hart's Location, owns the Notchland Inn.