Regretfully my post on locating all the Triad management for the C&TS in Chama was lost in the cheap shot I took so let’s shoot the messenger and not kill the idea...and yes it is simplistic meant more to point out a symptom of the bigger structural problem of the C&TS and its management.
Looking back at the Kyle years vs. everything that has come after including the CTMC is a decided lack of working capital of the operator. Governor Cargo in remarks just last month complained that just paying the RGRPC what was due them could basically put the RR out of business before the season even began. That is a serious issue that I really don’t see how the current operator model is going to solve. It would have been interesting to see what the Iowa Pacific proposal contained, but at the end of day we still have a structural problem with governance and accountability regardless of who is the operator.
Perhaps what needs to be done is to take a fresh look at other public and/or private business enterprises which can be bench marked with the C&TS. Preferably a RR configuration but a tourist park operation would have many of the same components. Look at both successes like the Grand Canyon RR and problems; Texas State RR, and see what can be gleaned from other tourist/ RR operations. Who to do this analysis though?
Of the 3 parties of the Triad what would we lose if we could hypothetically erase the commission portion of the equation? Beyond the legal fulfillment of the oversight roll what value does the commission bring to the party? What if the law were changed so that the operator BOD was in fact the controlling entity with directors chosen from a group of industry professionals with representation of the Friends who would also sit on this board? Wait a minute, somebody already stole my idea and they are calling themselves the CTMC!
Now I am optimistically hopeful that the CTMC is going to succeed this season with a little luck and in spite of high gas prices, fire danger and whatever else blocks their path. Looking ahead, there is just 6 months left before the commission starts this whole operator RFQ process over again. I honestly don’t think that finding the solutions for the structural changes needed and getting political consensus is possible in 6 months. Having said that, I almost forgot that in November we will see a change in the Colorado statehouse which could alter the equation for Colorado. Could this be part of a NM end run to negotiate a buy-out of Colorado before November or do they gain by waiting? NM wants the RR, where does it fit in Colorado’s long term plans?
I agree with John West that the Friends need to take the lead in this whole process rather than let the states make it a political decision. The Friends have fumbled the ball in the past when they had a similar opportunity; hopefully this time around they have marshaled the personnel and political power to keep the ball. With a good showing this season and a solid business plan for the future based on other proven business models in the tourist RR industry I think the time has come for a paradigm shift for the C&TS. As the old saying goes, good luck comes to those who are prepared when opportunity knocks. Let’s hope the Friends BOD is thinking "big" and can leverage this opportunity that they have created with the CTMC into a long term solution.
Rod Jensen
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