There’s been a helluva political fight over tourism tax dollars in Estes Park. It’s emptied out a town board that handles tax dollars for promotion. No source other than the local Trail Gazette newspaper has stayed on the story about the power struggle, the accusations and, ultimately the lost opportunities to promote a Colorado gem.

The latest report was last week’s editorial in the newspaper about the collapse of the Visit Estes Park board. You can read it here.

It’s time to start over with new leadership and new ideas, as certainly as it’s time for Visit Estes Park to regularly update its website, the Trail Gazette asserted.

Irreconcilable infighting on the board prompted the Larimer County Commission and the Estes Park Board of Trustees to intervene and remove two board members two weeks ago. Three others resigned. It now falls to the town board to appoint new members.

In July the Trail Gazette reported a scene that reflected the temperature of the now-vacated board:

During the last action item of the meeting, Board member Charlie Dickey made a motion to replace Steve Kruger as Board Chair, and that motion was seconded by Board member David Ciani. The motion failed by a vote of 4 to 1.

Kruger then motioned to replace Charlie Dickey as Treasurer and Secretary, and that motion was also seconded by Ciani.

“This is based on your refusal to sign checks at the last meeting; [this Board] passed a policy of no public emails which you are not following, and you are not fulfilling your fiduciary duties,” Kruger said to Dickey.

Board member Lindsay Lansom told Dickey he effectively resigned his position when he failed to sign checks.

“You either want to be a part of this or not,” Lansom said.

On Sept. 26, the town board voted on the remove Kruger and Lansom, after county commissioners reached the same conclusion that morning, the Trail Gazette said. Dickey had already resigned.

The Trail Gazette editorial took on some of the problems a new board should address, including the previous board’s arrogance when it voted 4-1 not to put board member’s e-mail addresses on its website. That put a barrier between the board handling tax money and their tax-paying constituents, the paper said.

“Contracts have been signed and raises given by chairs going out the door with little if any input from such external parties,” the editorial continued.

“It should also do better to communicate to the public any new contract extensions and raises for the CEO as well as other decisions made in closed sessions.”

Visit Estes Park was formed in 2009 as a local marketing district, with the authority to spend lodging tax dollars on adversing, social media and other promotions. According to the town budget, the 2 percent lodging tax generates more than $1 million a year. In January, after a closed in January, the board gave its president and CEO, Elizabeth Fogarty, a three-year contract extension and nearly $15,000 raise to $125,000 a year.

Fogarty was hired in 2014 over three other candidates. She had been one of Visit Estes Park’s original board members.

There were late heroics to preserve the existing board, or most of it, with a petition of support reportedly signed by 121 businesses.

Mayor Todd Jirsa noted the Estes Valley has 2,200 licensed businesses and more than 10,000 residents. Trustee Ward Nelson noted people could only sign if they supported the board, but not if they were ready for a change.

What shouldn’t be lost here is the Trail Gazette’s importance and the role local newspapers play in reporting such news that TV stations and big regional papers usually don’t.

The newspaper is a vitally important institution in Estes Park. It’s editorial concluded:

“We believe VEP is a vitally important organization that this community needs to continue to grow and thrive. We want it to succeed. We also want the tax payers to have the ability to monitor how their taxes are being spent and what they are getting for their money.

“We are glad the town and county have stepped up to get this organization back on track.”