Exum: Backs Town Purchase of Windham Mountain / Hoyt: ‘Pie in the Sky’

WINDHAM - A wingding of a campaign for town supervisor in Windham is winding down between incumbent Republican Party incumbent Thomas Hoyt and Democratic Party challenger Connor Exum.

The race, a repeat of the 2025 election won by Hoyt with a 380 to 173 margin, is the only one on the mountaintop where all candidates in neighboring mountaintop municipalities are running unopposed.

There has been enough whirlwind in Windham to more than make up for the peace and quiet elsewhere, including a demand by Exum that Hoyt resign in the aftermath of a tense encounter involving the two men.

That occurred on October 8 when Exum, a regular attendee at town board sessions, videotaping the proceedings, approached government leaders seated at the head table, specifically addressing Hoyt.

Exum put a copy of a Mountain Eagle opinion/ad connected to an ongoing controversy surrounding the potential building of a new hotel at the Windham Mountain Club in front of Hoyt, atop his official papers.

Hoyt rose from his chair, tore the newspaper page into four pieces and tossed them toward Exum, who caught some of them.

Words were exchanged - not for the first time -  and last week, during a town board meeting, Exum stood and asked for Hoyt’s resignation, declaring Hoyt was an “embarrassment to the community.”

The meeting was crowded in anticipation of possible fireworks between the candidates and what can be described as loud laughter occurred upon the demand by Exum, apparently from supporters of Hoyt.

Hoyt, going around the room, asked the 35 or so attendees if they had any comments. One resident suggested Hoyt apologize for his torn newspaper toss, followed by some applause, apparently by those backing Exum.

Hoyt did not resign, saying - “I won’t comment on a hypothetical” - nor did he offer a mea culpa. Voters will ultimately decide who to put in the supervisor’s seat on November 3.

Leading up to the voting, the Mountain Eagle (MT) posed the same questions to the candidates, with their responses as follows:

MT: Why are you running for supervisor?

EXUM: “I am running to create a more equitable future for our community—one where political connections do not determine our future and where all residents have a level playing field on which to prosper.

“That means creating a community where all of our stakeholders—small and medium-sized businesses, residents, employees, and tourists—have a meaningful opportunity to participate in Windham’s prosperity.

“I am running to create programs that help our youth by supporting the Community Center through grants. I am running to develop programs that increase energy efficiency, particularly for those living on fixed incomes, so they do not have to choose between putting gasoline in the car, keeping the heat and electricity on in their homes, or purchasing vital medications.

“And I am running to Make Windham Local Again so that our children can return home after college, build their lives here, and earn a living in the community where they grew up.

“All of these goals come back to the same basic idea: Windham should be a community where ordinary residents have a meaningful stake in its future,” Exum said.

HOYT: “I am running for re-election because I love the town of Windham. I grew up here and my family is here. I  care very deep-heartedly about the future and the stability of our community,” Hoyt said.

MT: As supervisor, would you recommend the purchase of the local ski slope by the town?

EXUM: “I would absolutely promote the purchase of the Windham Mountain Club as Town Supervisor. The community of Nederland, Colorado, recently pursued a community-ownership model in 2025. However, I would structure Windham’s approach somewhat differently.

“Rather than having the ski mountain owned entirely by the Town of Windham, I would favor a multi-stakeholder cooperative model in which employees, residents, tourists, and the Town itself would all have a stake in the enterprise.

“This would create a democratic process for determining the future growth and development of the ski slope in a way that gives all major stakeholders a meaningful voice.

“Instead of having a large corporation or group of private-equity investors focused primarily on extracting profits from our community, the community itself would help determine the future of one of Windham’s most important economic assets.

“Prices would be set at levels that allow the mountain to remain profitable while still attracting a broad range of visitors. Those profits could then be reinvested in maintenance, improvements, and future development.

“A portion could also be directed into a Community Wealth Fund to support middle-class housing, recreational opportunities, local businesses, infrastructure, and investments in future generations.

“For those asking how this could be done, we would employ a process involving serialized revenue bonds. Revenue bonds are supported directly by the revenue generated by the asset—in this case, the ski slope. 

“Instead of raising taxes to repay the bonds, the debt would be serviced through the revenue generated by the ski slope itself. The goal would be to structure the financing so that the purchase would not require additional tax-supported debt from the community.

“Under this model, we would be far less likely to face controversies like the one currently surrounding the proposed 26-room hotel before the Planning Board.

“The ski slope would no longer be focused primarily on creating a smaller and more exclusive market built around aspirations of becoming a major private-club destination.

“Instead, we would have a community asset whose purpose would be to strengthen Windham through inclusion, reinvestment, and the growth of a broader tourism market.

“Historically, Windham succeeded by attracting middle- and working-class families who came here to ski, stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, and support local businesses.

“That broader tourism base helped sustain our community through the 1980s and into the early 2000s. We need to return to that goal.

“And the best way to ensure that one of Windham’s most important economic assets continues working for the entire community is simple: our community should have an ownership stake in it,” Exum said.

HOYT: “I would absolutely not recommend the purchase of the ski slope. First of all it is not affordable. It is not realistic. 

“If you know anything about a ski slope, and I worked for fifteen years for people who owned a ski slope, it is not a burden that should be put on our taxpayers. A perfect example is how much it takes to keep [State owned] Belleayre afloat.

“If the town owned the mountain, all the workers would be town employees with State retirement, medical insurance, the list goes on and on with what it would cost to do something like this.

“That’s just part of it. Our taxpayers could never pay the bond off with the number of skiers coming through the gate. It would bankrupt this community. It’s a total pie in the sky idea,” Hoyt said.

MT: What is your message to the voters?

EXUM:  “Right now, Windham is shifting toward the wealthy interests in our community. They are rapidly expanding their influence within our local government, and that tilts the playing field in their favor.

“I’m here to level the playing field. I’m going to explore growth options that benefit the middle- and working-class residents of our community—the people who have built Windham through generations of hard work and dedication. 

“They should not be cast aside simply because others with bigger checkbooks are flashing them around our community.

“Windham was built on hard work, cooperation, and the belief that we can work together to create a future that supports the generations that come after us. If that message resonates with you, I’m your candidate.

“I don’t have the money for the signs that Tommy has. But I do have the determination to go out every day, work directly with you, listen to your concerns, and find solutions that best fit our community.

“I welcome the public to be part of that process because meaningful democratic government requires participation. It requires leaders who are willing to listen, answer difficult questions, and recognize that residents are not simply spectators in their own government. That is also why the events of the October 8th Town Board meeting matter to me.

“I’m running for Town Supervisor because Windham needs a different vision of leadership—one where physical intimidation is never used in response to difficult questions and where residents never have to wonder whether speaking openly at a public meeting will result in confrontation,”M Exum said.

HOYT:  “The message I would offer to people is ‘Vote a proven commodity.’ The bottom line is you know what you have. 

“I won’t promise you a pie-in-the-sky world. My message is in the decades of public service I have delivered for their community.

“I would ask voters to ask themselves, ‘What has he delivered every day as supervisor for the past seven years’ and in my previous role as water superintendent and superintendent of highways for sixteen years.

“Where was I during Hurricane Irene and the seven-foot snowstorm? I have a proven track record, not a pie in the sky approach.

“Windham works the way it does because we have families that live here and stay here. Windham is a special place in the hearts of many inside and outside our community.

“Every community has bumpy roads and gets through the bumpy roads together. This is a very special place. We have to move ahead with the times and work hard to preserve what people love about Windham.” Hoyt said.

Pictured: Thomas Hoyt and Connor Exum