The ski patrol strike in Telluride might be over, but fallout from the 13-day ordeal continues.

According to a January 14 press release, Mountain Village Mayor Marti Prohaska is stepping down from her position.

A statement from Prohaska read as follows:

“After receiving word from Mayor Pro Tem Scott Pearson earlier today that the Mountain Village Town Council has requested a private investigation into my conversations with Chuck Horning concerning an end to the recent Ski Patrol strike and a possible sale of the Ski Resort, I am making the difficult decision to resign from my role as Mayor, effective immediately.”

The investigation stems from Marti Prohaska and Meehan Fee – while serving in their respective roles as Mountain Village Mayor and Telluride Mayor Pro Tem but reportedly acting as “private citizens – flying to California to visit Telluride Resort owner Chuck Horning on December 27, the same day the ski patrol strike started, per a report from The Telluride Times.

Among topics reportedly discussed at that West Coast meet-up were issues like affordable housing and water rates, as well as the future of resort ownership and potential ownership transfer or changes, including an offer that listed a potential buyer of the resort as the ‘Telluride Ski Resort Fund,’ with this entity controlled by Prohaska and Fee. It was reported that talks were “largely aspirational.” In that proposal, The Telluride Times notes that the ski patrol strike was also addressed.

Following the trip, Prohaska noted that traveling in official capacity to represent the towns wasn’t possible as “the timing didn’t allow for town councils time to meet and approve a diplomatic trip to Horning’s.”

A meeting that took place on December 29 in California reportedly resulted in Horning taking advice to replace a negotiator and make a “good-faith adjustment to the financial package he was offering,” with Prohaska describing that this was “critical in getting over the impasse” in reference to the strike.

In the press release related to her resignation, Prohaska stated that she understood the move by the town council and their reasoning behind the proposed investigation, also expressing that “it would not be fair for Mountain Village staff or taxpayers to shoulder the burden – both financial and reputational – of said investigation.”

“I will stand in the truth that our actions came from our deep love and commitment for the Telluride and Mountain Village communities,” wrote Prohaska.

Read more in-depth reporting about Prohaska’s resignation from local news source The Telluride Times here. Find the full press release here.

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