About First Tracks Strategies
Legislative and Regulatory Experience
First Tracks Strategies President Parker Riehle is the only Vermont lobbyist to have singlehandedly achieved a tax repeal after successfully lobbying for the removal of the education property tax on ski area lifts and snowmaking equipment. Parker's numerous State House victories over the past 25 years include designating skiing and snowboarding as Vermont's Official State Sports and state budget funding for the Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports organization. He was the chief lobbyist for the Vermont Ski Areas Association in 1998 - 2003 and 2004 - 2017, and he served on the senior staff of Governor Jim Douglas as Special Assistant to the Governor, Secretary of Civil & Military Affairs and Deputy Legal Counsel in 2003-2004.
Unique Background & Skill Set
Parker graduated with honors from Vermont Law School after earning a BA in Creative Writing at Hamilton College. After several years practicing law in California and Vermont, Parker joined the Vermont Ski Areas Association for nearly 20 years, serving as President for 12 years as the ski industry's State House lobbyist and media spokesman while managing VSAA's numerous marketing and public relations initiatives.
Parker's experience in state government and with the ski industry has covered a wide range of issues, including travel and tourism policy, environmental issues, employment law, tax policy, energy costs, legal liability issues and crisis communications. Parker has appeared as a presenter and panelist before numerous audience groups at the state and national level on the host of issues, challenges and opportunities for the tourism industry.
Boards & Commissions
Parker's past and present service on numerous non-profit boards includes Prevent Child Abuse Vermont, the Vermont Law School Sports Law Institute Board of Advisors, the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum (currently Secretary), Green Up Vermont (currently President) and the Hamilton College Alumni Council (currently Class President and Chair of the Class Leadership Committee).
In addition, Parker has served three Governors from both parties on the Governor's Climate Change Commission, the Vermont Travel and Recreation Council and the Act 250 - District 4 Environmental Commission where he currently serves as Vice-Chair.
A Track Record of Success
Parker has been a successful advocate for:
- Repealing the education property tax on ski area lifts & snowmaking equipment
- Exempting seasonal employees from the employer assessment for health care
- Exempting seasonal employees from the Paid Sick Leave Bill
- Defeating proposals to require helmets for ski area guests and employees
- Defeating numerous efforts to increase sales tax and rooms & meals tax rates
- Full funding of the state's tourism promotion budget amid countless reduction proposals
- Exempting ski area passes from gift card legislation
- Act 250 reform measures, including the 2004 omnibus legislation with Governor Douglas
- Regulatory reform in stormwater, wetlands and riparian buffer requirements
- Climate action and resiliency through energy efficiency programs and innovation
- Favorable electric utility ratepayer considerations in legislative and regulatory matters
- Repealing the cloud tax on remotely-accessed software
- Defeating proposals to require the re-negotiation of long term ski area leases on state land
- Positive outcomes for individual ski areas facing unique regulatory challenges
- Designating skiing & snowboarding as Vermont's Official State Sports
- Legislative recognition of Vermont winter Olympians
- Congressional support of critical foreign worker visa programs
- Federal funding of the Brand USA marketing program
- Congressional authorization of expanded ski area activities on U.S. Forest Lands
- State and federal funding for the Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports organization