SPAC drops NYCB

[Manhattnik]

And here's some comic relief:

...Breyo created the Herb Chesbrough Scholarship in the Arts at Siena College, and funded it with a $500,000 gift to the Loudonville school. The scholarship is named for Herbert Chesbrough, long-time president and executive director of SPAC.

[Farrell Fan]

The letters, cards, and petitions seem to be having some effect. We should keep them coming until a definitive announcement is made.

[Juliet]

Maybe they'll offer Chesborough early retirement as a reward for the wonderful job he's done. And, you know, he's never been the slightest bit selfserving or shortsighted in his decision-making.....

Give the guy a hand, folks! Out the door.....

[rkoretzky]

BA Friends:

I just got home last night. You wouldn't believe the excitement in this place. Everyone is talking about these developments. Prevailing opinion is that we will triumph.

Thanks so much to everyone who sent letters and emails, or signed petitions. Please keep the pressure on--nothing is certain yet. And please come here this summer and experience our magic.

I am on a committee to celebrate the Balanchine Centennial in Saratoga. I will post information on our activities as things are finalized.

If you want as complete a story as you can find in the news media, log on to the Albany Times-Union website-- www.timesunuion.com

Don't bother with the Saratogian.

[Anna NYC]

A friend informed me that The Saratogian had another more or less anti-ballet editorial over the weekend, along the lines of "what if we raised a million dollars for the homeless instead?" The editorial however did point out that the original decision by the SPAC Board involved only 11 of the 23 board members.

I wonder what connections The Saratogian has to either Chesbrough or Clear Channel...

Edited March 2, 2004 by Anna NYC

[Anna NYC]

The Saratogian published two weeks ago had an article along the lines of "Change is good..." but it made it look like the paper is more than half on Chesbrough's side.

Over the weekend, I received a copy of SPAC's financial report. It's not very specific. There's no mention of the individual organizations SPAC is involved with: no breakdown for NYCB or Philadelphia, no mention of Clear Channel, the pop promoters. Instead is "Direct talent costs, $4.2 million" and "Other operating revenues, $1.2 million." Odd also is that "gifts and grants" only come to $528,000. (Memberships come to $1.3 million.) Administrative and general expenses are $1.5 million. These figures are for 2002. Figures for 2003 are not available yet.

Seems there's considerable room for financial finagling here...

Edited March 2, 2004 by Anna NYC

[Anna NYC]

CLIPS FROM TODAY'S SARATOGIAN:

Mayor Michael Lenz's Save the Ballet group met behind closed doors on Monday evening.

The meeting of the group, formed to collect ideas from the public to help keep the New York City Ballet's summer residency at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, was not open to the media.

President Herbert Chesbrough was scheduled to be there, according to a SPAC spokeswoman.

SPAC spokeswoman Helen Edelman said the 30-day reprieve is for SPAC to study what it will take to keep the ballet through 2005, including how much money needs to be raised. Edelman said she would be at the closed-door City Hall meeting with Chesbrough.

Republican Assemblyman James Tedisco -- a vocal opponent of dropping the ballet -- said he and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno will meet with Chesbrough and some SPAC directors Wednesday.

SPAC's landlord, the State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, began an audit of the nonprofit performing arts center's finances Friday morning.

Edited March 2, 2004 by Anna NYC

[Clara 76]

If you are interested in seeing just how much of our media that is owned by Clear Channel click on this link to the AFLCIO and you can download Cornell U's assessment of the monster.

AFLCIO

or check out Columbia Journalism Review at: http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/

It wouldn't surprise me at all to find out that they own the Saratogian...

Clara

Edited March 3, 2004 by Clara 76

[Amy Reusch]

Chesbrough defended his pay — in excess of $300,000 annually — and the employment by SPAC of his wife. He said he is forfeiting $75,000 in pay this year to help SPAC afford its menu of shows and that his family is contributing $150,000 to a fund drive.

He revealed he is also getting a bonus in installments from what was supposed to be a $200,000 loan from SPAC that was never meant to be repaid. The loan was ruled improper by the state's attorney general's office last year and was reworked into part of his compensation package.

Times Union: Bruno commits funds in effort to keep ballet

What job does his wife have? Director of Development. Wouldn't SPAC have benefited from a little crossfertilization by having a different Development director? It seems like Mr. & Mrs. Chesbrough would have the same roladex and social connections?

IMHO, considering how vocal the groundswell of support of the ballet staying at SPAC has been, Chesbrough by complaining about empty seats is just damning his own skills at not being able to galvanize it into attendence and financial support.

Frankly, I've never understood "bonuses" from state institutions... A $200,000 loan never meant to be repaid? Aren't bonuses supposed to be some sort of mini-share of corporate profits? Do they have a place in non-profits? (I'm asking that honestly, even if I don't think Chesbrough was ethically in line for one, perhaps the people soliciting telephone donations deserve a reward for their hard unpopular work... or a successful marketing department... any opinions?)

[Mel Johnson]

A great deal is left unsaid here. It has much to do with who signs Chesbrough's paycheck. I have a suspicion that he's actually a vendor under contract to the state of New York and so, not covered by the Public Officers' Law of the State. One of the provisions there is that in general, state employees may not accept gifts, gratuities, and additional benefits for state service of more than $75, and in many cases, less or at all, depending on circumstances.

[balletmom2]

A friend informed me that The Saratogian had another more or less anti-ballet editorial over the weekend, along the lines of "what if we raised a million dollars for the homeless instead?"  The editorial however did point out that the original decision by the SPAC Board involved only 11 of the 23 board members.

I wonder what connections The Saratogian has to either Chesbrough or Clear Channel...

What exactly constitutes a quorum on this board?

I find it shocking that a nfp board would try to justify making this kind of decision with less than half it's members involved. To me, that speaks volumes.

[rkoretzky]

A quick update, after last night's meeting of the Save the Ballet group. The Fill the Seats campaign is in full swing. Anyone who comes to SPAC--please sign the pledge to buy 2 additional tickets this season. You can sign up online at: savetheballet.com

FYI, this effort is NOT being made to excuse SPAC from responsibility for fund-raising. Government officials and local individuals continue to hold the SPAC board accountable. So by signing this pledge, you are not removing the onus from SPAC. You are merely showing your support for the continuation of NYCB at SPAC, and agreeing to show up!

[Globetrotter]

Sorry to hear about SPAC and the NYCB. I grew up in Saratoga and moved to Boston. Now the Wang center in Boston kicks out Boston Ballet (which was the only major source of revenue during the Wang's early years) and SPAC kicks out NYCB - one of the two arts organizations (Philadelphia Orchestra being the other) that SPAC was build for!

Do our organizations have such short memories? I remember when Saratoga was in decline in the 1960s and 70s. The track was a mess. Downtown was pretty seedy. Many of the mansions were rooming houses or boarded up. Skidmore was in its old campus. The bright spot was SPAC (along with Chicken Hatties and Cafe Lena's - but that's another story).

And 15 years ago the theater district of Boston was more than a joke - it was a dangerous place to be caught after sundown. The only beacon of refuge was the Wang and its major tenent, Boston Ballet. For over a month every winter, thousands of families made the trip to the Wang, helping build the need for the restaraunts and services now in the area, and paying for the Wang's refurbishment.

Turning the Wang or SPAC into vanilla performance houses chasing after a profit denies the vision of An Wang and the original board of SPAC. The question isn't "What can we do to make money?", it's "What should we do to enrich our community?"

[Manhattnik]

Remember in the late sixties and early seventies how so many buildings would mysteriously burn down, and the local joke was that it was because the insurance papers got too hot?

Things certainly have changed....

[Mel Johnson]

That's called a "friction fire" - when the fire insurance rubs too hard against the property tax bill and the mortgage.

[Farrell Fan]

In today's Links, there's a short article from The Saratogian (which has given short shrift to NYCB throughout this affair), stating that the Save the Ballet committee has raised $100,000 so far. Since the goal was $600,000, and the reprieve granted by SPAC expires this coming Thursday, it doesn't look good. What's needed is someone with deep pockets to come through in the next few days, thereby sparing us the I-told-you-sos of Chesbrough and his minions.

[Ari]

The time frame Chesbrough established always looked like a setup to me. One month is much too short a period in which to raise $600,000. But this way he gets to say, "I was fair, I gave you time, and you couldn't raise the money. I was right: the ballet isn't affordable."

[Mel Johnson]

It's called "bricks without straw", and is a very common management abuse.

[tortis]

It will be another year at least...

"Apr 1, 2004 8:09 am US/Eastern

(1010 WINS) (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) Saratoga Springs will remain the summer home of the New York City Ballet through 2005.

That was the decision made yesterday at a meeting of the board of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Earlier this year, the board said the ballet's annual summer residency at SPAC would end after this year. SPAC officials said the ballet - a Saratoga tradition since the venue opened in 1966 - had become too expensive to stage.

But a public outcry from ballet lovers and political and business leaders has resulted in an outpouring of financial support for the dance troupe.

The SPAC board members say that has convinced them to extend the ballet through the 2005 season. After that, attendance figures will determine if the three-week ballet season returns"