Thanks to a generous friend I and my wife had second row tickets to Yanni at SPAC last night. The tickets where paid in full no comp here and cost well over a c-note each. I like Yanni, I like a lot of diverse music from Little Wayne to Phish. Yanni gave a good show for well over two hours to a very respectable crowd on a rainy June weeknight. The following is not to be taken as a negative shot at Yanni or his band.
As my friends know do to the largess of another friend I have a fully funded patrons card to SPAC, that cost a sizeable donation. The pass allows me access to rub elbows in the patron’s tent with all its free food and open bar, with the likes of failed candidate for Finance Commissioner Peter Martin and the great exploiter of injured workers Brent Wilkes. Needless to say just the presence of this philistine in the mist of these ass kissing peasants annoys them to no end.But at Yanni there is no patron’s tent. Live Nation runs the show with their own reward program, LIVE NATION VIP. They give Live Nation VIP members a lavish buffet and open bar that puts SPAC’s measly patron’s tent to shame. In fact Marcia White, the $300,000.00+ President & Executive Director of SPAC has turned everything over to LIVE NATION.
The concessions are run by Aramark. So you can thank them for the $8 dollar 8OZ warm draft beer or the $11 can of Bud light. No coolers or outside beverages allowed, and all the profits from this go to LIVE NATION and Aramark. So you give SPAC $2,700 a year for a Patron’s cards that is as worthless as condom in Marcia White’s $2,000 Prada purse.
Then after being fucked by Aramark you wander down to your $100+ seats.
Who do I find? The above mentioned Marcia White, the $300,000.00+ President & Executive Director of SPAC. I soon realize that I am sitting in enemy territory. White is there dressed in of all things a riding suit. Yes a full costumed riding suit right down to the knee high riding boots. Her face with that plastic look that one too many facelifts cause. Hugging and kissing her fan club around me it quickly becomes apparent they have all been given comped tickets by this maven of SPAC.And that’s the rub folks. They're not her tickets to give, they're SPAC’s. She tries to convince the gullible public to donate real money to SPAC so she can enrich herself and buy herself a loyal fan base by giving away SPAC tickets to her chosen friends. That means politicians, the press and many people of power and influence in the community that can be bought off by a pat on the head and a front seat to Yanni. Shame on you all.
She gave away the store to LIVE NATION. If “Toothy” Chris Mathiesen, “MAD” Madigan and John Franck would pull their heads out off their ass’s for some air they might see what a scam this is. Oh silly me I forgot Marcia White gave you free tickets too.
At the DMB show 200 arrests were made. This will stress and cost the city court and this was only one concert. The police budget was stressed also. EMS and the fire department were stressed. The Hospital Emergency Room was a war zone. Eight SSPD officers worked overtime for the DMB. Who will pay for this? Hey.... are we sure that this concert wasn't actually on Caroline St.? 200 people getting in trouble and not one evil bar or restaurant to be seen ...surely that can't be.
And note to you John Franck. Don’t you think it’s time that you start spending some time managing your own dept. instead of telling all the small business owners in the city how to run theirs.
And to my friend who yelled at me the other day.
"You don’t like Marcia White because your jealous. Do you want Herb Chesbrough back?"You know he was making $450,000.00 a year?
Well let me tell my friend with a PhD, Whatever you and Marcia are smoking around the pool in her three-quarter of a million home it can’t change facts.
I just happen to have a copy of the state audit of SPAC's the last year of Chesbrough.
Key findings by the audit include:
Fundamental weaknesses in financial planning, including inadequate fundraising and the lack of a strategic plan; Without a sustaining endowment, SPAC is overly reliant on day-to-day ticket sales;
Flawed decision making on the ballet question was not based on complete information; The reported $900,000 deficit attached to the ballet company was not supported by SPAC financial data;
Chesbrough's annual salary and benefits valued at $315,000 was found excessive and 45 percent higher than pay for the heads of similar venues; The pay packaged approved by the SPAC board may violate state law for not-for-profit organizations;
Chesbrough's pay was not reduced when a major function of booking entertainment acts was shifted in 2000 to Clear Channel Entertainment;
Got that Sherlock? Everything that audit of Chesbrough found goes double for White.
A new Committee to save the Ballet has been formed. Anyone who donates any money to SPAC while Marcia White is in charge is a fool. A well meaning fool but still a fool.
Till next time, the Toxic environment of SPAC wants to make me vomit
8 comments:
Just shut SPAC down. If its a good idea, let a private business buy it and run it. No tax money for things like this!
I don't understand why this woman makes so much money for basically dealing with about 5 weeks (2 weeks ballet and 3 weeks orchestra). What does she need to do. She doesn't run the orchestra or ballet, she may confer about the schedule but a few conference calls would cover that. Why does she need an apartment in Manhatten? What does she do there that she can't just take the train down once in a while or book a room for a night or 2. Who is she giving tickets to? I'd like to see that part of the audit. Isn't she a nurse or something. what qualifications does she have for this job anyway. She's a Bruno holdover and we know what happened to him.
Franck is running his department just fine. He owns several properties in town and they are assessed by himself. You may be interested to know that all his holdings just happen to be assessed at a lower rate than any others in their target areas. Sounds awfully fishy if you ask me. Can you investigate that?
Lets keep wives out of this outside of that resubmit
Isn't Cuomo putting a cap on of$199,000 for executive's salaries to receive state funding,
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-05-16/news/31732222_1_state-funding-nonprofits-salaries
John, I haven't received any free SPAC tickets. If I do, I promise to pass them along to you so that you can enjoy a show and, at the same time, restore your credibility.
C E Mathiesen
So Chris you question my credibility? I’ve always said on the record, you in trying to close the bars early were just fulfilling a campaign pledge. If you have never received a ticket from SPAC or the PBA or the chamber for free I apologize. Now it’s your turn Chris.
I asked you directly during your campaign
“Chris if elected who do you plan on having as your deputy?”
You said “John isn’t it presumptuous to be talking about deputies when I haven’t won the election”
Bullshit Chris. I can’t prove it and you will probably lie and deny it but toxic Eileen Finneran was always going to be your deputy. You know it, I know it. You made a conscious choice to mislead the public because you had no chance of winning with her as your deputy.
Speaking of Finneran. Your deputy at the Council table repeatedly made obscene gestures at me during a council meeting. I have two witnesses besides me who will swear under oath to that effect. I will also be happy to submit to lie detector test.
You Deputy is a toxic, fowl and scheming bully. I will remind you that no one has won reelection with her as their deputy. You will make it three for three. Credibility Chris? You have none. Want it back. Fire her today.
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