Interesting how the Gazette only gives 1/15th of the price tag for this in the headline.  That $450k grant is just the money they're getting this year, forget about the coming years that this also promised them the money for.  I guess we either need to change the "bed tax" so it can be spread across different things or Rotterdam needs to build something to give Proctors some competition.  Then, I wonder if the people who sit on the county board would be happy to give the money to them, especially since part of Proctors board sits on the county board.  Fund your competitors?  I bet not!

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County Attorney Chris Gardner said that when the bed tax legislation was adopted in 1985, Proctors received 80 percent of the total. Minority Leader Robert Farley, RNiskayuna, said the county Legislature enacted the bed tax specifically to aid Proctors, which was in such dire financial straits years ago that it might have been demolished. The Legislature modified the agreement several years ago, dropping Proctors’ take to 60 percent, Gardner said. “This would make it a flat $200,000 in lieu of the 60 percent,” he said. “We will now have more to expend for all of the arts, not just Proctors.”

So what happened to all that $$......SHOW ME THE $$ TRAIL.....that must be how the VanDyke kept 'living'....music is after all, art.........

http://www.dailygazette.com

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Sch’dy Legislature rushed vote on Proctors’ funding

   Re your Sept. 12 article “With $450K grant, Proctors comes full circle,” at the Sept. 11 county meeting a spending vote for a large grant to Proctors Theatre was called in what is known as the “Rules Committee.” This committee gives the chairwoman a way to put major legislation up for a vote on a half-hour notice.
   We were shown this plan a few days before, so we didn’t have the normal one-week research time to execute due diligence between the committee meeting and the voting meeting. We hadn’t any idea how much money Proctors has received from the taxpayers over the past 30 years, but I know it’s in the multi-millions. We had no idea what Proctors’ operating shortfall is, etc. There just wasn’t enough time to make an informed choice. If I made choices in this manner in my business life, I would be bankrupt.
   Nonetheless we had to take two votes in a very short time. One was for holding a public hearing to allow Proctors to receive $3 million of bed tax money over the next 15 years. The bed tax is collected when people stay in a local county hotel. Proctors now gets 60 percent of whatever is collected, which has recently equaled $185,000 per year. It was unanimous to hold this hearing, and then vote on it next month. I know a month is enough time to decide if we should increase the grant, and holding a hearing allows the people to speak out, pro or con.
   But the next decision was to give Proctors a grant of property tax money of $450,000 flat-out. One mustn’t rush such a decision. I voted “no” to spending this chunk of tax money. Schenectady is the 10th highest taxed county in the United States, and we need property tax relief. I feel Proctors should keep raising funds through private donors to finish the nice expansion they have started. Taxpayers are overtapped and cannot afford it. Furthermore, when tax funds are given out, many private donors withhold their future donations, figuring taxpayers will pick up the ball instead.
   I also made a request of Proctors’ CEO Philip Morris that in the programs, in addition to listing the private donors, and the politicians who dole out other people’s money, they should thank the taxpayers. Taxpayers have saved Proctors for years. We, the politicians, don’t deserve credit — we just vote to spend other people’s money — it’s the folks who have never set foot into Proctors but who pay property taxes that should be thanked. I hope to see the Schenectady County taxpayers thanked in the next Proctors program, since they are the unsung heroes. Mr. Morris agreed that this could be done.
   When I take votes like this one, I make some groups angry, but I assure the public I am not against Proctors. I simply have to spend the taxpayers’ money like it was my own. Forgive me for making the most conservative and thoughtful decision I could on such short notice. The taxpayers, who bear the load, need someone to occasionally dissent from the official county or party line when we are so greatly overburdened by property taxes. It may not make for good politics, but it is essential that someone realize we are in dire straits with taxes this high. Tough decisions require unpopular votes.
   JOE SUHRADA
   Rotterdam The writer is county Legislator, R-Rotterdam.  

  
  
  

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I feel Proctors should keep raising funds through private donors to finish the nice expansion they have started.

those who want, have to pay,,,everyone does....who are the folks that frequent the venues--------think about it.......while the rest just roll around in the slum-lord areas.........

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it’s the folks who have never set foot into Proctors but who pay property taxes that should be thanked.

like the absentee landlords??? Not....go find them and let them pay....especially if their property is on the sad side of town......more folks would step foot into Proctors were the county more inviting and kept up to the standard of the tax $$ it seems to demand.......

http://www.dailygazette.com

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Proctors celebrates its rebirth
Once reduced to showing X-rated films, theater has become jewel of city’s downtown renewal
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

   With an open house and gala scheduled for next weekend, Proctors is being called the jewel of downtown with its completion of a five-year, $30-million expansion and rehabilitation.
   But the theater, which opened in 1926 at a cost of $1.5 million, did not always glitter so brightly.
   In 1971, the former vaudeville theater — its interior still resplendent with marble trim and carpeted floors, a glittering central chandelier and plush seats — screened X-rated flicks to make a buck. Other theaters in the area showed similar fare.
   A year later under new management, it was showing 49-cent double features and secondrun family films.
   “Privately held movie theaters were dying after the movie industry changed the payment structure to owners,” said Proctors CEO Phillip Morris. The industry took a large cut of profits at the opening, leaving movie theaters to collect on extended showings. “It was a disaster.”
   Then things got worse for Proctors.
   The owner stopped paying taxes altogether and the city seized Proctors in 1977 for $200,000 in unpaid taxes. With no city staff to monitor the theater at night, vagrants began to use the Arcade, and even the theater, as both home and bathroom.
   But then something special happened. A group of community volunteers came forward and formed a nonprofit corporation called Schenectady Arts Center Theatre.
   The organization wanted to buy Proctors and members asked the city for help. The city agreed to spend some $500,000 to stabilize the roof and install boilers; it eventually sold Proctors to ACT for $1.
   City and business leaders back then saw Proctors as a “unique resource that will probably play a key role in revitalizing downtown,” according to Gazette archives. They wanted to create a shopping center with Proctors as a central part of it.
THEATER SAVED
   On Dec. 31, 1977, ACT celebrated by relighting the central chandelier, creating a symbol of revitalization after painstakingly scrubbing each crystal with toothbrush and ammonia and placing a working bulb in each electric socket. Today, the chandelier serves as a logo for Proctors new main stage.
   Mardy Moore remembers those days well. She and Kay Rozendaal, now deceased, and Melvin Mintz signed the incorporation papers in 1977. Together, they established a board of directors of nearly two dozen people, and tried to raise money for further renovations.
   “Everybody we asked to join the board, we asked them to do outrageous things, and they did it,” Moore said. She cited an example of the union labor leader who was told not to object to ACT’s plans to bring in nonunion performers. The labor leader did not object, she said.
   The board faced serious challenges: a theater in disrepair and little or no money to pay for staff and restoration. “When we started, our staff was mostly unpaid. Kay had to lend us $7,000 to pay for cleaning,” Moore said.
   At night, she and other volunteers would close up the theater, because there was no one else to do it. “We had vagrants inside the building and we had to walk around with sticks to chase them out,” she said.
   The city kept Proctors open until ACT took it over, renting it month-by-month to an entrepreneur who showed first-run fi lms. The city refused to allow him to show X-rated films while under its control.
   It took ACT a year to get ready for its first performance, the Blackstone Magic Show. The show was a tremendous success, drawing 3,000 people to see magic, music and exotic animals, including a 3 1/2-ton elephant who traversed the stage. Four more shows followed, and thousands more after that during the next 29 years. But not all was bliss for Proctors. Despite an ability to book top-name performers and acts, it faced another crisis in 1988 when its debt reached $1 million.
   Hoping to reduce it, ACT staged a “Million Dollar Marathon,” but the event flopped. Both the current board and then-theater director Dennis Madden resigned. A new board, then chaired by Harry Apkarian, took over Proctors’ operations. This board has remained in place since, with new members rotating through to fill vacate slots.
COUNTY BACKS PROCTORS
   “The new board took over and made a commitment to remove deficit. Most gave $50,000,” Moore said. “They got involved because they wanted to save it.”
   The Schenectady County Legislature provided support to Proctors by establishing, in 1985, a hotel and motel occupancy tax, also referred to as the bed tax. Proctors received 80 percent of the total tax, initially set at 3 percent. It now receives 60 percent of a 4 percent tax.
   Moore remains involved with Proctors, serving on its historic committee. She calls Proctors’ transformation over the years amazing, made almost entirely possible by community support.
   “We all cared so much, we loved the theater and we wanted it to be a success. People who couldn’t give millions, gave what they could — they felt strongly. We could envision what it could be,” Moore said. “It’s been a long struggle.”
   Today, Proctors boasts 50 employees, an annual budget of $12 million and a $1.6 million endowment; five years ago, the budget was $5 million and the staff numbered 40, Morris said.
   Current Proctors’ board chairman is Rick Carlstrom, who joined in 1999. He would agree with Moore about the struggle being long, but also satisfyingly successful.
   One of the new board’s boldest ventures was to expand the Proctors main stage in order to book traveling Broadway shows.
   “If we wanted to provide new products, we required a larger house. Without that, we couldn’t have done it. We had limited product then, and the region was ready for big shows. Someone had to do this, to get these big shows into the area,” Carlstrom said.
   The board began to give serious consideration to the project after hiring Morris five years ago. “He had a great background establishing the Lucille Ball Museum in Chautauqua County,” Carlstrom said.
   The board spent two years planning the project and three years building it. During the construction phase, Proctors broke even; Carlstrom projects Proctors will make a profit in coming years.
   Proctors first met with its counterpart in Albany, the Palace Theatre. The Palace was also considering a major expansion and officials feared competition would hurt both efforts. At one point, the two discussed merging. But eventually, they went their separate ways with the understanding that Proctors’ strong suit was Broadway shows and the Palace’s was musical acts.
   Proctors would then take the leap and launch a major renovation, expansion project. The plan called for expanding the theater’s stage; renovating and expanding the adjacent Carl Co. building for conference rooms and offices; constructing a 450-seat theater to show Iwerks films at the rear of the Carl Co. building; opening up space in the adjacent 440 State St. building for smaller theater productions; and building an energy plant that would meet Proctors’ heating and lighting needs.
HEFTY PRICE TAG
   The initial price tag was $22.5 million. The final price tag came in at $30 million, with cost increases in materials and unforeseen expenses. The county Legislature gave $1.45 million to the project and the Metroplex Development Authority $9.5 million. Proctors secured $4.5 million in federal historic restoration credits, which it sold to Sherwin Williams for $4 million, and it raised the rest through pledges and donations.
   “It was a big risk taking down the stage and renovating the Carl Co. building. We spent a lot of time planning this, going through the pros and cons and the risk involved,” Carlstrom said. “One of the things we said early on was that we would not incur debt that was not secured with pledges. We raised the money to cover the costs,” he said.
   As part of its new image, “Proctor’s Theatre” was renamed simply “Proctors,” signifying three stages for entertainment.
   The new Proctors features 440 State St., which will be used for ballet and “edgier” theater; the Iwerks theater for movies and small shows; and Proctors main stage, which can play host to such big-name shows as “Monty Python’s Spamalot” in January and “The Lion King” in 2006.
   The new venues mean Proctors can offer a variety of entertainment throughout the year. “With the product coming in and our diverse operations, we have something for everyone: dance, large-screen film, new plays. It opens a lot of other avenues for other people to see,” Carlstrom said. “This is all new. We are offering a lot of new things to the public this year that we couldn’t do before.”
   Proctors is “no longer a little theater in Schenectady. We are becoming are becoming well-known to theater community and a larger part of the entire theater production,” Carlstrom said.
   The new Proctors is also expanding its education programming for local schoolchildren. It expects to see double, up to 60,000, the number of children visiting to see an Iwerks show, to work on projects, to meet with dance and theater people and so on, Carlstrom said.
   “This is going to be a phenomenal addition to downtown Schenectady. It will open up opportunities for learning and our connections with schools. It is critical to get young people involved in theater through our eduction program,” Carlstrom said.
   Pamela McKean, a booking agent who has worked with Proctors since 1977 and has accounts across the United States, called the Proctors project exceptional.
   “There are very few places in the United States for a person to raise that kind of money, to get that built and to revitalize their downtown. What [Morris] has done is incredible,” McKean said.
   She said the various Proctors venues “helps them a lot. Performers like coming there. They appreciate going into a revitalized environment.”
   Morris said the new Proctors will be open 300 days a year and expects to attract more than 400,000 annually downtown for events.
   Carlstrom said he does not anticipate Proctors expanding its physical plant further, but it may expand its programming. The future is to maintain the new Proctors’ financial and cultural successes. “We’ve built this factory. Now we have to make it hum,” he said.

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Proctor’s was a sight to behold back in 1926 Over the years, theater has had all kinds of acts
BY JEFF WILKIN Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Jeff Wilkin at 395-3124 or at wilkin@dailygazette.com.

   It was another big day at Proctor’s Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 23, 1937.
Seventy years ago today, Major Bowes’ International Review kicked off the Schenectady landmark’s autumn vaudeville season. The giant stage program was popular enough for four shows from early afternoon to late evening, and featured tap dancers, hand bell ringers, roller-skaters and an accordion player.
   People soaked up the fun, and the new Pat O’Brien newspaper movie “Back in Circulation,” all for 25 cents to 55 cents — depending on time of day and choice of seat.
   There have always been big shows at the big house on State Street, ever since Frederick Francis Proctor opened the place on Dec. 27, 1926. It was actually Frederick’s second Proctor’s — his first house went into business near the Erie Canal in 1912.
   The new, $1.5 million Proctor’s featured the silent film “Stranded in Paris” with Bebe Daniels that first day. People waited hours for their seats, and once inside, were impressed by plush carpeting, marble staircases and drinking fountains and velvet draperies.
   The late Larry Hart, who spent a good part of his newspaper career recording — and writing about — Schenectady’s history, wrote about the opening in the very last edition of his long-running column “Tales of Old Dorp.”
   “Everyone was elated about the success of the opening show but especially over the elegance of the interior — soft lights, shimmering marble walls, deep piled carpeting, huge crystal light holders, excellent acoustics and a wide stage,” Hart wrote on March 20, 2000. “Word soon got around the city that it was a ‘must’ to see the inside of the new Proctor’s at its opening. As it was, our family had intended to be there but we waited until the following week because brother Harry became ill. Nonetheless, I never forgot the thrill of seeing it for the first time.”
   Over the years, comedians Red Skelton, George Burns and Gracie Allen, musical legends Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller, singers Tony Bennett and Robert Goulet and magicians Harry Blackstone Sr. — and Jr. — have entertained.
   Members of the Schenectady Symphony and Northeast Ballet have done fine work on the Proctor’s stage. High school students have graduated from Proctor’s every year; the “Melodies of Christmas” show has become a holiday tradition for many.
   There have always been movies, and special events. During the fall of 1957, the Parade of Barbershop Quartets and Choruses brought tenor and bass singers to the stage. The next night, a completely different audience was in the seats for the horror twin-bill “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” and “Invasion of the Saucer-Men.”
   Movies have always been popular at Proctor’s. During the summer of 1966, “Mary Poppins” was on screen one week. A few days later, a different kind of girl — superspy “Modesty Blaise” — took her place. There have been spelling bees, karate demonstrations, Red Cross blood drives, Christmas tree festivals and rock shows featuring the Moody Blues, Chicago and Kansas, among others.
   There has always been history, and little things people will always remember.
   On May 22, 1930, Proctor’s was the site of the first public demonstration of the new wonder — television. And during the early 1930s, little girls looked forward to the theater’s “doll matinees.” Every girl who brought along a doll to the Saturday shows was admitted free. Other promotions were held during the country’s Great Depression.
   Some people will just remember the majestic interior. That’s what Larry Hart said.
   “Those who attend a performance at Proctor’s for the fi rst time are generally quite ready to agree with distinguished American actor Hal Holbrook’s simple statement,” Hart wrote. “‘You couldn’t replace this at any price.’”

The Proctor’s marquee, left, casts an electric glow in 1927. So does the rest of the State Street landmark, thanks to floodlights provided by the General Electric Co. Below, a school-age crowd jams the sidewalk in front of the popular movie theater around 1941.
SCHENECTADY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY


The Carl Co. department store, at left, may have been the most famous fixture on State Street during the 1920s. That changed after Proctor’s was constructed in 1927.
COURTESY OF THE EFNER HISTORY CENTER

“An Old-Fashioned Christmas” was the theme of the annual holiday show in 1986. Preparing for the merrymaking at left are Allen Mills at “Goldie,” Proctor’s Wurlitzer organ; ballerina Rose Wells; radio personality Bob Cudmore; and show director Mary Bryce.
SCHENECTADY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
   SCHENECTADY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY James E. Haley, far right, manager of Proctor’s Theatre during the 1940s and early 1950s, greets dozens of new friends around 1953. The youngsters were also interested in seeing the new circus movie, “The Greatest Show on Earth.”

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Proctor’s a model for The Glove

   It’s hard to avoid a comparison between the Proctor’s Theatre of Schenectady 30 years ago, profiled in a Sunday Gazette article, and the Glove Theatre of Gloversville today, profiled Tuesday.
   Proctor’s turnaround — from a vagrant-infested dump that showed porn flicks into a $12-million-ayear, multi-stage complex open 300 nights a year — has been nothing short of remarkable. The effort grew from a grass-roots campaign by a small but industrious (and generous) community group with an appreciation for the arts and old buildings, and a desire to breathe life into a moribund downtown. Initial restoration efforts led to some success, then government got involved, helping the theater with an ambitious, $30 million expansion project, the results of which should be evident to anyone who’s been downtown lately.
   The Proctor’s fairy tale should inspire the new custodians of The Glove, who’ve recently begun their own restoration effort. If nothing else, they can take solace in the fact that their theater — a smaller, but equally charming vaudeville house — is in better shape than Proctor’s was 30 years ago.
   But they need more than the expertise of the New York City theater professionals Executive Director Emily Grant recently brought on board. They need community support — and not just at the box office. We wish them well.  

  
  
  

Proctor's Theatre, Schenectady, and the Capitol District
This is the recap by Dana Reill, of a talk given By Mr. Morris, at the June 11th, 2006 CDHS monthly meeting.

Philip Morris is (a) a pie-in-the-sky optimist, (b) a visionary, or (c) a schemer who will stop at nothing in pursuit of his ultimate goal. Those who heard him speak at the June 11 meeting of the Capital District Humanist Society, came away thinking that Morris, Executive Director and CEO of Proctor's Theatre, is all three.
His ultimate goal? Nothing less than making make Proctor's Theatre the cultural beacon of the Capital District. Oh, and while he's at it he's going to bring the City of Schenectady back from the dead.
Listening to him at the start of his talk, one might have thought: He's a promoter....a huckster whose pie-in-the-sky spiel about regional bliss and riches is simply his way of conning me into buying a ticket to a show.
But the longer he spoke, the more the audience seemed convinced of his sincerity; of the sense made by his underlying premise—What's good for Proctor's is good for Schenectady, and vice-versa.
Morris' philosophy of the symbiotic relationship of cultural institutions and municipalities began to take shape when he was a student at Hamilton College, doing fund raising for the library and the music department.
After graduation, and a number of unsatisfying odd jobs, the Arts Organization of Western New York and he found each other. He wound up staying for 25 years as art administrator. Much of that time was spent challenging the notion that classical art is superior to "community" art. He championed the latter, hoping to demonstrate that there is great beauty in objects that come from peoples' everyday lives and livelihoods.
Morris also began to dabble in urban renewal. Jamestown had hit the skids, and abandoned properties abounded. In his attempt to both raise money for cultural activities, and provide an inviting forum, Morris solicited and received donations of the properties that had hitherto been wasting away unused.
This turned out to be just the net Morris needed to snare funds from the ever-flowing "stream of money" he had discovered.
Tapping into the "altruism" of the owners of these abandoned properties (many of whom were nudged to donate only upon the promise that the properties would be retained for at least three years so as to preserve the donor's IRS deduction), Morris was able to put his theory to the test. He turned these properties into cultural venues of all stripes (yes, there are those who consider Jamestown's Lucille Ball—Desi Arnaz Center a cultural venue) which drew people—and much needed dollars—into the area.
Morris found uses for all but one of the donated properties in the dozen years that he pursued this project. The result was a win-win situation. The formerly abandoned properties were renovated and put to good use, and the shows/exhibitions/events attracted visitors and their money to the area.
The Jamestown lesson was that the health of a city and its cultural institutions are inextricably linked, and the success of both working together was greater than either could achieve alone. This concept of mutual give and take is the idea Morris brought to Schenectady. Here's how it works:
Proctor's takes: County sales tax revenue comes in through Metroplex; the city's renovation of State Street and the downtown area provide an inviting area for theatergoers; local police presence at each performance provides a sense of security to those who might otherwise avoid the downtown area; and over 100 volunteers per night lower Proctor's operating costs. These have all contributed to an overall environment which allows Proctor's to bring quality performances to an eager and appreciative crowd.
At the same time, Proctor's gives, both indirectly and directly:
Indirectly, by bringing money to the downtown area. Theater patrons stay at the Parker Inn, dine on Jay Street, buy books at the Open Door Bookstore or art at one of the local galleries.
Directly, through a variety of programs such as:
— Proctor's power plant provides low-cost energy at 95% efficiency to heat and cool not only to Proctor's, but to the entire block of businesses. The businesses benefit and will hopefully prosper, which in turn will bring more potential ticket-buyers to the area.
— the renovation of 440 State Street, with studios for artists and a theater to be used by Schenectady County Community College's theater department.
— significant involvement in the city schools, including book donations; theater workshops; "Proctor's University," which introduces students to arts administration; and the "iLearn" project in conjunction with the coming iMax theater.
So far, the plan seems to be working. Proctor's Theatre has undergone an extensive renovation and now boasts Broadway-caliber productions playing to big crowds.
And the City has benefited as well. The Schenectady City School District recently gave Morris its Golden Apple Award for being "a strong supporter of Schenectady schools in the time he has been in charge at Proctor’s," and "a community-minded individual who is focused on improving Schenectady."
You can't argue with success. By the time his talk was over, those assembled seemed convinced that if anyone can pull this off, Morris, the Man with the Plan, is the one who can do it.




When our elected officials say they are giving tax dollars to Proctors Theater, they are really saying they are giving tax dollars to Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors. Proctors is a privately owned business. It is not owned by the City of Schenectady, like a library or a museum. After reading this article, it truely sounds like our county officials are working on the behalf of Philip Morris and the ultimate goal that he invisions for Schenectady, and not their constituents across the county.  

Mr. Morris sounds like a true socialist/communist.  And when listening to Susan Savage, it sounds as if she buys into Morris's vision and is doing all she can to push his personal agenda.

This is the website I found this interview.http://www.chronogram.com/issue/2007/9/View+From+the+Top/Local-Luminary-Philip-Morris


Local Luminary: Philip Morris

by Timothy Cahill, August 24, 2007





Everyone who’s lived in the Capital Region over the past five years has noticed the wave of rapid changes here, but it’s unlikely anyone has observed them more intimately than Philip Morris, the burly CEO of Proctors Theatre in Schenectady. When Morris took over his position in 2002 (“on March 4,” he notes, “the only day of the year that is a command”), Proctors presented about 25 shows a year and had an operating budget of $3.5 million. If the theater itself was a going concern, though, the city whose downtown it dominated was a shell of its former GE-company-town self. But Schenectady didn’t go gentle into what looked like its inevitable decline, and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to remake itself, in large part through investment in the arts. At the center of it all has been Proctors and its relentlessly dynamic chief. On September 29, Morris will unveil a $30 million makeover of his institution, which has grown from the original 1926 theater into a performing arts center with three stages, a wide-screen iWERKS cinema, and conference facilities. In contrast to his first year, this season Morris will present 125 different shows and manage a budget of $12 million. “Our agenda,” he says, “is to be bold.” Not a word you’d have used for Proctors or Schenectady for decades. Things change.
—Timothy Cahill


How has life changed for you in the past five years?

Well, this is a long, long question. On a personal level, the last two of my three kids headed off to college; my wife went through a long bout with cancer that she is on top of now; and we had to put a kitty down with advanced diabetes. On the work front, unbelievable changes, going from a lovely old restored theater to a new performing arts center. This is a change that is physical, clearly, but also emotional, professional, and institutional. We are not there yet on any of those fronts, but we know where we have to be!

Is there a new direction in your work/play the Capital Region has inspired?

I really like living here. I love the four major cities and the stuff they inspire. The rest of suburbia sort of drives me nuts. While I think the cities are doing an admirable job—including Schenectady—the reality of the malls and the strips and the folks that are frightened by our cities is really depressing. I try not to think about it too much. I am driven by the intersection of the arts, community, and cities. It’s a fabulous stew of diversity, recreation, history, personal development, culture in the broadest sense, and livability. Moving here has doubled my sense of purpose in that arena. I have not had tons of time to play, but I love being between the three mountain ranges and have hiked a bit in them all. I live by the Mohawk River and love that. I am a sailor and wish it were easier to get to big water.

What is usually your first thought in the morning?

I stay up late and get up early. The evening habit is a result of teenagers and my work being other folks’ play. The morning is a sense of “gotta get going, lots to do.” I can’t think in the morning till I brush my teeth. A shower helps, but brushing my teeth is the critical step. I process while I sleep, so often the morning has an idea or solution for something I went to bed pondering. It could be work or personal or family; whatever was on my mind as I went to bed is there in the morning, processed. I fall asleep in under 30 seconds most nights.
Who’d you like better in high school, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?


Easy, Beatles. Stones were a jam band. Beatles had meaning.

What’s the most interesting thing on your wall at home?

When folks come over, I often show them a pencil drawing of a bearded, interesting-looking man. What amazes me about it is that it was done by a non-arts major at Yale University at the turn of the last century. The piece is amazing. I investigated the person through the alumni office at Yale. He did no art after graduating. Was an insurance guy. He took the course because it was required. Now that is a liberal arts education. I swear that most art students could not be as proficient.

Is it possible that the Capital Region will run out of artists and audience before all of its cities have revitalized themselves with the arts?

Somehow I think the question is faulty. If the region is going to grow, it must do the sorts of things it is doing now to establish an identity and attract attention and business worldwide. If the arts cannot match the demand that effort will bring, then the effort will fail. This is a community development story, not just an arts development story.

What’s the least favorite part of your job?

That’s easy. Personnel issues. They unwrap me. I often find myself amazed that folks have the energy to have the problems or issues they have.

Describe a perfect day.

Two meetings, not 10. An hour to chat with someone I don’t otherwise know who is really good at whatever they do. A deep conversation with one of my kids. A demanding demand—something I have read, someone I have talked to, something that simply requires a rich perspective to resolve. A good day. Asleep in 30 seconds.

Excellent postings there Cicero. But what will Eddy think now that the word is out that Suzie is cheating on him?


And don't ya just love this one from Mr. Morris?

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I really like living here. I love the four major cities and the stuff they inspire. The rest of suburbia sort of drives me nuts.

'suburbia' is what got Rotterdam in this mess.......

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'suburbia' is what got Rotterdam in this mess.......

How do you come up with that analogy?

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Quoted from senders

'suburbia' is what got Rotterdam in this mess.......

How do you come up with that analogy?

Because as far as they're concerned, Rotterdam IS Suburbia.

Well ya, we all know that. I mean the STATE knows that Rotterdam and every small township is 'suburbia'. But how does that get us into a 'mess'? I must be missing something here..duh?

Actually, we've been in a mess for a LONG time.  And I'm sorry, but some people are tired of hearing the explanation for it.  The reason for the problems is actually the past administrations.  This administration (and I don't know if I would say since Mr. Tommasone became supervisor or if it was when Joe Signore was supervisor) has been working on cleaning up a lot of "let's do it later"'s.  Well, now, it seems that no one wants to foot the bill for it.