The Sunset Center plans to announce its 2013-14 season at 11am Saturday, even though the nonprofit’s lease from the city of Carmel expires eight days later.
Sunset Cultural Center Inc. and city officials have each indicated confidential contract negotiations are nearly complete, but a special City Council closed session on the matter June 11 ended with no public announcement.
“We are not going to comment on any active contract negotiation,” Sunset Center Executive Director Christine Sandin says.
She says the negotiations have generally focused not on whether Sunset Center will occupy the 718-seat performance hall, but rather on details like how to improve the marketing and use of renovated conference rooms.
The nonprofit formed a decade ago when the city transformed the old school into an events venue, but its 10-year agreement expires June 30. Under the current contract, the city pays Sunset Center $600,000 a year to run the venue.
“As July 1 was getting closer, we realized we needed to have options,” Mayor Jason Burnett says. “The show must go on.”
So while the council continued negotiations with the nonprofit, it also solicited requests for qualifications (RFQs) from other potential operators. Three responded by the June 5 deadline, including the Monterey Symphony; Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster; and SMG, which operates hundreds of venues worldwide.
A few days later, City Administrator Jason Stilwell wrote to those interested parties: “Based on the information received, the city is immediately suspending the RFQ process at this time.”
That leaves Sunset Center, which in 2012 exceeded pre-recession revenues for the first time since 2008, according to documents filed with the IRS, as the likely operator for the foreseeable future.
The city continues to pay off about $500,000 a year on its outstanding $6.7 million Sunset Center debt.
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Re: So while the council continued negotiations with the nonprofit, it also solicited requests for qualifications (RFQs) from other potential operators. Three responded by the June 5 deadline, including the Monterey Symphony; Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster; and SMG, which operates hundreds of venues worldwide.
Correction/clarification: Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s leading live entertainment and ecommerce company, and SMG, the world leader in venue management, marketing and development, did not submit letters of intent to the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea for the lease and management of Sunset Center.
So who is responsible for this misinformation? Jason Paul and Sue Stilwell? That’s right. Just like in Santa Barbara County circa 2005-2010, County CEO Michael Brown and Human Resources Director Sue Paul were so close that the press jokingly referred to them as Mike Paul and Sue Brown, Carmel City Administrator Jason Stilwell and Carmel Administrative Services Director Sue Paul are so close they are referred to as Jason Paul and Sue Stilwell.
Former Santa Barbara County Assistant CEO and current Carmel City Administrator Jason Stilwell and Carmel Administrative Services Director Sue Paul have reproduced Santa Barbara County style government in Carmel with the same centralized power structure, the same lack of open and transparent government and the same hostile work environment. Hostile to city employees and contractors like Steve McInchak, Rose Franzen and John Hanson (all on paid administrative leave), Linda Macdonald (fired children’s librarian), Molly Laughlin (“disappeared” deputy city clerk), Tim Meroney and Art Black (suspended inspections contract). And hostile to the public and media with Stilwell and Paul giving no or misleading explanations and information. So Mayor Jason Burnett’s promise of good, open and transparent government in Carmel has become a pathetic joke.
Wake up Carmelites! Stop acting like sheep and start acting like citizens!
"The nonprofit formed a decade ago when the city transformed the old school into an events venue,..."
A correction is needed here. Carmel transformed Sunset School into an events venue called Sunset Center way back in 1964 after the school moved to the mouth of Carmel Valley and became Carmel Middle School.
What happened a decade ago was that the city completely rebuilt the auditorium to improve acoustics meet the needs of modern shows. At the same time, the city decided not to operate the theater itself anymore, but to contract the operations out to a non-profit group.
BTW, "Sunset Center" is the name of the building. "Sunset Cultural Center, Inc." is the name of the theater operator. The reporter used the names interchangeably as if they were the same thing, which they are not.
-Mr. Toy
www.montereypeninsula.info
Let's see: best programming in the Sunset Center's history - check,
most profitable management in theaters history - check,
huge surplus of cash in the bank - check,
sold out shows with Kenny Loggins, Lily Tomlin, Crosby, Stills & Nash, (the last ten shows in a row) -check,
Vice President Joe Biden event, awesome recent Gala -check, check,
that's right folks, it must be time to get rid of the Sunset Center staff because they obviously don't know what they are doing!!
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