Arts Group Defends Pay and Hiring Decisions
August 22, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
An arts group criticized for giving its chief executive a large bonus amid budget shortfalls and program cuts defended its actions by sending a letter to 15,000 supporters, donors, and journalists, reports The Boston Globe.
After the Citi Performing Arts Center, in Boston, scaled back its summer production of Shakespeare, the organization drew fire for giving its president, Josiah Spaulding Jr., a $1.2-million bonus.
In the letter, the center stated that the compensation and the program cuts were not linked, claiming, “Simply put, it was misleading to link the bonus payment, which fulfilled a contractual commitment made six years ago, to recent program decisions in connection with the center’s annual operating budget.”
The letter, signed by the group’s board chairman, John William Poduska Sr., also defended the decision to hire Mr. Spaulding’s wife as the center’s Web-site manager and to hire companies owned or managed by members of the organization’s board. It stated, “Nonprofit organizations and for-profit companies often seek board members who can provide value, both in terms of leadership and specific professional expertise.”
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