The storm surrounding the Mullingar Arts Centre will begin to clear on September 21 when the members of Westmeath County Council finally discuss the recently commissioned report, and “fairly quickly after” present it to the Centre’s board of directors.
The members of the council will be shown the report in full detail at this closed meeting, and a delegation chosen to then bring it to the board on a date yet to be fixed.
Speculation concerning the report’s attitude towards the board’s members has been widespread but “nothing has been cast in stone”, according to a council source.
A meeting organised by concerned members of the public in St Colman’s NS on Tuesday, September 7, and attended by over 300 people saw, significantly, no county council member from either Fine Gael or Labour, who hold the balance of power on the council, attended.
The Mullingar Advertiser has learned these councillors declined attending the public meeting this week after discovering the findings of this report “closely mirrored” an internal Arts Centre-commissioned report which was quietly shelved earlier this year.
It is believed that being made aware of the contents of this earlier internal report prompted county manager, Danny McLoughlin, into commissioning the arts officer for Leitrim, Caoimhin Corrigan, to undertake an independent, xecond review into all aspects of the running of the popular Mount Street facility.
The central issue of contention that prompted this week’s meeting is the recommendation that the articles of constitution of the Arts Centre be amended to allow a greater public representation on its board. At present, Westmeath County Council has only one executive representative on the 11-person board, and the report suggests increasing this to three.
Last year the 11-year-old Arts Centre had running costs of approximately €330,000 and received €125,000 from Westmeath County Council and €45,000 from the Arts Council. As per policy, the Arts Council declines from nominating any board member.
Each of the major political parties has one councillor each on the board. The chair rotates on a five-year term, the VEC recommends apointees on the health, and education tickets, while community-based positions are publically advertised for volunteers at the end of every tenure. Board members, of which there have been just over 40 since the Arts Centre’s inception as a limited company, can serve a maximum of two three year terms, but decide themselves on the adoption of appointees.
“It’s like a conclave of cardinals,” said one critic. “Anyone can apply but only they decide who can get in.”
However a supporter of the present board said: “The last time [there was a seat] they had to go looking for someone”.
Some of the other fears of the people who organised the meeting on Tuesday were that the county manager had an agenda to fill the board with appointees of his to then do away with the highly popular and successful community element of the Arts Centre and put the emphasis on professional shows and the visual arts.
This was refuted by a council source who declared it “more of a housekeeping document” and that this was just a “storm in an ill-informed teacup”.
“The bottom line is he [the county manager] wants full control of the function of the Arts Centre,” said the board supporter, who worried that the amateur performing arts so beloved by the people of Mullingar were going to lose out.
“We wish to accentuate the positivity of community-based arts...but we don’t want to stifle professional arts. We want community arts with provision for professional arts,” he said. He pointed out that last year’s panto showed for 15 performances, over 10 days, made €45,000 profit and was voted best in the nation by The Irish Times.
However, without clarity over the direction of the Centre, last Tuesday’s meeting was: “just the beginning”.
“We intend to let them [councillors] know in no uncertain terms what we think. None of them will meet us as a group,” he said. However, he did admit that four Fianna Fail councillors, two town councillors, and Deputy Willie Penrose attended Tuesday’s meeting.
A series of mini-protests and petition-gathering is planned for around Mullingar tomorrow, Saturday September 11.
