Conflict of Interest?
In her recent answer (posted on Denver Politics) to a question regarding payments by CPWNA to her husband Paul Weiss, Carla Madison states:
“The money Paul gets for organizing the festival is not significant, never topping $3000 for 6 months worth of work.”But in an email to CPWNA members on June 15, 2003 Madison stated:
“Paul Weiss's fee as event coordiator (sic) for the City Park Festival of the Arts is $3500. This is based on the figure that Uptown pays to it's event coordiator (sic) for the Sampler. If there are remaining monies left that had been raised for the Festival, Paul and the CPWNA will split the next $2000.Money left beyond this amount will stay in the Festival fund as seed moneyfor the Festival for the following year.
The way it went this year, with our increase in costs, after Paul's fee is taken out of the balance, there will be approximately $1500 left. This means that the neighborhood association will have $750 put into it's regular account for any use the Association sees fit. Paul will also get an additional $750. The reason this last amount is a split between Paul and the CPWNA is as an incentive to increase fund raising, which Paul is also solely responsible for."
That year Weiss received $4250, well over the $3000 Madison claimed. That year the entire budget for CPWNA (exclusive of the Festival Special Account run by Weiss) was $3224.25. So the amount paid to Weiss was very significant.
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Jerry,
ReplyDeleteI have been committed to and successful in keeping the Festival of the Arts solvent on a shoestring budget.
For seven years, we have given away soda, offered $5 meals, charged return artists only $50 and non-profits only $10, while not allowing sponsorship from businesses that do not have a direct stake in this community.
It is an immense and complex undertaking getting 600 exhibitors, entertainers and volunteers to work together for one common day of art, music, entertainment, education and community without the normal fundraising mechanisms.
I have been dedicated to the singular goal of building this event with Carla's original mission statement.
"(We remain) a community directed and neighborhood-organized event. (We continue) to focus on building neighborhood participation, increasing the cooperation and respect that brings neighborhoods together, developing leadership, supporting the Arts, positively impacting local businesses, and developing and sustaining our community's sense of identity and pride through culture,arts, music, dance, education and performance."
The Festival of the Arts will continue to have a positive impact on this community, on encouragement and development of skills, and building a community where all of us feel pride and hope for the future. I will continue to believe that cooperation, education and community are a valuable and worthwhile goal.
Paul Weiss