Arlington Heights trustee hopefuls talk future of Metropolis at candidate forum

Most of the six candidates running for four seats on the Arlington Heights village board say business at the financially troubled Metropolis Performing Arts Centre won't keep the doors open, despite a new executive director and better programming.

Squaring off in the April 7 election are Trustees Carol Blackwood, Robin LaBedz, John Scaletta and Michael Sidor and challengers D. Court Harris and Thomas Schwingbeck Jr.

Many agreed that the village should continue subsidizing the theater, but none of the candidates provided a specific amount they would get behind during a Saturday morning forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

Speaking before more than 50 people gathered at village hall, some incumbents are confident in a turnaround, encouraged by the December hiring of an executive director with a background in the entertainment industry and better village oversight of how Metropolis spends money.

LaBedz doesn't expect Metropolis to be self-sustaining, but she sees promise in new Executive Director Joe Keefe, the founder of Second City Communications, the production arm of Chicago's famed improv troupe.

“I think that like a lot of problems, sometimes you have to hit a real bottom to start going up again,” LaBedz said. “I think we are definitely on the upswing.”

Others are more cautiously optimistic about the theater's fate and are quick to point out problems — what they see as financial mismanagement, drops in attendance and fewer quality events — historically plaguing Metropolis.

What is clear is that the village's $450,000 bailout last October to avoid a Metropolis shutdown has become a hot-button issue on the campaign trail, candidates say. The forum moderator even gave each candidate extra time to weigh in on whether the village should continue providing Metropolis with funding.

Harris says the village needs to “have an honest conversation about the future of Metropolis and how we judge its success.”

The theater has been open for more than a decade, and Harris said there still aren't clear, quantifiable metrics on how to rate its viability.

Metropolis managers are expected to present their business plan next month, and then trustees will discuss any increase in funding. Typically, the Metropolis subsidy ranges between $150,000 and $250,000 from the village's food and beverage tax.

“Once that plan is presented, we need to sit down and determine what level of funding we are going to give to Metropolis, and we need to stick to that,” Harris said.

Sidor, however, said the village has had a “brutally honest” conversation about keeping Metropolis afloat since last fall. He said he supports a subsidy — “within reason” — that's based on the theater's projections. Sidor and Blackwood were the only trustees to vote “no” on the $450,000 bailout.

“Hopefully, with their new structure, their new management, their new programming ... will help alleviate some of the miscomings they've experienced in the past,” Sidor said.

Blackwood said she opposed the bailout because of the theater's fiscal mismanagement.

“Having said that, things have changed dramatically for Metropolis,” said Blackwood, who would support awarding an “allotment.” “There's a new executive director, there's new members to the board, and I believe there's a new enthusiasm and enrichment that's happening with that organization and the performances that have changed.”

Both Blackwood and Scaletta said Metropolis is, culturally, an important venue downtown.

Economically, Scaletta cited a consultant's study completed earlier this year that found attendees of Metropolis events contribute about $3 million in direct spending to Arlington Heights. He said he favors a “nominal subsidy.”

Schwingbeck, the other challenger, said he also backs village funding for the theater, but called on Metropolis managers to run it like a business. And he, too, referred to another key finding in the study: 75 percent of theater goers don't live in Arlington Heights.

“That shows you the perception of people in neighboring communities really like it and that's encouraging,” Schwingbeck said. “And now we have to make sure that the folks in our town have a good perception as well.”