LTC 127-2009 Roger BassC: ~~ ~ ~,1~F-..1
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m MIAIV~I BEACH zros~"~ ~' "``": ~°
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OfFK.F OF THE CITY MANAGcR
No. LTC # iz~-~ooy LETTER TO COMMISSION
To Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM. Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager
DATE May 12, 2009 `~~
SUBJECT: Roger Bass Resignation
This Letter to Commission is to inform you that Mr. Roger Bass, son of the Bass Museum's
founder John Bass, has resigned from the museum's Board of Trustees. A copy of his
resignation letter is attached. His resignation will be accepted at the next Trustees meeting,
at which time another Bass family member will be appointed to take his place, as stipulated
in the contract that currently defines the museum's governance structure.
We are grateful to Roger Bass for his 33 years of service to the museum, and encouraged
by his endorsement of the museum's new leadership and growth plans.
The negative press to which he refers in his letter is a recent article in Ocean Drive
Magazine (www.oceandrive.com/hybrid/archives/2009_04/index.html.)
Please feel free to contact me with any questions
C: Hilda Fernandez, Assistant City Manager
Max Sklar, Tourism and Cultural Development Director
Gary Farmer. Cultural Affairs Program Manager
Silvia Cubina, Bass Museum Executive Director
7b The Board ui'Trustccs oi'thc Bass ?vluscuu+ of:~:•t, "1'he llirectoe• and presen' Parties to
the Orit~iual C'.oniract bcrwecn.lulm and Johanna Bass and the City of Miami }3et:ch.
Dear colleagues.
I believe lltis is my thirty-lhdrei year of my affiliation with the Bass Museum after the
death of ntt father, Jolm Bass.
It has been both a rewarding and a Troubled experience. ] have been evaluating plans for
myse:f for the fugue, tmd this letter is partly :o discuss !hat, zud, in addition as an
a+Ilerlhought to matters ariendanl to thu recent utccting.
PRISFT+'f A(~ fiV fl'Y
The meeting's review of the endear•ors by the new staff and future planning appear Ito he
pasifive, enthusiastic and well directed. 2epmis of Adusetu~ activities of benefit to file
community and its attendees is oP benefit to me as well auu I am gratcii+l [ur :he
conscientious and enthusiastic pz+ticipation by the staff:uul llxc Board of Trustees.
HGR'EVER
I was disheartened acd annoyed by excerpts fiom the press clippings that were ittcludcil
with the material I received. A4ore later.
In 1976 I was asked by the Morgan Guaranty Trust, my father's executors, to see what I
could do about the mired states of the muse.+m. Al that tiu+e, the Museum, housed in a
former libral}~ facility, w•as shuttered ar:d lucked, throe ~+=cn matters in litigation and
arbitration and its hrtm'e vvas uncertain. My ftther left no personal fiutds other than those
arranged for in the contract, to deal ~.vith any conlingcucics.
The first time 1 flew to Jtiami Beach with my attarncy Jolw Bost; we were picked up al
the airport by my leng time fi•iend .lady Drucker and driven directly to an emergency type
^teeting at the home of the mayor. We were given little encouragement. f Isuts were
already under way to change the name, appearatxce and direction fot• the Museum. We
ar:augcd to delay any changes for a period of tin:c to attempt to rescue the Museum from
that fate.
'T'he original collection was s.+bjr>uted to a long and carefid evalualiou and ro-
uccrediuUion under Ilse supervision ol'Carl ~Veiu!tardl and+'or a body of distinguished of
tiisliuguishcd art expe+ts. for your satisfaction, a preciso history of that collective el'li+u
car. surety be obtained Gom Diar:;: Camber. Of course there will always he those anxious
to dishonor and discredit our Muscuu+ fur whatever personal sttisfacton they may derive.
Tluuugh yerus of uegoliatiuaas, diligcuce, the contributions and dedicat`.on of marry
distinguished citizens including my late brother, Kobett Bass; (\1el Richard, Carl
Weinhardt, .lnyce Kaiser, a series of Cit}• govcnturents and the lorlunate appointmcut of
Diane Camber as director along with lhz reslnicturir;g and cnntribction of the F'ricnds of
the Bass among others, the museum slowly evolved, expanded, became accredited and
earned its present well deserved reputation as a snaaL' nntseum. Iv9any of its initial
detractors lost their discenlerl. The present expanded stt•ucture and facilih~ is nom- a
tribute to that effort.
1 take pride in my own partiuipatiou, uohvithstarulingtbe time, effort aril pcrsortal
expenseinvolvzd.
DP.-PRESS
You ought then imagine my chagrin tvL•eu I read of the trhute to the museum's previous
"bodge podge exhibits." 1 Found that slap degrading, uugratefid, petty and disparaging..
In another reference, the incessant reference to '`fakes" after the cautious rc-
authzntication of the collection described above I found not only odious: but ill-timed and
ugly in i±s implication. Apparently mean-spiritedness has not Leff some individuals and
members of the media is Southern Florida.
f3.4SS 1~.4k11I.Y "L1ITFRF,STS
Un another level, m}• ucphcw Jolut's fervent endeavor at the utceting to prevent changes
in govcmance fom cluing damage to the Bass Family "interests ~ (however dca-toed) is
reminiscent oC the years w•laeu my brother Bob tmd 1, acting I ike a couple of young
tucbr-auds, retie out iu pursuit of achieving that same chtsive goal.. I lowcver, should Jola:a
decide to pursue that objective, either tt-i-ougla personal pcrsuasior, li:igalion ur
otherwise, l am not or, beard.
Thu reasons ih€a ! am resigning from that vague nirvana, besides physical exhaustion, are
threefold: (1) 1 am not convinced lha: chose presently in control have tiny underhanded
intentions in that regard {2) "fhere is a possibility Cha*, as the museum grows in size and
content 9tzre may he a need for a more efficiunt catu•ol sL•uclurc and (3) [had been
living under an i Ilusion. I thought I had itilterited some authority and trust..
1 am not an attorney, but I am now convinced that the future course of the Musuum is
solely in the hands of the two pasties representing the original signatrnies of the contract
that creuled the museum. Tlae City of ivliami t3each is ono party and Dennis Richard, as
inheritor of the rigJtts {[hrough the bequest of my parents and Vlel Richard) is the ether.
qty understarxlinG is that the Board of Trustees is a product of the contract and not the
other way around, and that changes to dac contract du not ruyuire approval of the Ruard
other than as a polite gesrve. [f 1 am wrong, that can easily hp atal:cnticated.
rl*lal.LY
1 Lave made the decision to resign my scat on the i}oa~•d of Trustees and I request that a
motion in that. regard be made an itnni on the agenda at the ucxr meeting.
It is my understanding that it was my parents' wish that a successor in my ['anuly be
offered to replace me on the Board. N]}' daughter Kim has shovrn au interest in accepting
that. Uiil'ortunately many of the factors that have made my travel to Miami Beach
untenable also pertain to her situation. I would therefore request shat she be granted the
same convenience of attendance at meetings by leleplronc that T have enjoyed for a
number of years.
For your records, the following is her present contac<. information
Kira 3,~ss
Sincerely,
Roger Bass