LTC 127-2009 Roger Bass ResignationI ~ i
m MIAMIBEACH 2e~5!~r;~r I~ `~'~j1~0u
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
No LTC# Tz~-zooy LETTER TO COMMISSION
ro: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM. Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager;
DATE: May 12, 2009 ;~
SUB;ECT 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
To The Board of Trustees of the Bass Museum of Art, The Director and present Pardus to
the Ori~iual Conh-aet between Jolm and Johanna Bass ,:ud the City of A~tianti Beach.
Dear colleagues.
[ believe this is uty thirty-third year of my affiliation with the Bass Museum after the
death of my father, ,lobo Bass.
I has been bo(h a rcw•arding and a troubled experience. f have bean evaluating plans ['or
m}•self Cor the fuluro, and this letter is partly to discuss that, and, iu addition as an
afterthought to matters attendant to the recent meeting.
P[LP:SENT :1CTIVITY
The meeting's review of the endeavors by the new staff and Culurt pIaunine appear lu be
positive, enthusiastic and well directed. Reports of D4useum activities of benefit ut the
conuuuuity end its attendees is of bcuefit to me as well and 1 am gralelLl for the
conseicntiotts and enthusiastic participation by the slafhand the Board o[ Trustees.
1 K)~VEV U;lt
I was disheartened and annoyed by excerpts from the press clippings ihat were inchtded
wifL the material t received. More later.
SOViI :PAST HISTORY
.n 1976 I was asked by the Morgan Guaranty Trust, my father's executors, to see what 1
could do about the mired slams of the museum. At that time, the Museum, housed iu a
former library facility, w•as shuttered and locked, tL•ere were matters in litigation and
arbitration and its fiutire was uaceitain. My father Iet~ no personal thuds other than those
arranged for in the contract, to deal with tnty contingencies.
The first tithe I (lew lu Miami Beach with my attorney .kilut Bust, we were picked up at
the airport by m}~ lung time friend Judy Drucker and driven directly to an emergency type
meeting at the borne of the mayor. 4Ve were given little encouragement. Plana were
already under way to change the name, appearance and direction for the Muset:ul. \i4'e
arranged to delay any changes for a period of time to attempt to rescue the Musenrn lirom
that fate.
'Che original collcctiun w•as subjected lit a long and carefid evaluation and re-
acereailatiun under the supervision ofCarl 1~eitiltardi •rncUor a bod;i of distinguished of
distinguished art experts. Por your saLslacliuu, a precise history of that collective el'lint
can surely be obtained from [)iane Caroher. OCcourse there will ahvarys he those anxio-as
to dishoi:ur and discredit our Nlusuan for whatever personal satisfaclic>u they nmy dcrivu.
'T'hrough years of negoliatioos, diligence, the contributirnts and dedication of many
distinguished citizens inclucling my fate brasher, Robert Bass, Mel P.ichard, Carl
~Ueinhardt; .loyce Kaiser, a series of City govenunents and the fortunate appointment of
Diane Camber as direclur clung with the reslrucQiring and condibutiu:r of the Friends of
the Bass among others, the museum slowly evolved, expanded, bccaurc accredited and
earned its present well deservt d reputation as a sntzdl nnrseunt. Many of its initial
detractors lost their discontent. The present expanded struchne and facility is now a
tribute to that effort.
l take pricie in my own participation, nohvithstanding the time, efl'urt and personal
expense involved.
DI•: PRf:SS
Yuu might then imagine my chagrir: when I read oC:he tribute to the nnrscunt's previous
"bodge podge eshibits.° I Cound that slap degrading, uugratcful, petty and disparap,ing..
In another reference, the inccssaol: reference to "fd<es" after the cautious rc-
authentication of the collection described above I found not only odious, but ill= imed and
ug;y in its imnlicalion. Apparently mean-spirilechtcss has not left Burst: individuals and
members of the media iu Sou'hern I'lorida.
I3A~S l='AMII.Y "NT);R)/STS'
On anothur level, my nephew John's fervent endeavor at Qte meeting to prevent changes
in governance fi'um doing damage to the IIass Gamily "interests" (however defined) is
reminiscent of the years when my brother Bob and I, acting like a couple of young
firebr<uuls, rotle out io pursuit of achizviug that same elusive guaL. However, should John
decid: to pursue that objective, either tl:rougb personal pt;rsuaaior., li:igalion ur
olhcrwiso, 1 ant not on boars.
The reasons that 1 am resigrtiug from that vague nirvar:a, besides physi::al exhaustion, arc
dtreefuld: (1 } 1 ant nut uunvinced tltal chose prescotly in contras have any underhaudal
intentions in that regard (i} There is a possibility that as the museum grows in size and
wntcnt there may be a need i'a• a more efFrcient control structure and (3} 1 had been
living under ao illusion. I thong]tt 1 had inherited some authority and trust..
[ am nut an attorney, but I am now com~inccd that the future course of the Museum is
solely ir, the hands oI'llte hmo parties represcotiog the original 'signatories of the contract
that created (he nnrsuuut. The City oCMiami Beach is one party and Dennis Richard; as
inheritor of the rights (through the bequest of my parents and hotel Richard} is the other.
N[y understanding is that the Bo; rd of Trustees is a pruduct of the contras: and not lire
other way around, and that changes to the contract do not recuirc approval of the Board
ocher than ~s a polite gesture. If ] am wrong, that can easily be aulhcrdicated.
'INALLY
1 have oracle the decision to resign my seat o^ the Board of Trustees and I rcyuesC that a
nxriion in [hat rerard be nnatlc au item on the agenda at the next meeting.
It is my understanding that it ev<1s my parenis' evish ghat a successor in my family be
offered to replace me on the Board. Nly daughter Kim has shown an interest iu accepting
that. lhtli>rlunatcly many of the lhctors that have matte my travel to ~1iami f3cach
untenable also pertain in her sitoat.ion. 1 would therefore request that she be granted the
same conveuicncc of ttttendancc al meetings by telephone that I have enjoyed for a
number of years.
hor your records, the following is het present contact information:
Kiu't IIass
109 Callejon "I''isnadu
S<:uta he. New h~lexicu 8'i01
Home Phone ~Oi i 955-1661
Ccl Phone (preferred} 5(15 ! 920-513(1
Sincerely,
Roger Bass