HV Chamber Upset with Paramount Snub
The Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce publicly criticized the Peekskill Common Council last week for denying its request to have a representative serve on a committee to choose the next operator of the Paramount Center for the Arts.
In a statement to its 440-member businesses, Executive Director Deb Milone said the snub by Mayor Mary Foster and the council was “very disappointing.”
“The Paramount must be viewed within the context of being a regional attraction. The chamber can bring a unique perspective on the selection process because of our involvement with business, government, tourism and regional economic initiatives,” Milone said. “In addition, we have been briefed in detail about the Paramount’s past operations, budgets, and fundraising activities, affording us valuable insight against which we can scrutinize future operators.”
Milone also questioned the selection of the city’s Review Committee to examine applicants responding to the city’s Request for Proposal to operate and lease the Paramount, which in October closed its doors after efforts to raise $300,000 to keep it afloat came up short. She said the Chamber had no opportunity to make suggestions about the committee since the council made its choices in closed session.
“Transparency in government is essential in maintaining the public’s trust,” Milone said. “While we have been supportive of many of the city’s initiatives in the past, we remain a non-partisan, non-political independent entity, formed in part, to be advocates for business. Our only interest here is to make sure the wider business community is represented.”
Bob Knight, a spokesman for the city, said the council felt the Chamber’s intimate knowledge of the Paramount could cloud their judgment in weighing the merits of the three entities that have expressed interest in the historic Paramount theatre.
“The Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce is an important voice for area business and we deeply respect and appreciate the work it does,” Knight stated. “In this particular instance, Mayor Foster and Common Council members felt the Chamber’s close ties to the Paramount’s former operator might compromise their ability to bring a fresh approach to the project. Once the new operator is named, the city looks forward to collaborating with the Chamber and other groups to further Peekskill’s economic growth.”
The Paramount Board of Trustees voted in November to dissolve the 30-year-old non-profit Paramount Center for the Arts to clear the way for a new management team.
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