Mayor clarifies his position on BSoA
Date Posted: Thursday, January 31, 2008Author: Bermuda Network News
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The Mayor of Hamilton, Sutherland Madeiros, has clarified his position regarding plans to evict the Bermuda Society of Arts (BSoA) from City Hall.
Earlier this month the Corporation of Hamilton announced it was terminating the BSoA’s lease in order to extend office space at City Hall.
Following public outcry, the Corporation offered the BSoA a reprieve by extending its lease to January next year.
In a statement released yesterday, Mr Madeiros said he was disappointed to read an article in The Royal Gazette about his actions regarding the BSoA.
He said: “The Members of the Corporation and I held extensive discussions on office space requirements for City Hall. At the meeting referred to in yesterday’s Royal Gazette, a proposal was made and seconded that the Corporation of Hamilton terminate the lease held by the BSoA and it was recorded that every member present voted in favour. I had the choice of vetoing the proposal, something no other Mayor has ever done before, or acquiescing to the proposal. I chose the latter option, which in retrospect was a mistake. In spite of that, it is a fact that before, during and after that meeting I have supported consistently the continued presence of the Bermuda National Gallery, The Bermuda Society of Arts and the City Hall Theatre for Performing Arts at City Hall.
“Once the decision was made to terminate the BSoA lease, I felt it was extremely important that City Hall continued to maintain an arts presence in the building. It was only at that point that I said that a portion of the space on the third floor (of City Hall) should be offered to the Bermuda National Gallery, to meet their urgent short term needs. My exact words at a previous meeting were that, ‘I strongly supported the Bermuda National Gallery’ noting that it housed national art treasures and was an attractive component of City Hall, as was the BSoA. The fact that they do not pay rent is irrelevant.
“The public’s comments on the matter have not surprised me and have made it very clear how much the BSoA is truly supported on this island. I have always been committed to supporting the Arts and I appreciate hearing that the public also shares this commitment.
“Clearly we all have growing space requirements and we must find a solution that accommodates all parties. As the City of Hamilton continues to grow and thrive, we will need to visit difficult and sensitive issues on an ongoing basis and it is our goal going forward to ensure that we try to find the best possible solution.”