City Budget’s Red Ink May Cripple Senator Deal

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon

Update: Paypal on SCT site

Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon is expected to present her 2010 budget to the Board of Estimates today.

The outlook is not good and amidst talks of possible city worker layoffs, Councilman Bill Henry also told those in attendance at Monday night’s Senator Community Trust (SCT) Town Hall Meeting that, while the city and the state have significant money invested in The Senator, a city facing a budget deficit could very well endanger the city’s deal to help transition the theatre to a non-profit group, like the SCT.

Of course, this is all moot IF First Mariner Bank proceeds with its plan to present foreclosure papers this week (tomorrow?) and then auction the theatre as early as next month!

What to do?

What I got out of the Town Hall meeting was this… Feel free to correct me, though!
ANYONE/EVERYONE with an interest in seeing the city deal go through and having a community-based non-profit take over ownership of the theatre needs to do two things right now:

1. Contact elected officials and tell them you don’t want the theatre to go to auction and have the money they’ve already invested in the theatre to go to waste, so they need to convince First Mariner Bank to postpone the foreclosure  for a couple weeks to give the community time to raise necessary funds to bring the mortgage loan current.
2. Be prepared to contribute to that funding to bring the loan current ($70,000 past due, if my numbers are correct)… And let me emphasize this:
   These funds are NOT to bail out Mr. Kiefaber. He has already agreed to turn ownership over to a non-profit.
   This is to save the theatre from auction and give the SCT a chance to take ownership of the theatre!
   Where/How to donate: Official SCT web site has Paypal link & mailing address.

If we can’t do these two things then pray for the often referred to, “angel(s)” that still has enough cash & love for The Senator to step forward and save her.

By the way: Props to Smoothteaze for coming out in support of The Senator and for serenading the crowd before the Town Hall meeting (and offering web presence for the cause)! The acapella doo-wop was awesome, guys!