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Board Praises Center Director

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By ELIZABETH LEE BROWN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 7, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - Members of the Friends of the Carrollwood Cultural Center heaped praise on its executive director for getting the award-winning arts facility running but were less thrilled about a potentially expensive termination clause.

Board members said Paul Berg is doing a "bang-up" job but believe a proposed severance package in a tentative three-year contract is excessive.

The board debated the new termination clause at Tuesday's monthly meeting before deciding to table the issue to get advice from a local arts council.

Berg, who is paid $70,000 a year, has been working under a consultant's contract since January, and the board is finalizing his three-year contract. The new clause was not in the initial contract.

Berg is asking for a severance package that includes three months' salary, an additional month's salary for each year of employment, the dollar value of four months of benefits and a 30-day notice of termination.

Board member John Miley, who heads the group's fundraising committee, said it shouldn't be overly generous since the board is in such a tenuous financial situation. He believes giving Berg anything more than a month's pay is too much.

"We don't give away money just because it makes us feel good," he said.

The Friends board is running the center with help from an annual $380,000 county subsidy that decreases based on the center's revenues, but its budget assumes members raise $100,000 a year in donations.

Others believe a month's salary is too little, but said three months is too much.

"What we can afford is next to nothing," said Kent Linder, who became a board member that night. "I'm torn between being stingy and being grateful."

The board also balked at allowing $10,000 in travel and business expenses for Berg but agreed to allow future travel expenses with board approval.

In other business, the board approved a $10,000 naming rights proposal with Greenacre Properties for a room in the cultural center; agreed to forward its 2007 audit, which did not detect any financial irregularities, to the Hillsborough County parks and recreation department; approved a new design for its Web site that should be up in 45 days; and accepted the resignation of board member Carla Strobl.

Reporter Elizabeth Lee Brown can be reached at (813) 865-1502 or ebrown@tampatrib.com.

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