Saturday, September 03, 2011

Libman Breaks Silence On His Departure From Performing Arts Center

It's been several weeks since the founding chief executive of Carmel's Center for the Performing Arts, Steven Libman, abruptly resigned his position after Carmel Mayor James Brainard used a private detective to dig up dirt on an inappropriate relationship he had with a member of his staff. Libman is now speaking publicly for the first time. Libman explains his resignation and states his belief that the matter should have remained private in a column in this Sunday's edition of the Star. He touts his success in spite of the "poor judgment" he exercised concerning a "private matter."

When I became chief executive of The Center for Performing Arts in September 2009, I had one employee, no budget, no business plan, three directors (the mayor of Carmel, the city attorney and the city communications director), no policy and no programming direction . . .
When I resigned on July 29, The Center boasted an exceptional staff, a great board of directors and a brand name respected throughout the national arts community . . . a grand opening gala . . . presented 24 world-class performers . . . filled 96 percent of the seats."  . . .
I resigned my position because of poor judgment in my personal life, a private matter that should have stayed private. However, as the accomplishments prove, there was no impact on the operations of the center . . .
Libman called charges questioning his management that were stirred up by Mayor Brainard and his hack city attorney, Doug Haney, as "baseless." He condemned the "disturbing methods" they employed to force him out. "To be clear, the criticism [of me] is not emanating from the center," he says. He thanked the people of Carmel and Central Indiana for their support of the center and urged them to continue their support of it in his absence.

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