Suggesting that "city officials decided the Cusacks were best-prepared" isn't exactly accurate... they were the ONLY proposal left that wasn't withdrawn (for one reason or another). The Cusacks were the 'best' one out of one, and I suppose by that reasoning, they were also the worst, least and most expensive, most and least fair to Baltimore... ?

It just makes me wonder how, with such a sweetheart leasing deal available, guaranteed loans, all the city money being handed to the new owners... there wasn't ONE SINGLE OTHER PROPOSAL that came forward and was considered at the end. Nobody else in all of Baltimore wanted in, or they thought the fix was in perhaps ?

Oh well... they don't call it Mob Town for nothin' ;)

Bwhahahahaha. Still think he should have bunkered down Toy Soldier style in the Senator on official closing day. Love this guy.

why the hell is the rent 1$, the city is giving this away.

Amen, exBaltimore. Amen.

Kiefaber proved he could not run a viable business for years. He failed, it's over. He's a passionate guy but he could not make it work. No other proposals? Who else is qualified? The Cusacks have a proven record of success, investment in the City, and the same passion but they have made it work.

Rent for $1 and all the other free money, too?! If I were Tom K., I'd yell, too. Why doesn't the city just gold leaf the theatre and hand it over to the Cusacks with a big, red bow on the roof?

The deal between the city and the Cusacks does look rigged. With all of the money the city's handing out, not ONE other qualified group in the nation came out with a proposal that the city would consider? Seems strange to me that a city would hand over so much money and no one would show up to take it other than the Cusacks.

The blog post makes no mention of the serious objections raised by me, as Managing Director of Friends of The Senator, in conjunction with Tom Kiefaber's objections.

The proposal from the Cusack's has recently been significantly changed in ways that will add greatly to the cost, yet nobody has explained where the extra money is coming from. The public has had no opportunity whatsoever to scrutinize this significantly altered proposal. It is way to early to award a 43 year lease at $1 a year, when so many questions remain unanswered.

Mr. Kiefaber's "drama" showed considerable restraint under the overall circumstances of a fraud being perpetrated by the City on the taxpayers at a cost of several million dollars. That's to say nothing of the fraud the City has perpetrated on Tom's family.

The general understanding the public has of this is totally inaccurate, based on false and misleading reports in the media. Tom is very well justified to be outraged, as am I.

I have to disagree with the mayor's description of Station North as a "renaissance". A couple of new bars, restaurants, and shuttered businesses surrounded by a neighborhood that is sketchy at its best and downright dangerous at its worst isn't much of a renaissance.

There's no conspiracy here -- the city is trying to get someone who can keep the Senator from ending up vacant with the city holding the bag. I'm no fan of the BDC (as corrupt an organization as there ever was) but the Cusacks have at least managed to operate the Charles in a profitable manner, and could possibly do it with the Senator. All the other proposals (performing arts center, radio station, etc etc) stood a fair chance of going under at some point.

As for Kiefaber's "compelling" story, maybe all of his pie-in-the-sky schemes deserve a mention too? Anyone remember the diner brought in from somewhere that sat on the vacant lot across the street for years? Kiefaber long mismanaged the Senator and it finally caught up with him. His heart may have been in the right place, but he sucked as a businessman. Now he's just being a crybaby and needs to let it go.

No this is not "deceitful and fraudulent" as Mr.Kiefaber claims. I am sorry Tom Kiefaber could not make his legacy work. He really needs to let this go and move onto something else.

The Cusacks have a good track record with the Charles Theater. I applaud them for coming forward with a plan to make the Senator a viable business and a benefit to Belvedere Square community.

I agree with the Mayor and look forward to new leadership at the Senator Theatre.

I have a sneaky feeling that if Kiefaber were not so absolutely bonkers, the public and the media would have given this sweetheart deal some more scrutiny. But Tom the Terrible eats up the headlines with his antics thereby deflecting attention away from the politicos who engineered this giveaway. What a loser.

The Friends of The Senator is a laughable organization formed simply to coddle Mr. Kiefaber's overblown ego. Mr. Kiefaber has no friends left in the film and business communities in Baltimore are years of ruining solid working relationships. What has not been said is that MANY of the film studios WILL NOT play their films at the Senator with Mr. Kiefaber at the helm because he failed to pay them year after year. Mr. Cusack and his daughter, on the other hand, have proven they can turn a theater around and run a successful business while maintaining good relationships with those in the film and business communities in Baltimore. One would think Mr. Kiefaber would want to maintain a tiny bit of dignity and grace and bow-out gracefully but in true 'Tom' fashion is doing anything but.

And the true test of the 'Friends of the Senator' will be if they continue to support the theater once new management is in place. If they are there to solely support the theater, and not Mr. Kiefaber, they should be there in droves.

how many times was kiefaber saved by city loans again?

Quite frankly, the entire Senator Theater "story" has been absurd and disgusting. Not too long ago, Kiefaber was thorwing dirt at the neighborhood for preventing him from "expanding" into other areas like live music, etc. and sucking up to the city and private donors for money. Now the "neighborhood" (still wiping the dirt off) is behind him, and the city is the bad guy for trying to do something fiscally sound and productive for once. It all has come down to everyone wants the power, everyone wants the glory, and the theater (and perhaps even those who loved seeing movies at the venue) has suffered tremendously. Honestly, I don't think I ever want to step foot in the building again. Shame on all those involved.

Ron,
You are correct. Tom's approached was disjointed and at times insane. He should have focused instead of making this dramatic show. Had he gone about this in a semi-calm way then the public would not have been distracted by him and would care a lot more now. The BDC and the Cusacks must have loved the cover that Tom's Antics provided.

I have to agree with Laura Perkins, that it is somewhat hyperbolic to describe what has happened in Station North as a renaissance. But with that said, the Charles is a thriving enterprise, and by any measure, an immense contribution to the cultural life of Baltimore City. The Senator on the other hand has been slowly falling into disrepair, and is clearly in need of a major shot in the arm, and new direction. And yes, the Cusacks are getting a sweetheart deal. On the other hand, it does sound like they are taking a substantial personal risk as well, given that movie theatres aren't the lucrative business that they used to be. One way or the other Kiefaber lost all credibility as far as I am concerned, when he aggressively backed the WTMD proposal. After all that talk about historic preservation, he would prefer to see Baltimore's last great movie house turn into a radio station, rather than let someone else have a crack at running the place. It also seems ungrateful to bash the city, considering the number of times that Baltimore has bailed him out in the past.

Tom tried for years to run this business and while he always tried to cater to his clientele, he could never make it work. We all remember his almost annual pleadings for money. While I admire his passion and lament the fact that he is "losing his legacy", I will not miss his shameless self-promoting and his annoying insistence to make himself a part of every show by making needless announcements. He may as well have gotten on the microphone before each screening and screamed "look at me!".

Tom no longer has any stake in the Senator. He doesn't even live in the city.
He live's in Sparks in a home the city had every right to seize but elected not to fforeclose. Where is the gratitude Tommy?

Kiefaber is such a child. I don't know if his mom held him too much or not enough but I am sick of his whining. Tom you had a business that failed. Get over it. You didn't pay your bills. Go away!

Tom Kiefaber has been in serious denial regarding the Senator for years. It's over let it go.

I see some of the usual ill-informed complaints from a confused public, based on misinformation distributed through the media by the BDC and city officials.

Baltimore City never lent Tom Kiefaber a single dime. Ever. He did not owe them any money on any City taxpayer funded loan when they bought out his mortgage from First Mariner last year. Any perception to the contrary has been purposely created by those in power who had a vested interest in taking his property.

Secondly, regarding the perception that Buzz Cusack is a "better businessman": Cusack and Kiefaber were both working with the Abell Foundation and the BDC to try to get help expanding their theatres at the same time. Cusack got the help, Tom didn't. Then the Charles cleared The Senator, preventing The Senator from playing many of the movies Tom wanted to play. Tom, not Buzz, has had his theatre consistently listed in national publications as one of the 10 best movie theatres in America.

So, is Buzz a better businessman, or just the favorite all along of the powers that be?

The City had not invested one dime in The Senator in the 10 years prior to acquiring the theatre. In fact, Tom's family personally invested over one million dollars of their own money during Tom's operation of the theatre. THEY and one friend of Tom's family are the reasons The Senator stayed open as long as it did, even in the face of hindrance, not help, from the city government.

What a jerk this guy Kiefaber is! He ran his family business into the ground and in the process lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of other people's money. Then when he can't pay his bills, it's everybody else's fault but his, and it's a conspiracy against him?

Mr. Kiefaber: please shut your mouth once and for all and go away for good! You are a nuisance impeding progress which you were incapable of making. Enough whining already! You make my head hurt worse than my back would hurt anytime I would subject myself to seeing a movie sitting in your former theatre's 80 year-old seats. It's over. Go away. PLEASE!

It's nice to see that Tom Kiefaber's 5 personal friends all posted here under various names. God knows no one else with even half a brain would lend that man another dime to run The Senator. Tom has been bailing water longer than Katrina survivors! Only a fool would give him another dime or chance. Every bit of money he's been given in fundraisers and private donations has all gone down a rat hole. Regardless of the how the BDC deal went down, at least it's a proven fact that the Cussacks know how to run a successful business and theater. Tom's proven he cannot and has had enough chances. Time to move on. Nothing to see here. Ignore the crazy man.

I do not pretend to know any of the machinations of BDC and City Hall, but I do know what gov't is capable of doing to citizens when they get the notion to for example take your property. It happened recently in Connecticut, and went all the way to the Supreme Court. It's called eminent domain, and apparently is easily done if the "political will" is there, and it was here.
I believe: the BDC is a shadow organization, beholden to no one; City Hall has their favorites, and those favs WILL get their rewards.
Finally, I love Tom Keifaber's passion for his theatre, and as a small businessman myself, I fully realize how difficult it can be to keep your nose above water when sharks are trying to steal your business.
I wish Baltimore had more businessmen/women of his integrity, and commitment, and he has my total support. I have never had to work with him on a professional basis; he may in fact be a royal you-know-what. But no reasonable person should question his passion and energy, and I'll take that over any thing else.
For those of you who punch the clock, and have never had to battle tough odds, let alone City Hall, and have never been constantly beat back, and have never had to persevere against people who were bound and determined to crush your business, and maybe you personally, with help from the fearless leaders, don't pretend you know the facts any more than I do.
I simply know how the system works, and I have no doubt the forces striving to take The Senator from Mr. Keifaber were going to prevail some day, if only by brute force.
And shame on you, Mayor SRB.
Tom, you are respected by thousands of well-informed persons in this community, and you will always have my support. Thanks for everything you did, tried to do against favored opponents, and for all your successes.
I truly admire your style. Hang in there, brother. It'll get better soon. And thanks for all the drumming at the Square; it's always good to see you.

James, thanks for "agreeing with me", but I want to note that the names on this site are somewhat confusingly posted after the post and after a line that seems to group the name with the next person's post. I never said anything about Station North, however, I would agree it is not the renaissance it's cracked up to be.

It's also interesting to note that the BDC is trying to take another theatre owner's private property as part of their Station North project. The owner or former owner of the Parkway Theatre bought that theatre with the intention of renovating it. It has been closed for years. But the BDC decided they wanted it and took it or is taking it from him by eminent domain.

This is beyond the scope of Friends of The Senator's focus, as the group's mission is to advocate for the preservation and vitality of The Senator Theatre. However, I am personally aware to some degree of the Parkway situation, and see it as another example of abuse by the BDC.

In terms of our advocacy for The Senator, our group will advocate for what we see as the interests of the theatre's historic preservation, regardless of whether or not we see any current management being in alignment with that position. We would like to work with the Cusacks, but thus far, the lack of transparency and lack of objective expert input into the process have precluded our coming fully into alignment with their goals.

Tom Kiefaber was always and continues to be a staunch and relentless advocate for the preservation of the theatre. I don't think there could be a greater Friend of The Senator, which is why we have continued to work with him and value his experience and expertise. This is not based on personal friendship (although that has grown over time), but shared goals.

From my own personal perspective, I never even met Tom before I went into the theatre to research what was really going on, as the media reports and public pronouncements by politicians were not adding up. Everything Tom has told me has checked out, when I did the research on my own.

Ms. Perkins, I appreciate your direct and concise statement of the facts, but as you know this same energetic crew only shows up on like a pack of jackals whenever there's a chance to bash some phantom evil twin Tom K. and they are simply not interested in the facts. It's like they belong to some rent-an-insult-post service. You know that may actually be an issue here. It's like they recycle and trade in these trash post insult elements... hmmm. These are the same geeky nerds who flame and insult and repeat with no interest in actual discourse and any respectful exchange of ideas. What was the formula? 1 (somewhat) normal person, + anonymity and + an audience = total dickwad. Yup this place is infested with a few of these nasty cyber bedbugs. Its a shame really, because today's BOE meeting raised some very compelling and timely issues and there is much missing from this discussion so far. How about some overly optimistic folly to see if there are individuals checking in here who may actually want to engage in a lively civil exchange, the good stuff.

Sorry Laura; it would seem I did inadvertently attribute another poster's statement to you. I do, however, have to take issue with your argument to some degree. Maybe everything you say is true. The Sun's readers have no way of knowing for sure, because all we have to go on is this sad remnant of a newspaper. That said, it is pretty difficult to credit Tom's accusations, when he has been pedaling conspiracy theories that have been shown to be false. It was only a few weeks ago that he accused the BDC of pressuring WTMD to withdraw its bid. Towson University subsequently stated in absolutely unequivocal terms, that they withdrew their bid entirely of their own accord, due to their own difficult revenue situation.

Which brings me back to the main gist of my previous post. How can Tom, or anyone else, argue that they are advocating for the preservation of the Senator, while at the same time backing an effort to turn it into a radio station? That just doesn't make any sense.

And finally even if, as you say, the city never did help Tom in the past, it doesn't change the fact that the city is now the rightful owner of the Senator. Tom did receive many donations over the years from private citizens. I'm pretty sure that what those donors had in mind, was keeping the Senator a movie theatre. That goal has been accomplished. I consider myself a friend of the Senator, and I am extremely gratified to know that I will still be able to attend showings there. I appreciate Tom's passion, and given his family history, I can't imagine how painful this must be. But I can't help but think that this was just about the best result that could be hoped for, insomuch as the Senator isn't going to become a parking lot, or condominiums, or a glorified office for a college radio station. And I do question how anyone who claims to be an advocate for the Senator as a part of Baltimore's cultural heritage, can truly argue that the city got it wrong.

Hey Tom, yeah buddy, I'm talking to you. For years I've been listening to you whine about how unfair the world treats you.

FACT: You owned and ran a private business.

FACT: you have been bailed out numerous times by the community and been backed by the city in order to help you turn the senator around.

FACT: You were unable to turn it around.

FACT: Game over!

Now go home with your tail between your legs as you should.

FACT: You are still running your mouth after all of the money you have cost the citizens of Baltimore.

Please, Please, Please go away already! Don't you have any shame? Don't you have any shame for your children? Please go away!

Nevermind the facts of this situation. Here are some other facts.

I've been a part of the Baltimore filmmaking community for 5 years. In that time, Tom has never been a supporter of the community. He has exploited filmmakers whose dream it is to screen their movie at his theatre.

Until the recent shift in ownership, the cost of screening a film at the Senator was $6,000 per two hours.

The Charles, on the other hand charges $1,250 for the same services. With no time limits. You can setup hours before and take your time cleaning up. (although The Charles seats several hundred less)

When one of my films finally played at the Senator as part of a local film festival, Tom refused to let any of the films take a portion of the ticket sales.

Since we weren't able to collect proceeds from the screenings of our own films, we held out donation buckets to help fund our future projects.

Tom K literally grabbed the bucket I held in my hands and tried to rip it from my grasp. Scolding me for even thinking I could take HIS money.

I know several filmakers who screened movies there over the years and had similar interactions with him.

Everything from screenings being cancelled on them at the last second, to Tom calling the filmmaker the night before saying a band paid him for a time slot and he wanted to stop their FILM PREMIERE midway to let the band play a few songs since they gave him money. SERIOUSLY, TOM? Seriously?

I have fond childhood memories of the Senator. I've met Tom on several occassions and shown him nothing but kindness and warm wishes for the fate of his theatre. He on the other hand has never been anything but a jerk in return. Good riddance.

All these long winded "Poor Tom, BDC BAD!" rants from Kiefaber sycophants and friends.
GIVE IT A REST! Nobody wants to hear it anymore.

The Friends of The Senator group should just rename itself "The Friends of Tom Kiefaber" because it's clear, nothing short of giving The Senator back to it's multiple times failed owner would have been acceptable to this group of Kiefaber friends & sycophants. Move on, the man failed, he didn't deserve another shot. He already drained enough money down a rat hole. The Senator would have closed for certain if it had been given back to him. It's better that a successful business man and theater owner be running it. As for the process, the criticism is pointless, since there were really no other people who stepped in to take the financial risks involved in running it. Kiefaber should thank God he still has his house! Did The Friends of The Senator have a proposal and put some money up? Nope, so they should stop complaining. The constant whining by Kiefaber and his sycophants is just plain annoying. Give it a rest. Everyone's tired of hearing it. The current plan is the best option in the absence of anything else.
I've never seen so many mindless windbags whine on endlessly and recommend chopping off their arm to save a finger. The BDC made the right call. There was no other option other than going back to a proven failure.

If the Friends of the Senator has a better plan then put up or shut up... Come up some money!
Nah, they'd rather just whine on in an endless mindless pity party for Tom Kiefaber.
Well anyone with half a brain is tired of hearing from the man and his sycophants.
Move on with your lives and stop annoying the hell out of the rest of us.

James, thanks for your response. Not that the WTMD proposal specifically matters much now, but nobody was ever backing any effort to turn The Senator into a radio station, including WTMD itself. That was not the nature of the proposal that was submitted.

That proposal would have turned The Senator into a non-profit multi-purpose entertainment venue that would have shown movies AND had live music. That part is very much along the lines of what has worked in multiple other historic theatres all over the country, as our research into working historic theatre models has shown. The radio station offices would have also been relocated to additions built onto the theatre, which frankly, was our least favorite part of that proposal.

There are many working examples of restored historic theatres being successful around the nation as non-profit, multi-purpose entertainment venues, with programming being a mix of movies and live performance.

There is NOT ONE example anywhere, that I'm aware of, of a restored historic single screen theatre being profitable as a for-profit first-run movie house exclusively, unless it's part of a big chain. When asked to cite a single other theatre where this model has worked, the Cusacks could not name one. This is why they need the second screen they have recently added to their plan, but that addition was not budgeted for in the original proposal, and will add an unknown, but large, amount of cost.

Preservation is not about setting a building's use model "in amber." It's about keeping in harmony with historic design and intended uses, while also adapting realistically to changing economic conditions. You don't see movie theatres that were built during the silent film era still showing only silent films. Nor does the Charles still show only newsreels, which I believe was its original theatrical use. Theatres that have been successfully restored and are still in operation have adapted to changing times and audience tastes. First-run films in a for-profit historic single screen theatre simply do not work anymore, and that's simply an objective economic reality that must be faced.

City government and the BDC took Mr. Kiefaber's property and the community's treasure and they were not entitled to it. If Tom had been an anointed favorite of the powers that be, he'd still own his theater and we'd be munching popcorn in the back row. But he wasn't and they took what they wanted and forced him out. Now that beautiful theater is dark. Everybody happy now? All the railing by certain posters about how Tom should get over it is just that - railing without knowing the facts. The official reason Tom no longer owns The Senator is that he was a "bad businessman" and "owed the city money" - the only problem is that the city is poised to give Mr. Cusack the same kind of financial deal that was supposedly the reason they had to get The Senator away from Tom. I'll say this again - the fact that Tom was able to keep The Senator going as an integral part of a long-struggling community is a testament to what a good businessman he is. I hope Tom continues to call attention to the dirty deal that was done to him, to those of us who love and support The Senator and especially to the surrounding community. We all need to support Tom and keep telling people exactly what happened here and how it stinks to high heaven.

Maria Allwine

"The powers that be"? "Back room deals"? "anointed favorites"? The Tom K. hallelujah chorus is just a bunch of conspiracy theory mongering nut cases. Hey - I heard the President is a secret muslim terrorist who was born in Nigeria and that 9/11 was a secret CIA - Mossad inside job. And, did you hear that the queen of england runs the international cocaine trade?

The Senator Theater will probably have performances that have no interest to the Black Culture. I live around the corner from the Senator Theater and once in a blue moon would they show something of interest for the Black Culture. Their shows and performances mainly cater to the White Culture. I can count on 1 hand how many times I have been in the Senator Theater.