James McDuffie wears two hats as Associated Students business manager at SF State and president of the board of directors at the San Francisco Western Addition Cultural Center.
But lately it seems McDuffie needs to wear a flak jacket.
City officials have criticized McDuffie and asked the center's board of directors to rewrite the bylaws.
The conflict between McDuffie and city officials has existed for two years but became public in March when the San Francisco Chronicle reported allegations of financial mismanagement at the center and a conflict of interest by McDuffie.
The article said an audit initiated by Supervisor Willie Kennedy revealed the center has failed to collect back rent from arts groups occupying space in the city-owned Fulton Street building.
McDuffie agrees that the groups are behind in rent but said, "This is a neighborhood arts program -these people aren't rich. Some of them simply can't afford to pay the full amount right now."
James Marshall, who conducted the audit, said many of the tenants cannot-afford to pay and said the center is trying to bring the rents current.
The article also said city funding for the center has been frozen by the Neighborhood Arts Consortium, the umbrella group that oversees the distribution of city money to neighborhood arts centers.
"'There are no funds to be frozen," said McDuffie. "We already received our funds for this year." McDuffie added that the cultural center made a loan to the Arts Consortium a year ago because it was "having a hard time managing (its) money."
"The Consortium is taking its time paying us back, but we aren't making a big deal about that," he said.
Ann Theilien, director of the Neighborhood Arts Program, said as a conflict of interest as board president because his group, the Western Addition Marching Band, is a tenant of the center and is six months behind in rent.
"The Marching Band is current on all rent due," said McDuffie, "and (the band) is being used to divert attention away from the bureaucratic interference in the affairs of a community organization. Because of this interference the band is no longer a tenant at the center."
According to the bylaws of the center, one to three members of the board shall represent the arts groups.
McDuffie said, "The board can see no clear reason to rewrite the bylaws of the (center). This is a community center and it should be run by the community without interference from city officials."
[ back to Golden Gater Online May 2, 1986 ]
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