Black: Eyeing FRP finances is no ‘distraction'

When he's right, he's right. From Stephen Black's opinion column in the Times-News:

Flat Rock Playhouse is in the news again, I see. There are so many items that need looking into, it's even stumped the Henderson County Board of Commissioners....

FRP spent money hand over fist in spite of the economic downturn. Note, it spent it after the economy tanked, not before, as so many businesses did. It made $3.2 million in revenue. It spent $4.6 million. I'm not like Nobel Prize-winning columnist on economics Paul Krugman, but I do know this wasn't a cool move.

And let us set the record straight: The commissioners have every right — in fact, a duty — to examine FRP financial records. They would be foolish not to do so.

Not so, said Producing Artistic Director Vincent Marini. Marini believes all the talk about FRP finances has become a distraction from the issue at hand, which is how the playhouse would utilize the roughly $450,000 in additional funding it would receive over two years if the room tax increase passes.

Distraction?

Hendersonville City Councilman Jeff Collis thinks FRP is getting a "raw deal" by having its finances so heavily scrutinized in its fund request.

Raw deal?

Dearly beloved, what is going on here? Distraction? Raw deal? Listen, if you go for a loan at a bank, it "scrutinizes" the hell out of you. If you are a business, it wants to know your past, present and future before it hands over its gold doubloons.

Yet Marini says, "I'm really having a difficult time understanding what this other discussion is about. I mean, we've been so public about everything that we have done and what we need, etc., over the past couple of years, I'm having a difficult time understanding what everybody thinks is going to come from this other stuff except for wasting our time and everybody else's time."

You know, personally, I'm having a difficult time understanding Marini....

Read it all.