Heads are rolling at the SF Arts Commission - or one very important head anyway. Dissatisfaction had been building for some time about the behavior of Luis Cansel, the $147,000-a-year head of San Francisco's public arts program. He came in for criticism for spending too much time at his second home - in Rio de Janeiro, his treatment of staff and his many absences away from the office.
You know that when your time sheets are pulled for review - as Mr. Cancel's were - that the big boss is not happy with your attendance.
Sources say staff complaints about Cancel have been heating up for some time, but hit the boiling point over his attempt to push out Jill Manton, the longtime director of programs and the niece of mega-philanthropist Roselyne "Cissie" Swig.
The mayor's office also went through the roof when Cancel, acting on his own, announced that his counterparts in Rio had embraced the idea of becoming a sister city to San Francisco.
Asked if the commission is contemplating Cancel's removal at its next meeting, President P.J. Johnston said only, "I cannot confirm that we will have a motion to dismiss on the agenda."
The arts office has a staff of about 40 and hands out $10 million a year to arts groups and projects. Some of the projects are the on-going Mid-Market ARTery Project. One project, in conjunction with the Asian Arts Museum, the Civic Center's "Three-Headed, Six Armed Buddha," won an award for best of its kind at the Americans for the Arts Convention,
Apparently the criticisms hit home because the notice of Cancel's resignation just dropped into my in-box.
"Today, Mayor Edwin Lee announced that he has accepted my resignation as the Director of Cultural Affairs and the head of the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) effective Friday, July 8th, 2011."
The ostensible reason is that Cancel and his wife want to move to NY City. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during the commission's meetings!
Earlier article at SF Gate:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/28/BAHN1K3RPH.DTL#ixzz1QgU2fWgY
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