This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 18, 2012 - Missouri History Museum President Robert Archibald seemed to keep to a tight script at Tuesday's meeting of the Missouri History Museum subdistrict.
Before the commissioners approved without opposition the museum's $14 million budget, they asked Archibald a series of questions about the institution’s attendance, donors and security issues, which he duly answered.
Archibald didn’t comment on the controversy that has swirled around the museum for its purchase of land on Delmar that was never developed and for Archibald's compensation, including payment for unused vacation days. In fact, most of his report to subdistrict commissioners near the end consisted of wishing commissioners “the happiest of holidays.”
In answer to the commissioners' questions, Archibald said that the museum's attendance is among the highest in the country, especially when leaving out outdoor institutions such as Colonial Williamsburg.
In light of Friday's shooting in Newtown, Conn., Commissioner Valerie Bell asked Archibald about the museum's security measures. Archibald noted that a number of years ago, the museum decided that it would not have armed security guards within the facility.
Bell said it would be wise for the museum to revisit the issue of security from time to time so that "they're always comfortable with our position."
"If at any time we conclude we need to heighten the efforts that we're making, we should at least account for that in our budget and be prepared to make modifications if we at any time feel that's what we need," she said.
In terms of crime, Archibald said that there have not been any instances of criminal activity within the museum. But he did note "rising instances of vandalism outside the building," which included car break-ins.
"That tends to be kind of cyclical," Archibald said. "I assume that it’s a reflection of the economy, a reflection of the holidays and a reflection of a lot of other things that are going right now."
Everett Dietle -- the museum's director of marketing -- said the issue of security will be on the agenda of this week's tactical planning committee meeting.
After the meeting, Archibald declined an interview request from the Beacon.
New governance structure
Besides passing the budget, Commissioner Romondous A. Stover, the chairman of the subdistrict board, provided some insight on how the new joint committees would operate.
An agreement hammered out by former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., creates joint committees of museum board trustees and commissioners of the History Museum subdistrict. These committees would oversee, among other things, the museum’s budget and compensation of its top executives.
Stover said the new committees would form early next year, adding that he has a meeting next week to start hammering out the details.
“The information was always available, but they'll have even more information available,” said Stover, when asked how the new arrangement would change oversight of the museum. “By actually serving on the committees and getting to the heart of what’s going on, it will give them much more knowledge than what they had before.”
Asked about the History Museum’s image, Stover said “any of the concerns that are in place will be addressed under the new contract.”
“At the end of the day, this was something that was needed,” he said. “The History Museum is going to come out stronger because there is more governance and involvement on behalf of the subdistrict commissioners here.”
While the new arrangement was praised by Mayor Francis Slay, County Executive Charlie Dooley and others, four members of the Zoo-Museum District board – the eight-person board that administers public funds for the History Museum and four other institutions – contended that the joint committees should be weighted toward commissioners. Making the committees evenly split, they say, doesn’t provide enough public accountability.
Members of the Zoo-Museum District's audit committee recently authorized a request that a committee of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen investigate a allegations involving Archibald, including the inability to find records about his vacation days and alleged shredding of documents.
For his part, Stover said he had “all the confidence in the world” in Archibald’s leadership of the museum. Archibald also received personal support last week from John Roberts, the new head of the Missouri History Museum Board of Trustees.
“I feel 100 percent confident in his abilities,” he said, adding that the changes. “And he’s done a great job leading this institution.”
