The Metropolis Theatre as the Vietnam War

On October 2, 2014 the Arlington Heights Board of Trustees, Committee of the Whole, met to decide the fate of the Metropolis Theatre. The Metropolis board of directors was asking the Village board to advance $450,000, to keep the theatre open until May 2015.

(An historical note: against overwhelming opposition at the time, the Metropolis Theatre was purchased by the Village in 2004 for $2 million from  the politically connected developer, Mark Anderson.  The Village has since spent over $5 million to keep the Metropolis Theatre afloat).

During the board meeting on Monday, Village Trustees Glasgow and Farwell likened making decisions on the Metropolis Theatre to the Vietnam War, they said, 'this is like the Vietnam War, no matter where you step it is a minefield'.

At first, the analogy of the Metropolis Theater to the Vietnam War, seemed inappropriate. But upon further consideration, that analogy is more accurate than inappropriate, and I appreciate the trustees' honesty. Consider the following Vietnam comparisons the trustees could have used:
 

Doomed from the Start: Mark Anderson, the politically connected downtown developer, built an inadequate theater to 'bring culture to Arlington Heights' for profit. But Mr. Anderson quickly realized the Metropolis Theatre was a big mistake, and the Village took the perennial loser off his hands.
 

Quagmire: No amount of money, management shuffles, policy changes, or re-branding will ever turn the Metropolis into a profitable, viable player in the theater circuit. Yet, the Village Board continues to pour more money into the cause; “we are not going to be the first Village board to close the Metropolis”.

Peace with Honor: The Village board has long abandoned the notion that the Metropolis will be a profitable investment and is now willing to settle for some acceptable level of tax subsidy losses every year.
 

Short Timer: There is about a two month time horizon on the Metropolis financial performance.

Body Count: Over $5 million, and counting, has been spent on the Metropolis.
 

Napalm and Agent Orange: Just keep spraying the Metropolis with money.
 

Divisive/Generation Gap: There is a divide among residents over the purchase, ownership, and subsidy of the Metropolis.
 

Pentagon Papers: An independent study would prove the Metropolis as a bad investment from the very start, with negligible positive impact on downtown businesses. And the Village board knew this all along.
 

Gulf of Tonkin: The fake reason to purchase the Metropolis was to support the arts and downtown businesses, when, in reality, the theater was purchased to bail out Mark Anderson.
 

Silent Majority: The mistaken belief that the majority of residents want to keep the Metropolis Theater, and only a vocal minority are against it.

Domino Theory: If the Metropolis is closed, then we lose the heart of our community, then lose the economic engine of downtown, then even more businesses would fail, then higher taxes, and then the loss of our reputation as a world class suburb.
 

Ho Chi Minh Slippers: The majority of residents are walking around in sandals made of old tires due to the excessive tax subsidy to support wealthy residents' mythological view that the defunct Metropolis somehow brings culture to Arlington Heights.
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It is difficult to stop comparing the Metropolis Theater to the Vietnam War. Ultimately though, the Metropolis is like the Vietnam War, and the sooner we exit the sooner we can move on to heal the wounds of a bad decision.
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Instead we could use the Metropolis annual tax subsidy, or the tax increase in the Arts and Entertainment fund, to benefit the majority of resident homeowners, rather than the egos of those who believe the Metropolis somehow puts us on par with New York, London, Amsterdam, and Schaumburg.