The proceedings paused briefly while representatives from the city's law department and the Baltimore Development Corp. huddled and then, when the auction resumed, counter-offered $810,000. Nobody bid higher.
Supporters of the former owner immediately cried foul, claiming the auction was "rigged" to suit the city's purposes and oust Kiefaber from the theater that his family has owned for decades. Kiefaber had initially supported the city's decision to take over the Senator's mortgage in a deal that allowed him to keep his Baltimore County house, which had been offered as collateral for the theater mortgage.
But on Wednesday morning, Kiefaber complained bitterly, starting a verbal fight with the auctioneers over the location of the sale and threatening to contest the legality of the auction.
He had hoped the proceedings would take place in the 900-seat auditorium, where he had set up a rostrum adorned with a giant frowning mask. Using a bullhorn, he yelled: "Let's please go inside the theater and sit down and chill out a bit. Let's go inside. Let's go inside the beautiful theater." But when the auctioneer began the proceedings, even Kiefaber came outside for them.
Emotions ran high. One of Kiefaber's supporters, Gayle Grove, wore a mask and red cape to illustrate her belief that the proceedings were a "circus." Another, Dan Keplinger, who uses a wheelchair and was the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary King Gimp, was pushed up to front of the crowd and screamed his displeasure at Joe Cooper, the head of the auction house.
Baltimore Comptroller Joan M. Pratt was also disappointed by the result, but for different reasons. She warned that the city should have "cut its losses" and sold the theater for $800,000 to the sole bidder.
"They should have let them have it," Pratt said. "We know that the city does not have funds to operate, maintain and retrofit a movie theater. The city of Baltimore should not be in the business of owning movie theaters."
The city's already lean budget is expected to take another hit, with Dixon asking all of her agency heads to identify 5 percent cuts from their spending plans. Kimberly Clark, an executive vice president at the Baltimore Development Corp., said that the city will likely have to spend more money to make capital improvements to fix the theater, though she will not know how much more until the city can properly assess the building.
