Summerside issues summary report of failed concert

The City of Summerside released a report Wednesday on the failed Michael Jackson tribute concert that was supposed to take place in 2010.

The city paid a California promoter $1.3 million for a concert that never happened. The dispute with the promoter ended up in court.

The city's report includes some parts of the independent review commissioned by council. The city says the independent review was part of an extensive internal review process.

Retired Col. Dennis Hopping was commissioned by the city to conduct the independent review into what went wrong.

His full report has not been released.

Instead the city released the eight recommendations it says "form part of his [Hopping's] independent review into the failed Michael Jackson tribute show in 2010."

Summerside Coun. Peter Holman is quoted in the city's report: "We are deeply sorry to the residents of our great city in that we failed in this specific attempt to boost economic development and put us on the map."

Holman said the city worked hard to bring the concert to Summerside, but he said things could have been done differently.

The recommendations and policy changes listed in the city's report point to several things. They include ensuring the city uses its legal counsel when working out substantive contracts and that the city budget all major expenditures, or in the event of unbudgeted activities, that those expenses be approved by resolution of council.

The report says the majority of city councillors voted in support of the concert at a "caucus meeting" in July 2009.

"Because the decision to move forward was made at a caucus meeting instead of a council meeting, it did not meet the formal definition of a resolution," says the report. That caucus meeting was held at the summer residence of a councillor, according to the report.

The report says the first payment for $650,000 was released after that meeting. The second payment for the same amount was sent to the promoter in March of 2010 "based upon the consensus received at the budget committee meeting the previous evening."

The report also recommends hiring professional firms to plan and execute large events with help from city staff, said Holman.

Council has brought in eight new policies to address each of the recommendations.