To the Muni Board of Directors,

We are writing to you on behalf of many concerned parents, patrons, sponsors, and community members. We urge you to reconsider Bill Bauser’s appointment to the Muni Board of Directors.

On March 23, 2023, Athens Police Department arrested local musician and educator Adam Power on charges of possession of child pornography. It is our understanding that you are not aware of previous incidents surrounding Mr. Power and subsequent decisions made by Bill Bauser which enabled Mr. Power.

In August 2018, several children involved in theater productions (led by or including Mr. Power) brought allegations of sexual misconduct against him. The Department of Children and Family Services and the Springfield Police Department launched two separate investigations. While the investigations were not successful in bringing criminal charges against Mr. Power, there is now a permanent record of victim statements regarding his history of grooming and solicitation of minors.

To be clear: in no way does a failed investigation serve as proof of innocence. In fact, the allegations were sufficient enough for the Illinois Board of Education to deny Mr. Power’s application for a teaching license in 2021. One could argue that a local community theater board would have even greater leeway to act on good faith when rejecting volunteers.

During the 2018 investigations, several families contacted members of the executive board of Springfield Theatre Centre (STC). Acting on behalf of the board, STC board president Cynthia Higginson and Bill Bauser requested specific details, dates and police report numbers. Several families filed formal complaints in early August 2018 with STC as per the specific instructions provided.

STC executive board members reassured us that our efforts would ensure that Mr. Power would never be allowed to work with STC or PAVE Camp again. Those promises were not kept.

In 2019, Mr. Bauser invited Mr. Power to play piano for First Night at Hoogland Center for the Arts (HCFTA). This was the first attempt to, in his own words to Vanessa Ferguson, “ease him back” (into STC).

In November 2019, without a vote by the STC board of directors, Mr. Bauser asked Mr. Power to serve as assistant vocal director on “Annie Get Your Gun.” In a message to STC board members, Bill stated, “Annie Get Your Gun lost Lynn Martin. He was going to vocal direct and play piano for the show. After consultation with our lawyer and Cynthia, Adam Power has been asked and accepted to do the show. May I remind you that your comments whether you feel is right or not are a representation of the stc and can be held against stc in a court of law. Please refer any comments or concerns you may have or hear to me.”

In so doing, Mr. Bauser implied that he had sought legal advice regarding Adam Power specifically. He also made it abundantly clear to board members that they were not to openly oppose the decision or express any concerns. By fabricating a scenario in which STC’s future weighed in the balance, Mr. Bauser attempted to silence concerned board members, obfuscate the truth and wield complete control over the conversation.

It is important to note that other organizations such as Theater in the Park (TIP) had already set a precedent by asking Mr. Power to resign from their board and barring him from serving in any paid or volunteer capacity at TIP. Furthermore, upon hearing of STC’s decision, Gus Gordon of HCFTA took steps to ban Mr. Power from the building, thereby circumventing STC’s plan to enlist the services of Mr. Power. 

In effect, Mr. Bauser ignored the steps taken by other organizations. These organizations would presumably be equally at risk of legal ramifications resulting from their decisions and yet they acted in ways that prioritized the safety of children.

As a result of his reckless decision, Mr. Bauser was forced to answer directly to the families who filed formal complaints in 2018. We met with STC board members in December 2019 and respectfully demanded that Mr. Bauser resign from the STC board. The rest of the STC board confirmed that they were not involved in the decision to allow Mr. Power to work with STC. After that meeting, the STC board voted unanimously to remove Mr. Bauser from any board position that would allow him to vote on future board actions. He remained an emeritus board member until Saturday, March 25, 2023 when the board voted unanimously in favor of stripping Mr. Bauser of his emeritus board member status.

It is our opinion that the Muni board of directors should follow suit and remove Bill Bauser from the board and bar him from volunteer positions within The Muni. Victims, families, patrons, sponsors and community members are watching. You have an opportunity to send a message to predators and their enablers that sexual abuse and bullying of victims are not welcome in our community.

Whether Mr. Bauser lacks the character required to protect children or whether he has merely demonstrated incompetence, the end result was the same. Mr. Bauser knowingly put children at risk of abuse. With this in mind, we urge you to act in accordance not only with your own policies and guidelines, but with your conscience.