RPO dissidents form opposition slate 

Supporters of conductor Arild Remmereit have formed a slate of opposition candidates for membership on the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra board of directors and will try to get them elected at the RPO's annual meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Leaders of the dissidents are urging other RPO members who are Remmereit supporters to attend the meeting or to fill out a proxy ballot.

According to the RPO bylaws, nominations for board positions must be presented to the RPO board secretary by October 31. But Ray Grosswirth, spokesperson for the opposition group, said this morning that the bylaws contain a clause that allows presentation of an alternate slate "if there is sufficient legal cause."

Remmereit's supporters will argue that such a cause exists, Grosswirth said: no one knew that in November, the board would terminate the contract of the popular Remmereit.

If RPO board leaders don't permit the presentation of the alternate slate at Wednesday's meeting, Grosswirth said, the dissidents are prepared to pursue legal action.

At that meeting -- which is at 5 p.m. at Hatch Hall in the Eastman Theatre complex -- RPO members will elect eight directors. The dissidents' slate consists of six nominees: Eileen Buholtz and Edward Fiandach, both of whom are attorneys; former Brighton Supervisor Sandra Frankel; media consultant Ray Grosswirth; Hobart Lerner, an ophthalmologist; and database and software consultant John Lovenheim.

The RPO board has nominated eight candidates: William Cherry, Patrick Fulford, Marie Kenton, Dawn Lipson, Katherine Schumacher, Mark Siwiec, Ingrid Stanlis, and Eugene Toy.