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Festival chief resigns By MYLES MURPHY Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland Independent Film Festival Administrator Ron Hulteen has resigned from the organization, citing conflicts with the board of directors. "There were some personal issues in regard to certain members of the board and my wife and I," Hulteen said in a telephone interview this morning. "There were internal power struggles and it was like pulling teeth to get cooperation from board members." New board president Jane Sage was unavailable for comment, but longtime AIFF volunteer and Ashland filmmaker Peter Quince confirmed the change in leadership. According to Quince, however, the change is more the result of board efforts to expand festival's activities and change the administrative structure. "We asked him to step down as administrator because we need to work toward a more solid administrative structure," Quince said. "And he did have a couple of people (on the board) he could not talk to. My own feeling is Ron didn't want to change as the festival was changing, and there were tensions as a result." Conflict between the board and its administrator is not new. Hulteen was director through this year's successful festival, holding the reigns after founders and former leaders Steve and D.W. Wood left following conflicts with the board. "On the surface (my departure) is very similar," Hulteen said. "This is the second sequential time we've had a successful festival and the leadership left. The first time you can blame the leadership, the second time it's the board." The situation is far from parallel, according to Quince. "Unlike the first time when it was like, 'how can we function (without the Woods)?' I don't think the change this time will be all that significant," Quince said. "Except it will allow us to grow." Quince praised Hulteen's work while serving as director, however. "Ron did a wonderful job," Quince said. "We estimate (Hulteen and wife Noreen Hulteen) raised about $26,000 in funds for the festival either directly or indirectly. He was a big factor." Festival co-founders Steve and D.W. Wood started in the late 1980s working to bring an independent film festival to Ashland. Personality clashes and a conflicts over the direction of the festival led to the Woods' leaving in 2002. After only one season, the festival had a a a one-year hiatus followed following the loss of the co-founders, and switched seasons from fall to spring. "Basically we worked our buns off to get resources and publicity," Hulteen confirmed. "I provided the leadership at a time they were kind of drifting." "Investors don't want to invest in a shaky operation," Hulteen said. That's why I've been trying to put a face of a business on the festival as well as a face of an event - to put a stable face on it. I very much believe it could become a fabulous thing." In May, Hulteen had health problems which exacerbated the tensions and possibly lead to the breakup. He also sites the festival's success as a source of ire. "Some (board members) were critical of fact that we got a lot of praise and attention," he said. "There was some spite and jealousy." "He didn't really have the spotlight he thought he had," Quince countered, "and there's really no jealousy on this board." Both agree the festival has great potential, and Ron added that community support was one of the high points of his tenure. The 2004 Festival is still set to run April 1-5. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -