Buzz Cusack Recuses Himself - But Who Is Mr. X?

Last night, the Baltimore Sun's web site reported that Charles Theatre owner James "Buzz" Cusack will recuse himself from any CHAP (Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation) meetings about The Senator.

In another Senator development, a potential buyer who sits on a city board considering landmark status for the building's interior has said he will recuse himself from any discussion of the theater's fate.

James "Buzz" Cusack, who operates the five-screen Charles Theatre, said he will not participate in any debate over the landmark status proposal made by the city's Commission for Historic and Architectural Preservation (CHAP).

Earlier this week, Kiefaber said the board's proposal to place the Senator's interior on a list of protected properties, which would restrict changes a new owner could make, threatened to decrease the building's value and scare off potential investors.

If I understand correctly, this changes very little of substance beyond possibly public perception.

Mr. Cusack may not be going to public meetings about The Senator, but who knows what is going on behind closed doors? If Mr. Cusack was involved in the initial discussions that started this CHAP attempt to slap these restrictive controls on the interior of the building, a move that looks very much like a city government attempt to fix the auction price and scare away potential bidders, the damage may be already done. And the Sun did not report that Mr. Cusack won't still bid on The Senator at auction, so I assume he is still possibly interested.

Still, let's assume for a moment that Mr. Cusack is not the prime mover behind the CHAP move. He may not be. My gut tells me that he's not the heavyweight player we're looking for in this questionable move by city government. So who is Mr. X? Who is behind this?

Let's assume for a moment that it's really one of the CHAP commissioners and that it isn't Mr. Cusack. Who do we have left? Does anyone know if any of these people might have a motive to fix the auction of The Senator?