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Thursday, September 24 2009 Final 2 Mayoral Candidates Respond to Cultural Questions I. Funding Question 1 : If elected, would you support the allocation of a minimum of $10 million annually in arts funding to Atlanta cultural groups? Mary Norwood: Within the context of the city’s fiscal challenges, I believe that we ought to strive to allocate a minimum of that much in funding. Kasim Reed: Atlanta, if it is to become the world-class city we all hope it will be, must invest more heavily in arts and cultural attractions. Arts and culture are more than just recreational activities. Studies have shown a direct correlation between arts funding and increased tourist and convention revenue, attraction of a more talented work force, and increased SAT scores for public high school students. We need to increase our capital contributions as well as the annual support we offer for operations and grantmaking. A robust public art program is a vital portion of public support for the arts & cultural community, but we must also build the necessary infrastructure, including affordable live/work space for young artists. I believe that $10 million is the minimum annual commitment we should be making, and I would absolutely support it. Question 2: Would you support the funding be administered through a separate not-for-profit organization on a contract for services basis with the City? Mary Norwood: With the appropriate oversight, I would support the creation of a new non-profit organization to provide guidance to the city on funding priorities in Atlanta’s arts and culture community. Kasim Reed: Yes. The City currently spends too much money on a redundancy of services provided by Fulton County and the City. I want to consolidate the services provided by these entities and delegate them to an independent nonprofit. In other cities, non-profits have shown an independence and level of acumen necessary to allocate funding in a way that most promotes the development of arts and culture. This will eliminate favoritism and entitlement, and improve efficiency. II. Cultural Facilities Question 3: How would you propose to meet the challenge of supporting cultural facilities and bring the City of Atlanta in league with other great cities in this country in its support of arts and cultural capital infrastructure? Mary Norwood: The most important thing we can do to support the arts is to ensure that our government regards the arts as an integral component of the city’s quality of life. We will be able to increase support for the arts when residents feel confident that the city is well managed and taxpayer money is not being wasted. Much as the Mayor can be a driving force in economic development, the mayor can also be a driving force in maintaining and growing a vibrant arts community in Atlanta. Kasim Reed: Atlanta is in danger of losing many of its cultural institutions to areas outside the city that are competing for their services. Many of our major institutions have each expressed a need for an appropriate performance hall of approximately 2,700 seats. We are years away from construction of the proposed Atlanta symphony hall because of its expense, and the current Civic Center does not adequately meet those organizations’ requirements. I propose a commission to determine the City's most immediate needs, and how they can be met. I will then act as negotiator and leader to ensure that we do not lose our cultural institutions while we are waiting for something that may never be built. Finally, I will provide leadership in raising money to construct whatever performance space the City needs in order to accommodate these institutions, and support public investment in that construction. I also believe that as we make public investments in private development, we need to be looking for ways to create public performance space – we won’t require a developer to put an auditorium into a townhome development, but we need to look at creative ways to increase affordable gallery and small-scale performance space throughout the city. Cultural Districts Question 4. Would you support the creation of arts and culture district(s) in Atlanta and indentify dedicated funding streams to support their operation? Mary Norwood: This is an idea well worth exploring in the next administration. It is one potential way to expand access to arts and culture to everyone in Atlanta. Kasim Reed: Arts and culture are often more attractive to residents and to visitors when they reach a certain critical mass. I want a commission to determine the best locations for the establishment of cultural districts, which will provide incentives to businesses that participate in arts and culture programs. I will work with the stakeholders to develop appropriate and responsible funding mechanisms for the operations of those districts. III. Public Art Question 5: Would you support an ordinance earmarking 1.5% for public art in current & future Tax Allocation Districts? Mary Norwood: Until the city finances are in order, I would hesitate to make a commitment we may not be able to keep. Kasim Reed: I strongly support enhanced public funding for the arts, and believe that dedicated percentages of public works projects are a good mechanism, although not the only one we should rely upon, as I discussed above. I would support a dedicated public art requirement for future TADs, assuming that the state authorizing legislation permits such. I have concerns that current TAD funds are already allocated, and thus would be cautious, albeit not necessarily opposed, before diverting 1.5% of current TAD funds. Question 6: Will you actively support the establishment of a percent for art program for the Atlanta Beltline? Mary Norwood: I believe that this is an excellent goal to strive for and would bring a richer quality of life into our neighborhoods. I would not be opposed to codify this commitment into law once the city’s finances are brought under control. Kasim Reed: I absolutely believe that the Beltline, in order to achieve its full transformative potential, must include a strong public art component. I am committed to using the Beltline as a tool to bring greenspace, public art, transit, and affordable quality housing into neighborhoods throughout Atlanta, including some that have not had access to those amenities in a long time, if ever. I will certainly support a percent for art program for the Beltline. Question 7: Will you support the currently mandated 1.5% Public Art Ordinance and insure the proper collection of funds and accountability from City CIP projects? Mary Norwood: I will continue to support city existing city ordinances. Kasim Reed: As a general matter, I do not believe in unenforceable ordinances (or resolutions) – if they should be a law, then they should be enforced. Too often, government, particularly the Atlanta City Council, p***** a resolution to say they’ve addressed a problem when nothing substantive actually changes. The prior public art policy was a case in point, and I support efforts to add teeth to the collection and enhance transparency and accountability, both in the collection as well as the eventual expenditure. IV. Individual Artists & The Creative Industry Question 8. Would you support and direct the creation of an action plan and policies to support the attraction and retention of artists and others in the creative workforce that also address the need for affordable workspace and housing? Mary Norwood: My enthusiastic support of arts in Atlanta is well known and I will work with the business community, civic leaders, and the arts community to promote the arts and make Atlanta a welcoming place for artists to live and work. Kasim Reed: I believe the Mayor’s Task Force Report went a long way towards spelling out many of the plans and policies that would need to be in place for Atlanta’s support for the arts and cultural community to truly be world class. We need to incorporate those policies into an action plan with accountability and performance metrics, put the appropriate financing and staffing into place, and then commit to actually making the changes we need. In some cases, we need steps as easy as promoting existing programs – e.g., there are several affordable housing options that might work for young artists now, but very few know enough about them to be able to access them. Some other existing programs would simply need to be tweaked – we could recognize affordable housing credits for development of loft live/work space more appropriate for artists (and more affordable) than Buckhead townhomes. Question 9: Would you support elevating the Office of Cultural Affairs to a Cabinet Level position? Mary Norwood: Yes. Kasim Reed: While separating the Office of Cultural Affairs from the Department of Parks would not be easy, nor necessarily popular, we need to carefully examine whether such a move would result in better arts & culture policy and performance. That is not intended as a criticism of the Department of Parks, simply a recognition that there are areas of specialty and that the overlap between those roles is not necessarily sufficient to warrant maintaining the current structure. Question 10: Would you: a) direct the Office of Cultural Affairs to head up the creation of a benchmarked plan of action that integrates the arts into all aspects of city policy & city departments including: economic & workforce development, housing, tourism, public spaces, parks, and overall quality of life—and b) would you actively support the implementation of such a plan? Mary Norwood: I believe that such an initiative would go a long way towards enriching Atlanta’s quality of life and would be proud to support a plan that places arts and culture into its proper context as a key component of Atlanta’s daily life Kasim Reed: Yes, as discussed above. View all news > |
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