Funding The Arts In Mahoning Valley

[northside lurker]

Let me preface this by saying I was not at this meeting.

Asking how much money is needed for an arts district, is sort of like asking how much money is needed for a new car, without saying what kind of car.

The Garden District Neighborhood has proclaimed itself to be an arts district; a place for artists to live and possibly work, if they don't already have work space down the street in the Mahoning Commons.  Right now, we do have a few artists living in the neighborhood, becaused we asked them, and they happened to be looking for a new place to live.  If we were able to provide some kind of an incentive for these "starving artists" we might find more.

[Rick Rowlands]

The confusion is caused by the speakers not being very clear in what they are advocating, but at one point it was stated that a cigarette tax is but one option for funding of this effort. 


Did you notice the politician-speak when a woman asked how much money they needed for the arts district?  Damn, he talked about everything but addressing her question.  Now if they want us to lobby the State legislature to change the law to permit imposing new taxes, I would think that having a dollar figure would be rather important, as well as what they would spend the money on.   


The more I think about it, the less I am in favor of this initiative.

[jay]

The newspaper must have also got it wrong when they gave the story this headline, "Arts group lobbies for cigarette tax."

[Towntalk]

Yes I am. Happy?

If anyone deserves funding it's organizations such as yours. Not a gaggle of would be actors, and artist wanna-be's. My goodness, the great artists of the past had wealthy folks sponsoring them, not little folks.

[Rick Rowlands]

You done shouting yet?  I was also at the meeting, and apparently Jay and iwasthere were not listening.  Power of the Arts is not lobbying for a cigarette tax per se.  They want to change the Ohio Revised Code to give county commissioners the power to create art districts and give them the power to fund the district through levying a tax.  The current ORC only gives Cuyahoga county that power and that county chose a cigarette tax.

I don't see what purpose the art district will serve.  They were a bit vague on what it actually would do, who it would serve and how.  So I am skeptical.

[Towntalk]

Among the organizations in the Power Of The Arts are Butler Institute of Art, WYSU, and the Youngstown Symphony ... all three already get corporate sponsorship as well as bequests and other grants ... I also note from the web site for this outfit that the Lemon Grove is involved ... why should we support this joint that caters to radical groups such as Occupy Youngstown and its ilk?

[iwasthere]

towntalk i agree with you on this issue. i was at that meeting, i told one of the people on the advisory ad hoc committee to ask the oil and gas companies for seed monies for this project. these companies have recieved enough corp welfare to fatten their coffers. its time for them to pony up for the residents of mah valley to show that they want to be a part of this valley. i will vote for a sales tax that everyone pays legal or illegal residents to support the arts.

[Towntalk]

NOT A SINGLE PENNY ... NOTHING ... I'M SICK AND TIRED WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO BLEED SMOKERS FOR EVERY HALF BAKED PROJECT THAT COMES DOWN THE PIKE ... WHO DOES THE POWER OF THE ARTS OUTFIT THINK THEY ARE ANY WAY !!!

[Towntalk]

ABSOLUTELY NO!!!!!!!!!!!

SMOKERS ARE TAXED ENOUGH AS IT IS WITHOUT SOME MORE TAXES BEING PUT ON THEM.

IF THE ARTS CAN'T GET ALONG ON THEIR MERITS THEN THEY NEED TO GET REAL JOBS!!!!!!!!!

[jay]

The Power of the Arts group is attempting to change the Ohio Revised Code, Section 5743.021, to allow the voters of the Mahoning Valey to fund the arts through  a local cigarette tax option.

Would you vote for a small tax on local cigarette sales to fund the arts in the Mahoning Valley?


Cuyahoga County already has such a tax.