Art Funding For Youth, Not Cultural Elites

I am calling upon Mayor McGinn and KC Executive Constantine to dissolve the Office of Arts & Culture and the 4Culture agencies and put that money into Arts programs in the Public Schools.

As a mother of three beautiful children I am concerned that our youth do not have the same access to Arts programs that we had growing up. During the early years of development is it crucial that our children are engaged in the creative processes that allow for the expression or originality, development of individuality, and the building of positive self esteem in a safe learning environment.

Currently, our children’s Principals do not receive a designated amount for Arts funding in K-12 King County Public Schools. Instead, each school Principal must sacrifice Math, English, or Technology programs in order to cover the cost of bringing Arts back to their school.

One way schools have found to work around this problem is by partnering with local community Arts programs; allowing use of the school classrooms and grounds to outside groups who offer Art related activities. Although some of these programs are very nice; the quality of programs, volunteer instructors, and classroom environment is not always consistent. And although most of these groups are funded by our tax dollars they are not bound by the same rules and regulations that a public school teacher is. Nor are these instructors required to receive the same certification, education, communication, and conflict resolution training that a public school teacher does. If our children’s school is lucky enough to have one of these programs teaching Arts onsite, the program and the instructor quality cannot be guaranteed. We must bring Arts back to the Public School curriculum!

Bring Art Teachers Back To Public Schools!

I believe that exposure to Arts at an early age helps build a bridge across racial, cultural and economical barriers. I believe providing Arts programs in our public schools allows and encourages children to interact with others, make new friends, break down stereotypes, and receive positive feedback from their peers in a safe environment. Sadly, we’ve seen Arts in Public Schools nearly eliminated over the past few years; even as millions upon millions of dollars in taxes go to fund elitist public art projects.

As cutbacks in our public schools result in teacher lay-offs and Art program eliminations, taxpayers are forced to fund the Office of Arts & Culture, the King County 4Culture Offices, and the City and County Government’s 1% for public arts programs.

Housed in the beautiful Seattle Municipal Tower; the Office of Arts & Culture share a floor with several other Executive Departments with duplicate management and administrative staff. Look down the street and you will find the King County 4Culture offices, offering many of the same services that the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture does. These prime real estate locations currently used by the Executive Offices could be made available to the private sector and would bring in even more money to help us get a handle on our out-of-control budget deficit.

It’s estimated that between the Office of Arts & Culture and King County 4Culture there is an approximately $20 million dollar yearly budget. Dissolving the agencies and putting those funds into public school Arts programs would eliminate the massive administrative staff fees and free up a larger amount of funding to make it to the children.

Although I love the Arts; I recognize it is not the responsibility of the government or the taxpayers to fund adults who choose the artist-lifestyle. Adult artists should be held to the same standard as accountants, bricklayers, or other working-class heroes; they must be able to compete in the marketplace based on providing a desired service. We must instead use our limited funds to educate and expose our youth to the Arts; and the public schools are the best place to do this.

As someone with strong ties to King County’s artist community I’ve often heard concerns and accusations of biased grant and funding systems, favoritism, quid pro-quos, and a climate that rewards waste and upside-down priorities in the Office of Arts & Culture and the King County 4Culture programs; this has many people saying that if nothing else, a major audit is needed.

I believe that funding of the Arts with the aim of increasing children’s creativity is appropriate; and that the best way to expose children to the Arts is to do so through the Public School system. We can no longer afford to fund the lifestyles of a few elites at the expense of our children’s education. It's time to cut this waste and invest our tax dollars in our children.

ADDENDUM:

The Office of Arts & Culture recently released a letter citing several studies supporting our belief that “greater involvement in the arts in middle and high school associates with higher level of achievement and college attainment, volunteerism and political participation.” – James Catterall (See attached PDF of OOAC Letter)

The Office of Arts & Culture’s document supports my argument that we must return Arts to the Public Schools. However, I disagree that the money must first process through their office. I don’t believe that we should filter millions in tax payer money through the bureaucracy of the Office of Arts & Culture office so that we can eventually squeeze a few thousand dollars to the Public Schools. Let’s eliminate the middle man and get the money directly to the Public School Arts programs.       Click Here to See the PDF
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Demanding Accountability from Council Members and Legislators                                             Back to Top

King County needs a leader who isn’t afraid to stand against badly written legislation, regulations, and bureaucratic red-tape. Say no to those “learn-on-the-job legislators” who support flawed taxes and legislation that may hurt our communities, simply because they don’t have the knowledge to properly vet the issues.

Last year we stood against Councilmember Joe McDermott’s platform issues; we stood together in voting down each of his supported initiatives and reversing poor legislation passed during his tenure as State Senator. Voters wisely recognized that although Joe’s platform issues may have been created with good intentions; the legislation was poorly written with no safeguards protecting our elderly, lower and middle class, and minority communities.

I have 15 years regulatory experience specific to King County; bringing a new “internal” perspective to the Council. I will use my front-line experience, skills, and knowledge; as well as my BA in Business, to grow jobs and get our neighbor’s back to work.

My 15 years King County experience also gives me the tools necessary to target waste, fraud, and the excesses of career politicians and political appointees whose decisions hurt King County.

I am not afraid to stand against bad legislation and have the track record in King County to prove it. I sacrificed my job with the County standing up against mismanagement and corruption, but in returned I earned grass roots support from concerned citizens and a diverse list of community advocates including youth and senior services, animal rescue organizations, and immigrant communities.

I’ll target waste, corruption, and cronyism in King County Management. I’ll cut red tape and give businesses the tools necessary to get people back to work. I’ll demand taxpayer protection from Tunnel cost over-runs, and demand true whistle blower protection and a safe working environment for King County employees.


Fiscal Accountability                                                                                                                           Back to Top

King County’s is bloated with excesses; the fact that there is a communication specialist assigned to nearly every department in order to spin and sanitize all outgoing information is outrageous. Over the past decade King County Management has created layers of insulation between themselves and the media in order to hide faulty program management and inept processes. This is a perfect example of the waste and excess in King County; where hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent each year on media spin. I’ll target this type of waste, as well as incompetence, corruption, and cronyism in King County Management.

I’m demanding accountability from contractors doing business with County taxpayer money; demanding new projects contain clear completion costs and dates so that you and I are protected from cost over-runs and “temporary” taxes that never go away.

As a Councilwoman I will listen to the voters. Too many wasteful programs and projects are kept in place at the cost of millions, despite the public outcry for action. I will refuse to throw good money after bad; I will refuse to let others play politics at the cost of our hard earned money.

Local Businesses/Jobs                                                                                                                      Back to Top

Drive through even the most populous retail areas in West Seattle, White Center, or Burien and you will find an unsettling amount of vacant buildings and business closures. We cannot afford to allow any more of our neighborhood businesses to fail. We must engage employers with business friendly laws that encourage job creation, growth, and retention.

I will work hard to create business tax incentives encouraging job growth and a stronger economy. I have the skills, passion, and commitment necessary to stop the job loss in our community and return King County District 8 to a thriving economical area. I will fight to remove the bureaucratic red-tape and eliminate hurdles that limit our local business’s chances for success.

True Whistle-Blower Protection                                                                                                         Back to Top

The cost of turning a blind-eye to corruption, and “going along to get along” is often more than just financial and can affects both employees and the customers they serve.

Working in an environment where one is afraid to speak up or speak out can cause a breakdown in office moral; often resulting in increased sick time due to stress. It also is the cause of employee turn-over, which affects customer service in the form of less experienced/less knowledgeable counter help.

King County needs a leader with front-line experience that understands and empathizes with the struggle’s to maintain integrity in an atmosphere of cronyism and corruption. I will work with the Ombudsman’s Office to provide true whistle-blower protection and a safe working environment for King County employees.

Safe Streets:                                                                                                                                        Back to Top

Working as a youth advocate gave me great insight into the development of programs that will help reduce crime and make Seattle streets safer through youth outreach, cross-cultural communication, mentoring, and education; focusing on gang prevention, youth homelessness, and graffiti elimination. 

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