This whole situation could have been predicted and steps to
avoid it shouldn't be just brushed aside by city officials
who support this kind of mismanagement.
The Office of Cultural Affairs was started through energies
of the Minneapolis Arts Commission and other arts activists
including Artspace as it tried to take over more control of
the City of Minneapolis offices. Many envisioned a
"cultural" organization to the city. Kind of the "arts
rule" idea instead of the inept management that was
currently in place - and still is today in many cases.
There were people who thought it should even run and
coordinate public works, and planning, etc. Or at least
coordinate all those projects so the city wouldn't continue
to look so dumpy and have such a hard time coordinating
projects. I think this idea came out of the trouble the Arts
Commission had coordinating other city departments with it's
"Gateways" project.
However, the Arts Commission had just as much trouble
managing a budget as other departments. Just take one look
at the Phillips' Gateway and a few others. I'm sure you can
look back at the records and see escalating budget after
escalating budget. I think the Star Tribune even did a
little story about the Phillips Gateway awhile back. And
then the council would steal money from the Arts Commission
to do it's own pet projects - like that bust of a famous
former council member. So this whole areas seems to be a
very pliable sponge in terms of how the council and mayor's
office treats it.
I'm not sure what has gone on since the inception of the
Office of Cultural Affairs, but this fiasco smacks of
exactly the kind of stuff that was going on while I was on
the Minneapolis Arts Commission. A desire to accomplish
arts projects at any cost because the city really doesn't do
anything for the arts. That attitude leads to huge
inefficiencies and mediocrity at it's worst. Frankly, this
is probably symptomatic of larger management problems in the
city. I nearly laughed when the Mayor compared the road
construction to Thanksgiving dinner - what a turkey. If
that's the way they actually think about managing the
future, it's no wonder the people of Minneapolis are taking
it in the shorts.
For my money, they should abolish the Office of Cultural
Affairs along with the Arts Commission and I'd do away with
the current MCDA structure too. By the way Lisa McDonald's
idea of creating a PED ala St. Paul doesn't give me much
confidence either. They've been stealing from neighborhoods
and investing inappropriately just like the MCDA. And what
was with that mayor's op ed piece. Does she really believe
that spending 64 million on Target has helped stimulate the
Minneapolis economy...over stimulated at best, but this
engine would have been going without all that downtown
subsidy. We were the first out of the recession and had the
best unemployment rate coming into this economy.
Those tax and spenders will rationalize their subsidies no
matter where they put them in a good economy. Just as they
rationalize the failure of a $600,000 program that
disappointed a whole bunch of children. When will the
madness stop?
Russ Peterson
St. Michael
former Standishite
P.S. If you they the city to be more arts oriented they
might pick up the trash and get rid of the graffiti first.
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