Let's get a few facts down here.
First off, the Office of Cultural Affairs didn't produce a failure. They
tried to pull together a program and were not able to secure all of the
funding the first time they tried. This happens when you are trying to do
large complicated projects.
Second, imagine this was your job. You tried to pull off a large, difficult
project but couldn't. At least not the first time you tried. I bet you
don't end up in the newspaper or on this list with people telling you you
have "inept management." But then again you don't work for the City of
Minneapolis during an election with folks just waiting to try to smear for
larger political gain. Read the folks who are quoted and connect the dots.
Personally, again, I was disappointed that the Strib would allow itself to
be used in such a way.
Carol Becker
Longfellow
----- Original Message -----
From: Russell W Peterson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Mpls list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, June 17, 2001 10:38 PM
Subject: RE: [Mpls] Mpls Office of Cultural Affairs criticized
> 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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