By Lina Garcia, Americans for the Arts
November 21, 2005

Following mayoral elections and ballot measures at the local level, this was another successful year for the arts. Four out of four local ballot initiatives tracked by Americans for the Arts that had a positive direct impact on the arts and arts education, passed overwhelmingly in Holbrook (AZ), Santa Cruz (CA), Lima (OH), and Orem City (UT). Most of the ballot measures that were approved will provide increased funding for arts education in schools, or will create funding opportunities for cultural arts programs and performing arts centers. Additionally, dozens of pro-arts mayors were reelected to office in cities nationwide. 

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin won with 91 percent of the vote. The mayor has vowed to make quality of life issues including the arts a priority during this term. Franklin has helped raise local government funding to Atlanta’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs and has worked closely with the county to maintain local funding for the arts.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino won a fourth-term with 68 percent of the vote. Menino has notably increased the number of performing arts venues in his city supporting the local arts scene while advancing neighborhood development. Perhaps the most dramatic of his theater development projects is the Huntington Theatre’s new Calderwood Pavilion Theater at the Boston Center for the Arts. This project located on city-owned land, took ten years of sustained development work to complete including cleaning up industrial waste.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg won reelection with 58 percent of the vote. Recently referred to as “The Arts Administration” by The New York Times, Bloomberg’s administration has done more to promote and support the arts than any other in a generation. The mayor has ensured that public art has a presence throughout the big apple – from placing a Roy Lichtenstein sculpture in the center of the former Tweed Courthouse, to bringing “The Gates,” a project by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude that was showcased in Central Park earlier this year and attracted thousands of tourists. He has also put his full support behind the city’s arts commission, which is now involved in essentially every important public-works project in the city.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels was reelected with 63 percent of the vote. Under Nickels’ leadership, the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs was elevated to an executive agency. The mayor has also appointed high profile commissioners, and given his support to major projects like the McCaw Hall Opera House and the Wing Luke Asian Museum expansion. He also instituted the Mayor’s Arts Awards and the Hip Hop Awards, and restored funding for arts and culture.

Holbrook (AZ) Bond Initiative passed with 65 percent of the vote. During a special bond election for the Holbrook School District, voters were asked to authorize the proposed construction of an auditorium, the 800'seat George Gardner Performing Arts Center. Approximately $4.1 million in ad valorem tax bonds will be issued for the purpose of constructing and equipping the new auditorium and related improvements at the Holbrook High School campus.

Santa Cruz (CA) Measure B passed with 80 percent of the vote. Voters overwhelmingly passed a reauthorization of a parcel tax that will generate more than $2 million annually for Santa Cruz City Schools over the next seven years (beginning on July 1, 2006). The measure required a two-thirds majority approval in order to pass. Measure B, allows for a tax to property owners in the city of Santa Cruz of $70 per parcel to pay for teachers, art and music programs, and librarians and counselors in elementary and middle schools. School officials strongly supported the tax in light of recent funding cuts at the state and federal levels.

Lima (OH) Levy Initiative passed with 55 percent of the vote. The Ottoville school board placed a one percent income tax (for five years) on the ballot to cover operating expenses in schools. Beginning on January. 1, 2006, the tax will raise approximately $525,000 per year. Due to decreased funding from the state, the levy will help avoid additional cuts to the only program areas that have not already been eliminated in schools including -- industrial arts, elementary art and music.

Orem City (UT) Initiative passed with 58 percent of the vote (5,016 voting “yes” and 3,661 voting “no”). The tax proposal known as CARE (Cultural Arts and Recreation Enhancement) will allocate 10 cents from every $100 in sales tax and funnel it into cultural arts and recreation programs in the city. The tax is projected to generate almost $1.6 million a year, based on the city’s current sales tax figures. The funds can be used for live theater, symphonies, operas, ballets, or other nonprofit entities, specifically naming the Utah Regional Ballet, the Utah Valley Symphony, and the Youth Symphony. The money can also be used for publicly owned facilities such as parks, trails, bike paths, performing arts centers or museums.