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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2009 > April > 02 > Entry
Candidates, talking arts
Nearly 400 people showed up Wednesday night at the Paramount Theatre for an arts forum with Mayoral and City Council candidates.
Mayoral candidates attending were David Buttross, Josiah James Ingalls, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Lee Leffingwell, Brewster McCracken. City Council candidates Perla Cavazos, Sheryl Cole, Sam Osemene, Chris Riley, and Bill Spelman were also on hand.
Council Member Mike Martinez, who was absent due to illness, delivered a statement by proxy.
Not an open Q-and-A with the audience, the forum instead had each candidate responding to specific questions with a specific time limit for answer ( one minute for some topics, two minutes for other).
That made for orderly, if somewhat predictable presentation by the candidates, with almost every candidate voicing their support of, in many instances, Austin’s creative community and its need. Osemene and Ingalls dissented at times, however, arguing that there were more important issues (homelessness, the recession, public safety), that required the city’s attention first before the arts.
The discussion circled around three essential issues: 1) The city’s need for a consolidated ,and higher profile, department of arts and culture that would oversee all aspects of cultural funding and municipal support for the all of the creative arts, including film; 2) The need for more downtown public parking, especially around the Long Center, and; 3) Lifestyle and affordability issues, particularly accessibility to affordable housing and affordable rehearsal/studio space.
Not brought up at all? The city’s current funding levels for cultural contracts issued to arts organizations.
The event was hosted by Arthouse, Austin Film Festival, Austin Lyric Opera, Austin Museum of Art, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Austin, Conspirare, KMFA, The Long Center, Mexic-Arte Museum, One World Theatre, Paramount & State Theatres, and Zach Scott Theatre.
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