Election Season News
7/1/02
NEWS FROM MINNESOTA CITIZENS FOR THE ARTS:
1. Election season begins. Do you know who your candidates are?
2. MCA Pushes to Make Support for the Arts Part of Every Candidate’s Agenda
3. Congress Votes to Increase Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts
4. Nominations Open for MCA Board Positions
1. ELECTION SEASON HAS BEGUN. DO YOU KNOW WHO YOUR CANDIDATES ARE?
Legislative district lines have been redrawn and dozens of legislators have announced their retirement. This means there will be many, many new faces at the capitol next session who need to learn about the importance of the arts to our state. Over the next several months MCA will be in high gear educating political candidates about the importance of the arts, as well as educating arts advocates about the candidates. Upcoming efforts include:
“Legislative Arts All Stars” will be listed in our next newsletter, sent to members statewide.
A survey of legislative candidates will be conducted to find out where they stand on the arts.
MCA’s website will be updated with candidate profiles, based on our survey and other information, so you can find out how your local candidates stand on the arts.
Coffee parties will be held in targeted districts across the state, where we will meet face to face with candidates and their constituents to talk about the arts in their district.
Voter information will be mailed to all MCA members, so you can find out about your new district and who your candidates are.
A huge postcard mailing will be done to ask candidates for Governor to make the arts part of their agenda.
2. BE A PART OF THE GOVERNOR’S POSTCARD CAMPAIGN
Any one of the current candidates for Governor could win the race this fall. This is a perfect opportunity to ensure that the next Governor of Minnesota is an Arts Governor. It is imperative that all of the candidates understand the importance and impact of the arts in Minnesota! In the 2002 legislative session, Governor Ventura’s record was mixed: On one hand, he recommended only a 7% cut to the arts appropriation. (In this time of budget deficits it was a small cut in comparison to proposed cuts to other Minnesota departments, and was small compared to cuts to other state arts funding around the country. Members of MCA lobbied to reduce this to a 4% cut). However, Governor Ventura also vetoed all of the arts bonding requests recommended by both houses of the legislature. Let’s make the arts part of every candidate’s agenda! We want the next Governor to understand that Minnesotans need and value the arts! MCA has printed and mailed 30,000 postcard sets to arts advocates across the state. It includes cards to all of the current candidates (except Penny, who announced after the cards had been printed). We have 7,000 additional cards at the office. If you’d like to send them to your friends, relatives, staff, or audiences, we’d be happy to give you as many as you can mail. Call MCA at 651-251-0868 or email mca@mtn.org to find out how to get more postcards. If you are on MCA’s mailing list, you will receive the cards in the mail in the next few weeks.
3. HOUSE AND SENATE MONEY BILLS TO INCREASE ARTS FUNDING
Last week, House and Senate appropriations panels approved funding increases in 2003 for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). On June 25 the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee passed an increase from $115.2 to $116.5 million as requested in the president’s budget. On June 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee bettered the House bill by adding $3.25 million, putting the NEA at $119 million in 2003. The additional NEA spending in the Senate’s bill includes $2 million for the Challenge America program, which has gained popular support from Congress for its emphasis on arts education and broadening access to the arts. Minnesota is a recipient of some of this money. Similar spending increases were also approved for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), with the House raising NEH funding from $124.5 million to $126 million, and the Senate adding $3.25 million (as it did with the NEA), directing the new funding to state humanities councils. The House bill is scheduled to go to the full Appropriations Committee during the week of July 8, when Congress returns from a week long July 4 recess. Both House and Senate bills could be brought for floor votes before the August recess.
4. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR MCA’s BOARD OF TRUSTEES
36 Members Represent Amazingly Diverse Perspectives of our State’s Arts Community. Serving on MCA’s board is a fun way to get to know people from across the state who love the arts and who work in advocacy. Minnesota Citizens for the Arts is soliciting nominations for its Board of Trustees for terms which last for two years and will begin in September, 2002.
INTERESTED? Send in a nominations form by August 15, 2002. Click here for a nominations form. MCA’s bylaws require the following make-up of the board:
One Trustee from each of the eleven Regional Arts Councils geographic areas (thus ensuring representation from every corner of the state),
Ten Trustees representing organizations receiving MN State Arts Board grants, and
Fifteen trustees at large.
Of this group,
eighteen Trustees must be from the seven county metro area, and
Eighteen Trustees must be from outside the seven county metro area.
MCA’s overall preferences in Board nominations are that board members be willing to work and to come to meetings, that they participate in Advocacy Day and will be a vocal advocate for the arts. Nominees with political connections, political strategists and people with an understanding of the political process are particularly welcome, although that is not necessary if you are willing to start making those kinds of connections. MCA would like to have a balance of political party affiliations represented on the board, as well as balanced representation of the state and the arts community (i.e. artists, diversity in terms of race, age, etc.). People who have the ability to communicate MCA’s message with the public and/or within their own organizations are desired. MCA has full board meetings four times each year, Advocacy Day in February, a day-long board retreat in the fall, and other small committee meetings as needed. The Nominations committee will begin considering nominees for board openings soon.