Audio By Carbonatix
I just got an email from one of the many important cultural organizations (name withheld) that keep this city from becoming a barren wasteland of empty condo units and traffic jams (BTW: How those two things manage to co-exist in one metropolis is a logical puzzle for some burgeoning mathmetician…), which contains a forwarded message from Michael Spring, director of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.
What it basically says is that arts and culture and everything else that separates humans from apes with iPhones is about to be completely cut from the county’s budget. Or, numerically speaking, $11 million that is the life-blood of many orgs, large and small alike.
I’ve pasted Spring’s email, the contact info for all 12 county commissioners, and the form letter you can cut-n-paste and send them, telling them all about the vote they won’t be getting from you if they knock our city back into the Middle Ages. Yes, the Middle Ages, except with a really nice fucking baseball stadium that no one has any idea how much it will cost to build.
BTW: Email addresses aren’t linked. This was just too urgent. Please cut-n-paste them.
Dear Colleagues,
Mayor Alvarez released budget recommendations for the County’s FY2009-2010
budget today. This proposal includes substantial service cuts and workforce
reductions to fill a $427 million projected budget gap.
If the budget is adopted as proposed, the
Department’s budget will be reduced by more than $11 million, requiring
the elimination of nearly all of the Department’s grants for cultural
organizations. Grants to all social service “community-based
organizations” and “mom and pop” small businesses are slated for elimination
also. All county departments and services are impacted significantly.
The next step in the budget process is for the Board of County Commissioners
to set a preliminary millage rate next Tuesday, July 21. This will determine the
degree to which the Commission can address and expand the budget priorities over
the coming weeks, before the final budget is adopted. It is critically important
to let the County Commissioners know the impact that County funding has on
providing great arts and cultural programs and services for the citizens of
Miami-Dade County. For contact information for the County Commissioners, please
go to WWw.miamidadearts.org/Documents/Forms/Grantees/County%20Commission%20Contact%20List%207-15-2009.pdf
Historically, the County Mayor, County Manager and the Board of County
Commissioners have been very supportive of the Department’s budget. In previous,
difficult budget years, they have consistently appreciated the impact of the
cultural industry on the local economy, the importance of culture on the quality
of life and the competitive advantage of our community, and have been mindful of
the extraordinary return generated by the County’s investment in the community’s
cultural assets.
We are scheduling a town meeting in the coming weeks to provide more details
on the County’s cultural budget reductions and recommendations. We strongly
encourage you to participate in the budget discussions that are taking place
from this point on.
Thanks,
Michael
PS To see the entire proposed budget, please go to
www.miamidade.gov and click on the link
“View the Proposed Budget.”
Miami Dade Board of County
Commissioners:
| Commissioner | District | Phone | |
| Barbara J. Jordan | 1 | 305-375-5694 | District1@miamidade.gov |
| Dorrin D. Rolle | 2 | 305-375-4833 | BMORRIS2@miamidade.gov |
| Audrey M. Edmonson | 3 | 305-375-5393 | District3@miamidade.gov |
| Sally A. Heyman | 4 | 305-375-5128 | District4@miamidade.gov |
| Bruno A. Barreiro | 5 | 305-643-8525 | District5@miamidade.gov |
| Rebeca Sosa | 6 | 305-375-5696 | District6@miamidade.gov |
| Carlos A. Gimenez | 7 | 305-375-5680 | District7@miamidade.gov |
| Katy Sorenson | 8 | 305-375-5218 | District8@miamidade.gov |
| Dennis C. Moss (Chair) | 9 | 305-375-4832 | DennisMoss@miamidade.gov |
| Javier D. Souto | 10 | 305-375-4835 | District10@miamidade.gov |
| Joe A. Martinez | 11 | 305-375-5511 | District11@miamidade.gov |
| José “Pepe” Diaz | 12 | 305-375-4343 | District12@miamidade.gov |
| Natcha Seijas | 13 | 305-375-4831 | None. Fax 305-375-2011 |
Who is your commissioner? http://gisims2.miamidade.gov/CServices/CSMap.asp?Cmd=DUMMY&ShowWhat=12
Sample Email:
Dear Commissioner [Commissioner’s Last Name here. Be sure to spell it right!],
I am very concerned about the proposed cut to the county arts budget. Your
past support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs has helped
make the arts a Miami-Dade County staple.
The proposed more than $11 million cut to the Department of Cultural Affairs
would have an enormous detrimental effect on Miami-Dade County. Our arts
organizations, from small to large, contribute greatly to the economy of our
region. Just the loss of jobs resulting from this proposal will be huge, let
alone the impact on tourism and the general economic and cultural health of our
community. Thousands and thousands of jobs and services would disappear
overnight. Tourists would be left with little to do and Miami would retreat to
an image that all of us have fought hard to change.
I strongly urge you to vote to continue current support for the arts and
community-based organizations.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your address]
