Comments

1
Geeze Rich, why can't you just let these petty beauracrats have their power grab?
2
Who. Cares?
3
Why should the council spend millions of dollars that provide no political benefit to council members at all?
4
It’s funny to see that this is the type of issue that riles up Stranger writers. Seriously, nobody is distressed by the council’s proposal except for privileged members of the art community who want government money but no government oversight. Sorry — those two things are appropriately inseparable, and The Stranger arguing otherwise is tone-deaf and hypocritical.
5
If an organization is getting public money, then it should expect accountability from the government agency that supports it. If they don't want the strings attached to the funds, then don't ask or accept the money.
6
4 - Yep, it's the big, bad government all of a sudden when it goes after something the Stranger cares about.
7
#ByeLarry
8
13 King County PDAs receive more money from King County than 4Culture, and do not have the kind of oversight that the six council members are demanding.

This is a naked power grab and shameful.
9
@4, 5 and 6, you sound as ignorant about how things work as the six uninformed council members. There is already accountability and transparency built in. And let's not forget this money comes from the hotel and lodging tax, not property or sales tax.
If you'd ever been through the process of applying and administering grants you would know how much work and documentation of outcomes and spending goes into everything. The money goes largely to non-profits anyway, which are required to operate with open books. This power grab is purely ego driven and will put the 4Culture, a Public Development Authority under the council's thumb unlike any of the other PDAs they work with. It will politicize King County arts and no longer will impartial panels of subject experts weigh funded projects on merit. It's a terrible, ill-conceived plan with bad intentions. It's sad you don't understand what's at stake because I'm confident you'd feel differently if you did.
#ByeLarry #ByeRod #ByeKathy #ByeDave #ByeReagan #ByePete
10
4Culture is already subject to exhaustive measures of accountability to the county and the state. They have passed 24 audits with flying colors. 4Culture became a Public Development Authority because they were kicked out of the county budget. Now the council wants to come back to "poach it just for sport" to quote a colleague. Using the words "artists" and "privileged" in the same sentence is um...ignorant. Trust me the vast majority of community members spending copious amounts of time to oppose this bogus ordinance are already barely surviving financially.
11
I never trust people who have their mouths agape in official photos
12
@10 ”Using the words "artists" and "privileged" in the same sentence is um...ignorant.”

Believing that your vocation precludes the possibility of being privileged is breathtakingly lacking in self-awareness.
13
Hmmm, well the vast majority of artists exist in a context of financial scarcity. The possibility of privilege is not relevant. Sorry. Deal with reality. Reality is that we're not a bunch of privileged artists fighting against this power grab - to speak relevantly to your descriptive commentary.
14
@4, 5, 6 -- The Council's ordinance would actual reduce oversight; currently, nominees for the 4Culture board have to be vetted and confirmed by two committees. With this ordinance, councilmembers can appoint board members without going through any kind of process whatsoever.

If the council rejects 4Culture's budget, that means they're refusing to accept the distribution of funds that was determined by a panel of community members (not 4Culture staff members), was affirmed by an advisory committee of community members (not 4Culture staff members), and was finally affirmed by 4Culture's board (which, again, has no 4Culture staff sitting on it). But this will force 4Culture staff to then figure out what made the council unhappy and change the decisions that went through the current panel process.

And if you don't care...then why are you voicing your opinion here?
15
@14 I didnt say I don’t care. I said this is not a proposal worth so much distress.

@13 This is word salad:

”[T]he vast majority of artists exist in a context of financial scarcity. The possibility of privilege is not relevant.”
16
@15 actually what you are saying is "it doesnt matter to me, so it doesnt matter, full stop." also you are dumb, because you damn well better be concerned with how your county/city/state controls and funnels money, and clearly its VERY important to the Council, so maybe you are uh, missing something?

also yeah, there are a lot of privileged people in the arts, because it's really hard to survive in aa field that makes zero money when you are poor preson. WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE PUBLIC GRANTING AGENCIES IN PLACE TO FUND POOR PEOPLE AND EVEN THE PLAYING FIELD, STUPID.

18
@16 You must be a word artist!
19
@17
No, dumbass, read the rest of the sentence "your" commenting on:

"And let's not forget this money comes from the hotel and lodging tax, not property or sales tax".

And if "you're" knees jerk that hard when you read the word "tax", maybe you oughta quit using all our civilization all up in here.
21
@20
What are you even on about?

What if the U.S. decided it had to tax and then subsidize every aspiring soldier devoting their life to the noble act of soldiering?

You make about that much sense.
22
Sad to see Larry Gossett play the race card for corrupt reasons. The list of POC organizations funded by 4Culture is a long one, most notably the Duwamish Longhouse in West Seattle. White settlers burned down the last longhouses and were given the stolen land, so that does a small good act of remediation. The entire process has been, to this taxpaying employer of KC Council, a corrupt travesty. Artists are fine. There is no scandal at 4Culture. The 6 members of KCC pushing this, bet upon the ignorance displayed above. In fact 4Culture has supported growth, heritage, and innovative arts. To paraphrase Fran Leibowitz: Take away the artists, the queers, the immigrants & POC from America and you are left with Let's Make a Deal. Shame on you Larry Gossett. You used to stand for something beyond such a petty power grab. This leave board appointees, Director of 4Culture and the budget open to patronage and corruption. This proposal needs be vetoed. "The truth can stand alone, but a lie takes a whole lot of propping up." -my Grandmother. Politicians are the ones needing more oversight these days. Or haven't you been following the news? Why was this rushed through? Why have we heard NOT ONE REAL JUSTIFICATION for this corrupt power grab?
23
& please for those needing more information, you may have heard that the NEA , PBS and the NEH are all under threat by President Ignoramus T Shithole. Please do research other countries and their support of arts and culture. It is what makes us human and makes us connected. It is not trivial.

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