The Arts Council's risk, of course, is that its snub might anger City Council, which has a stranglehold on the group's finances. City Council contributes $100,000 annually to the nonprofit, in part to cover the expenses of a youth theater program the city used to provide through its recreation program. Additional Arts Council funding comes from grants and membership dues. The group has a broad and enthusiastic membership, constituting a potentially powerful political force. The city also owns the Wilson Arts Center, the former BB&T headquarters office that was given to the city by the bank.
So while the Arts Council's refusal of the theater deed was a risky decision, forcing the deed onto the Arts Council would be risky for City Council. Wilson has a growing, statewide reputation as an arts haven in eastern North Carolina, and the Arts Council enjoys faithful support from a broad array of city residents, ranging from funky artists to wealthy benefactors.
Pushing the deed transfer makes little sense for City Council. It risks offending a large voting bloc while saving little money for the city. Including the Boykin Center on the city's umbrella insurance policy amounts to a tiny fraction of the city's expenses. Even if substantive repairs are needed in the future, the city's long-term outlay would be relatively small.
The only group benefiting from this controversy is the vocal anti-arts, anti-downtown, anti-Wilson malcontents who submit their tirades anonymously to online forums, including this blog's comments section. Let's hope City Council won't put them in charge.
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2 comments:
What the City Council needs to realize is that there is also a large voting block of (regular) people who are sick of having their WE late fees and taxes given over to the Arts Council without ANY discussion. These people will ultimately put people in charge who are more responsible with their hard earned money.
Calling them names, and somehow insinuating that the rich or well connected (large bloc) in Wilson are more worthy of the City Council's concern, just proves our point. The City Council needs to listen to EVERYONE.
The people that stand to benefit, are people that are sick of being gouged without representation, and by attitudes of bloggers and editors that resort to just shrugging off a large part of the citizenry of Wilson as simply
"malcontents".
These are people with pertinent concerns and viable and germane opinions. To just dismiss them is nothing short of insulting.
...
....malcontent.
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