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In past elections, the Scottsdale Cultural Council has surveyed candidates for city office regarding their views on the arts and shared this information with the public. We are pleased to provide this service for the community once again.
The candidates' responses and statements are listed below in alphabetical order within the positions for which they are running.
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Mayoral Candidates
Jim Lane
Scottsdale Mayoral Candidate
1) What is your position on the role that the arts in Scottsdale play and your vision for the arts as they relate to the future growth of the City?
The arts are and have been an integral part of Scottsdale 's attraction, and have played a huge role in our history. From my point of view the arts must continue to growth that tradition with the developing Scottsdale experience as it incorporates the various forms and communication of art.
2) How do you feel the arts impact the quality of life for Scottsdale residents and the image the City is portraying to the rest of the world?
It is easy to understand the arts can and do add a positive to the quality of our life here in Scottsdale , and that element is recognized by visitors and residents alike. It enhances our reputation of the product we offer to our Country and the world.
3) What is your position on funding the Scottsdale Cultural Council and its activities in the context of providing arts programs for the community?
I fully support the recently adopted “updated” contract between the City of Scottsdale and the Cultural Council, and the funding mechanisms contain therein. The mission within this updated contract that affects an enhanced coordination and collaboration between the Cultural Council and other private art venues should serve to provide greater arts presence in our community.
4) Do you support the long-term interest to expand arts venues by building an arts campus downtown and/or an indoor/outdoor venue in north Scottsdale?
I am completely open to considering the Cultural Council's strategic art venue proposals for the downtown and other areas of the City that are consistent with their contracted role for the Scottsdale Community.
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Mary Manross
Scottsdale Mayoral Candidate
Thank you for the opportunity to express my views on the Arts and the role they play in our community and our society.
Scottsdale is defined by the arts. It is, literally, part of our DNA. As the daughter of a professional artist I was immersed in the arts growing up. Having resided in Scottsdale for 36 years, I have seen the enormous contribution they have made to our quality of life. Internationally our reputation is growing as represented by SMOCA being named as One of the Top Ten Small Museums in the World. This is great for the arts in Scottsdale and great for our economy as well.
Since 1992 as a new councilwoman, I have strongly supported the Cultural Council, as well as efforts to promote our wonderful and diverse community of art galleries. I am proud to have been a part of the effort to create SMOCA. What a great addition to our cultural landscape. Plus our Public Art Program is rapidly expanding and also a real point of pride for Scottsdale
Over the years I have advocated strongly for the Cultural Council in its efforts to grow, to offer the best programming, and to present wonderful programs for our youth. I have voted to support every request to keep Scottsdale a leader in the Arts. We need, however, to do more to strengthen Scottsdale 's prominence as a leader. That is why I proposed, during my State of the City Speech, a bond election to enable us to create more venues, large and small, to provide greater programming opportunities.
When it comes to the Arts, the differences between me and my opponent are stark. For example, in 2006/07 Lane attempted to remove from the budget, funding for 4301 and the much needed Art Collection Preservation Program. I fought to retain that funding and prevailed. The 2007-08 budget provided the funding to complete the $14 million renovation and remodel of the very important public asset, the Center for the Performing Arts. Jim Lane voted no. Again, I prevailed. These are only a handful of many examples illustrating his lack of commitment to the arts. Yet in his campaign, he criticizes Scottsdale because Tempe and Mesa built new arts centers. It is nothing but empty campaign rhetoric.
It is important that we make sure that our downtown renaissance and revitalization continues and that we build another, larger theatre venue. We also need more venues similar to 4301 around our downtown for smaller, unique programs. A venue near our beautiful McDowell Mountains would be a wonderful addition to help solidify our position as a leader in the Arts.
As Mayor, I will continue to advocate strongly for the Arts and maintain a strong partnership with the Scottsdale Cultural Council. It is very critical to our future health and success as a community!
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Council Candidates
Lisa Borowsky
Scottsdale City Council Candidate
1) What is your position on the role that the arts in Scottsdale play and your vision for the arts as they relate to the future growth of the City?
The arts have a long, powerful and extremely positive place in Scottsdale 's history, tradition and place as the premier arts community in Arizona and the Southwest. It is critical we maintain that tradition during these challenging economic times.
2) How do you feel the arts impact the quality of life for Scottsdale residents and the image the City is portraying to the rest of the world?
The arts community must maintain their role as a preeminent part of our Scottsdale tradition. We simply cannot maintain our place or our brand as Arizona 's cultural centerpiece without a strong arts community.
3) What is your position on funding the Scottsdale Cultural Council and its activities in the context of providing arts programs for the community?
These are extraordinarily difficult economic times. Scottsdale faces potential budget cuts in the tens of millions. However, we must maintain strong funding for the Arts Council, in conjunction with stronger support and encouragement of private funding, for the Arts Council. Finally, the city can stimulate the interest in arts through public events such as walks, shows, installations and other socially relevant functions.
4) Do you support the long-term interest to expand arts venues by building an arts campus downtown and/or an indoor/outdoor venue in north Scottsdale?
I believe WestWorld could serve as a valuable arts/cultural center for both indoor and outdoor exhibits, events and educational opportunities. Additionally, the future Desert Discovery Center may prove to be an ideal location for an intimate entertainment venue.
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Betty Drake
Scottsdale City Council Candidate
1) What is your position on the role that the arts in Scottsdale play and your vision for the arts as they relate to the future growth of the City?
The arts should be an integral part of everyday life in Scottsdale . Here are a few aspects of this vision:
Children should be able to participate in a full range of performing and visual arts experiences as they grow and learn. Arts should be taken for granted as a normal part of their daily lives and as a way for them to create and participate in the Scottsdale community.
The City, Cultural Council, Gallery Association, Scottsdale Artists School , McDowell Sonoran Commission, Museum of the West and others should work cooperatively to develop an arts and cultural facilities master plan for the entire city. The Downtown Master Plan, for example, should include a strong arts and cultural facilities element with policy, facilities plan and a strategy for going forward.
Public art should be permeate our public spaces north to south. Intimate scale, grand scale, community-generated and internationally created – expressing aspirations, commemorating and celebrating place, ideas, people. This work should be of high quality and relevant to context. Art in Private Development requirements should be expanded, citywide.
Scottsdale should be a place where there is a wealth of art galleries and related businesses. We must strengthen, protect and expand the concept of an “arts district” downtown so the galleries don't suffer as revitalization occurs. The City can play a role, but galleries and other downtown businesses must also recognize that much needs to be done.
Scottsdale should be a place where art is created, not just sold. We should explore the idea of artists' housing, live-work spaces, studios, workshops and places where people can see art being created.
We need to invest in facilities that will enable us to regain our “bling” as a top-level performing arts destination. We need to work with the Cultural Council to fully fund renovation of the Center for the Arts and look ahead to additional performance venues throughout Scottsdale .
We need to engage the citizens, visitors and business community of Scottsdale in the exciting world of arts and culture. We do want to bring significant works by international art stars to Scottsdale but we should also build a broad constituency for arts and cultural programs by also bringing in more accessible works, of high quality, that draw new art supporters into the fold.
2) How do you feel the arts impact the quality of life for Scottsdale residents and the image the City is portraying to the rest of the world?
Arts are an important contributor to Scottsdale 's quality of life and to our image as a tourist and business destination. Studies such as those commissioned by the Maricopa Partnership for Arts and Culture (MPAC) show that arts, ideas and economic progress are strongly interrelated. The “creative class” looks for places to live and do business that embed the arts into community culture. The Phoenix area ranks near the bottom among competitive regions in terms of creative sense of place. To attract the future generations of talent, tourism and industry, we need to turn this perception around. Scottsdale, more than any other Valley community, is well-positioned to do this. We can affect our economic vitality in a positive way by strengthening our creative culture, being innovative in considering new ways to blur boundaries and infiltrate art into education, recreation, arts and business. As a City Council member, I will work energetically with you to bring about positive change in this regard.
3) What is your position on funding the Scottsdale Cultural Council and its activities in the context of providing arts programs for the community?
The Scottsdale Cultural Council operates arts and cultural programs under a management agreement on behalf of the City of Scottsdale . There is a strong sentiment on the Council at this time that the Cultural Council should be more aggressive in its development activities with the objective of decreasing reliance on public funding. In these difficult economic times, with significant capital improvements underway and planned, this is not going to be a simple task. As a member of the City Council's Arts and Culture Subcommittee, I have heard a great deal about management and financial issues over the past years.
When re-elected, I will continue to support funding for Cultural Council programs to get us through this down cycle. The Cultural Council's requests have been, to my way of thinking, responsible and conservative. We should not risk losing momentum, slowing renovation of the Center for the Performing Arts, backing off from commitments to SMOCA or the Public Art Program. These are all too important to our quality of life and our long-term economic vitality. We know we may have to make tough decisions during the next budget cycle at City Hall. The Cultural Council will have to do its share but I will give priority to arts funding and continue to work with you to keep funding in place with the long-term goal of taking Scottsdale to the next level as an arts community.
4) Do you support the long-term interest to expand arts venues by building an arts campus downtown and/or an indoor/outdoor venue in north Scottsdale?
Yes. We need to work cooperatively to develop a plan, guidelines, budget and strategy for moving ahead on both an arts campus and north Scottsdale venue(s). There have been many proposals for these over the years. It's time to set a course and get on with it. It would be very useful for the City Council to have a clear idea of what's needed, site options, funding and related issues so we can look for opportunities to assist in taking these dreams to reality.
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Tom Giller
Scottsdale City Council Candidate
1) What is your position on the role that the arts in Scottsdale play and your vision for the arts as they relate to the future growth of the City?
Art and culture benefit the City both in the tourism dollars they generate and because they are enjoyed by and enhance the quality of life for our residents. Scottsdale has a well-deserved reputation as an artistic and cultural center and I support the City contributing financially to retain that position.
2) How do you feel the arts impact the quality of life for Scottsdale residents and the image the City is portraying to the rest of the world?
Public art enhances the visual appeal of our community. Cultural programming provides an entertaining and educational amenity for our residents. The arts enhance Scottsdale 's image as an upscale destination for tourists to visit.
3) What is your position on funding the Scottsdale Cultural Council and its activities in the context of providing arts programs for the community?
All programs funded with taxpayer dollars, no matter how worthy, must be closely scrutinized by the Council to insure that those dollars are being used wisely. I believe that this is the case with the money that we currently allocate to the arts in Scottsdale. However, with the upcoming decline in city revenues all programs, no matter how worthy, will have to be considered for belt-tightening.
4) Do you support the long-term interest to expand arts venues by building an arts campus downtown and/or an indoor/outdoor venue in north Scottsdale?
I would like to see an arts campus downtown, and I believe that it is our obligation to allocate some of our cultural and artistic assets to the northern parts of our community. However, until the city revenue outlook improves it is not appropriate for us to be starting large new capital projects funded from the city's general fund.
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Suzanne Klapp
Scottsdale City Council Candidate
1) What is your position on the role that the arts in Scottsdale play and your vision for the arts as they relate to the future growth of the City?
The arts and culture are essential ingredients in maintaining Scottsdale 's high quality of life. They reflect our values as a community and enhance our unique image among residents, visitors and others who know of our community throughout the country and even the world. Ideally, arts facilities, programs and projects will connect with broader community goals for our city's growth and prosperity. Alliances and partnerships play an important role in this connection. I foresee even more emphasis on partnering in the future.
2) How do you feel the arts impact the quality of life for Scottsdale residents and the image the City is portraying to the rest of the world?
The City Council has wisely helped fund the Cultural Council to provide arts planning and programming for Scottsdale . The Cultural Council takes the pulse of arts interests in the city and provides expertise to ensure that the various arts offerings, including performing arts, museums and public art, fulfill citizens' and tourists' needs.
3) What is your position on funding the Scottsdale Cultural Council and its activities in the context of providing arts programs for the community?
The performing arts are my particular passion; I was president of a theatre organization in my hometown in Indiana . I long for a professional theatre company based in Scottsdale to provide cutting edge theatre with some of the fantastic talent I enjoy in Phoenix . If we are unable to develop our own professional organization, then a partnership with one of the local companies would be a great alternative.
4) Do you support the long-term interest to expand arts venues by building an arts campus downtown and/or an indoor/outdoor venue in north Scottsdale?
Renovations at the downtown Center for the Performing Arts are a welcome improvement. I would have preferred a new, more visible building if funds had been available. I look forward to the possible addition of a new outdoor facility in the Westworld entertainment complex over the next five years. This venue would help draw in the many residents and visitors hungry for performances closer to them in the northern portion of the city and would capitalize on the magnificent desert and mountain surroundings.
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Ron McCullagh
Scottsdale City Council Candidate
1) What is your position on the role that the arts in Scottsdale play and your vision for the arts as they relate to the future growth of the City?
The arts are entertainment, an educational tool, and an economic driver for Scottsdale. They are a sound investment for Scottsdale, and should be recognized and supported as such.
2) How do you feel the arts impact the quality of life for Scottsdale residents and the image the City is portraying to the rest of the world?
Arts contribute to our quality of life and place, and reinforce the City's image as a sophisticated and diverse "Destination Community".
3) What is your position on funding the Scottsdale Cultural Council and its activities in the context of providing arts programs for the community?
As a Councilman and personally, I have and will continue to support the Scottsdale Cultural Council. I hope the Cultural Council will expand its operating model to find new ways to support the private arts community.
4) Do you support the long-term interest to expand arts venues by building an arts campus downtown and/or an indoor/outdoor venue in north Scottsdale?
Both a downtown arts campus and an outdoor venue in the WestWorld area have merit. I would be willing to consider both ideas, subject to review of strategic plans and budgets.
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Nan Nesvig
Scottsdale City Council Candidate
1) What is your position on the role that the arts in Scottsdale play and your vision for the arts as they relate to the future growth of the City?
It is imperative that a landmark destination city, such as Scottsdale , provide top-notch arts and cultural programs. Not only do these programs support tourism but also serve to compliment Scottsdale 's quality of life for its residents. Likewise, they generate much needed revenue for our city treasury.
2) How do you feel the arts impact the quality of life for Scottsdale residents and the image the City is portraying to the rest of the world?
Scottsdale is well known, around the world, as an arts and cultural hub. There is a rather definitive, positive impact on the quality of life for Scottsdale residents and the image the City is portraying to the rest of the world which is created by the provision of the arts through entertainment as well as visual public art displays. The arts provide an excitement to the City that is unmatched by other entertainment channels. The arts speak to the character and uniqueness of Scottsdale, two aspects of our City that we want to not only preserve but enhance for future generations.
3) What is your position on funding the Scottsdale Cultural Council and its activities in the context of providing arts programs for the community?
I fully support the funding that the city currently provides for the arts in Scottsdale and would continue voting for it if elected to the City Council. In spite of our recent downturn in the economy, I will do what I can to preserve that funding.
4) Do you support the long-term interest to expand arts venues by building an arts campus downtown and/or an indoor/outdoor venue in north Scottsdale?
I believe that an arts campus in the Downtown area is a wonderful idea and a much needed addition to the ongoing development of that area. I would support long-term interest to expand arts venues both in the north and south if we can find a way to fund them.
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