Dissent - Government is not the correct answer

When Mayor John Fernandez offered to help the Bloomington Area Arts Council resolve its financial woes, the plan sounded like a good thing. Save the council and a downtown theater, the mayor seemed to say, and you'll save this town.\nYet that is a narrow view of the many things Bloomington has to offer, including other venues for the performing arts. Many organizations and businesses struggle to pay operating expenses, and all of those are important to at least some members of the community.\nIt is, the mayor claimed, still too early to determine whether the arts council will receive financial support. But he will, according to Aug. 31 The Herald-Times, help to "organize some resources." \nThe arts are a vital part of Bloomington. But so are charities, civic groups, churches, book groups, etc. These organizations thrive because individuals ' not the government ' give their support. If the arts are such a vital part of this community, citizens ought to be willing to support the arts council ' on their own, through donations of time or funds, not through mandatory tax dollars.\nJust what kind of resources will the mayor and the city offer the council? The more energy the city puts into the council, the less time will go to handling problems that really are within the city government's jurisdiction. That is unfair to the many aspects of this community that play an equally, if not more, vital role in the lives of citizens.\nOther alternatives for the Bloomington Area Arts Council remain available. The mayor himself said the organization just needs a "business plan." A consultant, hired by the council could take an objective look at its organization and structure, just as an independent commission would. A financial planner could help it get back on its feet. And the consultant or planner would not be draining city resources.\nIt is beyond argument that the arts play a key role in this community and in its reputation. That much is obvious. But the arts council's financial woes are not the concern of the city government. Diverting human resources and funding from the city to the council is an inappropriate allocation of government resources.