Utah Cultural Advocacy Alliance Grade: A+ (100%)

  • Candidate Name: William Shiflett
  • Your Municipality: Midvalley Improvement District
  • Elected office for which you are running: Midvalley Improvement District Board of Trustees

Question 1: Should government be involved in funding the arts and humanities?
Yes

Question 2: Have you had a personal experience with arts, culture, or humanities that have had an impact on your life?
Yes

3b // Optional, explain your experience.
My earliest memory of art changing my life was when I saw my first Jackson Pollock painting when I was 12 years old. I have spent my entire life seeking out Pollock's works and traveled to locations with a Pollock just so I could see it in person.

Question 3: Do you support public funding for city and county arts councils who then re-grant that money to local arts and humanities organizations?
Yes

3b // Optional, explain why or why not.
Absolutely! Government often doesn't have the strength or resources to keep a competent arts expert. By providing funding to an organization who focus on the arts, i.e., an expert, the public's money will be spent wisely.

Question 4: Do you support Percent for Art programs, which designate 1% of public building costs for public art that are included within that building? Currently, only 8 Utah municipalities have such a program.
Yes

4b // Optional, explain why or why not.
ZAP has been successful and should be copied!

Question 5: Do you support having a Percent-for-Art program in your own municipality?
Yes

5b // Optional, explain why or why not.
My organization is an improvement district that provides waste water collection services. We are limited to ensuring the integrity and efficiency of a sewer water system.

Question 6: Do you consider the arts and cultural sector an economic driver in Utah?
Yes

6b // Optional, explain why or why not.
I just read an article about a woman who traveled with entire family from California to see the Spiral Jetty. An additional example is cities with a public arts program are more attractive to businesses looking to relocate.

Question 7: 32 municipalities have a RAP (recreation, arts, and parks) type tax to help support cultural organizations in their communities. Would you support a RAP type tax such as this in your own municipality? If your municipality already has such a local option sales RAP-type sales tax and you support it, answer yes.
Yes

7b // Optional, explain your experience.
We are an improvement district that collects services fees only.

Question 8: Municipalities can facilitate partnerships between cultural organizations and the local tourism sector to boost the local economy. Do you support this? Optional, explain why or why not. 
Yes

8b // Optional, explain why or why not. 

Question 9: Municipal governments can create Cultural Districts - with or without tax incentives. Governments sometimes fund these via bed or tourism taxes within the Cultural District boundaries, but it can be done within municipal budgets fairly cheaply. Is this something you would support?
Yes

9b // Optional, explain why or why not. 
Wonderful opportunity to gather revenue with limited impact to local citizens!