Utah Cultural Advocacy Alliance Grade: B- (81.25%)

  • Candidate Name: Robert M. Hale
  • Your Municipality: Midvale City
  • Elected office for which you are running: Mayor

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.
I have been in singing all my life. During High School, I was a member of the Symphony Club and loved to assist at the Utah symphony performances. My wife and I are season ticket holders to the Hale Center Theatre. We are regular listeners to KBYU, Classical 89.

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.
It is a fair way to distribute funds to all the organizations that bolster our cultural esperiences.

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.
I believe it is a way to nearly painlessly provide sufficient funding for legitimate as well as startup arts and cultural groups.

Question 5: Do you support having a Percent-for-Art program in your own municipality?
Depends (explain in the next question)

5b // Optional, explain why or why not.
I am not sure, but I know that there is money in the General Budget for the Arts Council and art purchases.

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

6b // Optional, explain why or why not.
Some may say it is not, but just take away the arts and cultural programs altogether, and it's like the a day without sunshine. People get by, but there is less enjoyment in life.

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.
No

7b // Optional, explain your experience.
Arts are already supported through line items on the general budget.

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. 
We all have opportunities to make life more enjoyable for our visitors, and the arts and culture is a major reason families return to visit the more established cities and town.

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.