Letters to the editor for April 22
Olympia Film Society endorses Inspire Olympia
The Olympia Film Society Board of Directors encourages Olympians to vote “Yes” on Proposition 1 by Tuesday, April 26. Inspire Olympia (Proposition 1) will generate approximately $2.3 million a year for nonprofits providing arts, science, and cultural programming to Olympia residents.
Inspire Olympia will help continue to keep the historic Capitol Theater open and accessible to the public. The Olympia Film Society Board of Directors believes Inspire Olympia will help rebuild and enhance our community’s creative economy, bringing people together for unique, inclusive experiences we could not have anywhere else.
Americans for the Arts estimates that the return on public investment in the arts can be 7 to 1.
After a financially and emotionally devastating two years for artists and audiences alike, 1 cent on every $10 purchase can help our city remain a regional hub for arts and culture. Ten percent of the money raised through Inspire Olympia will go to ensuring all Olympia public school students can participate in the programming funded by this measure for free. A nine-member Cultural Access Advisory Board will guide and regularly report to the community on outcomes from Inspire Olympia with attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Election Day is Tuesday, April 26. Please vote to Inspire Olympia by voting ”Yes” on Proposition 1!
Damian Magista, Rebecca Saulsbury, Tom McDonald and Jeff DeLuca
On behalf of the OFS Board of Directors
Hard pass on Proposition 1
Who doesn’t love art? Okay, there probably are some, but that’s not really what Olympia’s Proposition 1 is about.
Sure, it’s about access to art events and programs by organizations. And no one denies that people with barriers should also have access to events and programs. However, that’s only part of the proposition.
First, organizations already have discounted and free fees to those with barriers. So, that’s just strategic wording for the community to buy into another tax increase to fund pet projects of the city council.
What this new tax creates is a money pot for the city to ensure they have financing to continue with remodeling the Armory for the arts hub they decided to go forward without a plan to pay for it. Now, the plan is to raise taxes so they can pay for it under the guise of “arts, science and heritage.”
Isn’t it time the community stop paying for the council’s pet projects with no plan for success? It’s time the council stop failing the community before they even start. Maybe they can stop gifting tax breaks to high-end developers to pay for these pet projects; stop throwing money away to those same developers in the guise of helping the poor and infirm; stop throwing money at homeless organizations who maintain the status quo while not eradicating homelessness or its causes.
Wake up, Olympia! Our city council is failing us again! This a Big Fat No!
Andryea Grazier, Olympia
COVID-19 ain’t over yet
I hear, “No more mask mandate. Let’s go to that party!” Or, “Now our group can meet for lunch!”
However, removing masks does not mean our pandemic is over.
In fact, although an article in the April 13 Olympian mentioned that “masks are still required in health care settings, prisons, shelters and public transportation,” I’m afraid that some of us interpret this as meaning all others are “home free.”
Nope. Dr. Wesley Long, a pathologist at Houston Methodist in Texas, says, “The virus is still out there, circulating. Vaccination is still your best defense.” He advises us further, “Get the shots if you haven’t already” and “to get the second booster if you’re eligible because you are 50 or older. …”
So no one is home free. It’s like saying, “The snakes in the river are being dealt with. Let’s go swimming.”
Karen Strand, Lacey