1. YOUR PERSONAL CONNECTION
How have you personally benefited from the arts or creative expression during the COVID-19 pandemic? What local cultural experience are you excited to participate in soon?
Creativity has been essential to everyone during these challenging times.
I found that listening to music reminds me of happy or fun times in my life (my youthful days, dating my husband, for example) that uplifted my mood and helped remind me the pandemic will pass. Music makes me hopeful, positive, and helped balance the ever-present dark news of the pandemic. I am looking forward to seeing a stage performance of some kind – a play, a concert – even if it is at one of our local schools.
2. ECONOMIC RECOVERY
How will you leverage the creative sector to help the local economy recover and grow?
Greater New Haven’s nonprofit arts organizations support 5,667 FTE jobs and $135M in economic impact, creating a strong economic ripple effect throughout our region.
Before the downturn in the economy due to the pandemic my administration was focused on the recovery of our own municipal finances. Unfortunately, tough decisions about where to cut costs in our budget surely impacted the creative sector. We have turned the corner and are in a much stronger financial position than we were since I was first elected. The timing of our turnaround and the expected influx of state and federal dollars available for the arts means that we can maximize investment in the creative sector now. I am hopeful we can open the doors to the West Haven Center for the Arts, a project that has languished due to funding issues. I look forward to supporting the Center’s board and consulting with our Economic Development Commission on this shared vision.
3. CREATIVITY + YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
How will ensure that creative outlets are accessible and affordable to all children and families in your community?
The arts increase academic achievement, cultivates identity, and develops the whole child.
West Haven has a long record of offering affordable (even free) programming to our young residents. I don’t expect that to change. I think our Parks and Recreation Department does a wonderful job. We have an outstanding grants writer who makes sure departments like Park-Rec take full advantage of the funding available to expand or improve existing creative programming. My administration promotes those efforts.
4. CREATIVE JUSTICE
How will you support BIPOC, LGBTQ, and low-income residents through arts and culture?
The pandemic has deepened existing race and class inequities locally and nationally. Arts and cultural experiences can bridge these divides to acknowledge the strength in our differences.
My philosophy about supporting specific groups of West Haven residents is to foster an attitude and an environment in city government that welcome all residents to approach us with plans and proposals for implementing ideas for arts and cultural expressions. Not being a member of these specific communities, I am sensitive to the fact that it would be inappropriate to impose some kind of top-down approach to creative justice. Perhaps that style of approach has exacerbated injustice right along. Last summer the Living Monuments Initiative organized an event on the city green and posed the question, “Who Deserves a Monument?” The conversations sparked by this inaugural event were key to attendees’ understanding and acknowledging inequities in our community. I support having events like this and offer the assistance of my administration to make them happen.
5. INVEST IN THE ARTS
How will you invest in arts and culture in your community? Will you allocate at least 1% of our American Rescue Plan grant to help your local creative sector recover?
Local funding is key for a vibrant creative ecosystem, which is why the American Rescue Plan grants that all municipalities received prioritizes support for artists and cultural organizations.
We are still in the process of learning how we can use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. West Haven needs a strong arts infrastructure – a dedicated organization outside of municipal government with a supportive, knowledgeable board of directors who have experience administering financial resources. With the availability of ARPA grants, this may be the opportune time to build that organization and I wholly support the use of the funds for this purpose.
6. Your Priorities
In your first 100 days in office, what actions will you take to affirm the importance of arts and culture for your community?
The start of the term will set your administration’s tone and priorities.
So much of this answer depends on what is going on with the pandemic at that time, but we have learned that life goes on even if it’s different and uncertain. In my first 100 days, I will create an advisory board that is composed of the residents on whom we depend to shape the future of arts and culture – our youth. I want to know what they want, what their priorities are, how they see the world. I want to hear what their vision for arts in West Haven is and if we can get a small group of youth leaders who are motivated to support the arts here, I want to help them implement their plans. This one act broadcasts my commitment to the arts. We must support our young residents by mentoring them and putting them in leadership roles as a way of investing in the future of the arts.