Music and poetry filled the County Legislature chambers Monday as speakers urged lawmakers not to scale back funding for arts and cultural groups, libraries and youth programs next year. A county budget hearing that drew more than 50 speakers was dominated by members of local nonprofit organizations who asked lawmakers to keep the $5.5 million [...]
Again this year, the annual public hearing on the proposed Erie County budget was dominated by cultural agencies and the library system. County Executive Poloncarz's spending plan calls for a 3.4 percent hike in the property tax, in a budget dominated by mandated spending. By Mike Desmond, WBFO 88.7FM, 11/20/12 11202012 Most support tax hike [...]
(WKBW release) Friday, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz announced members of the new Erie County Arts and Cultural Advisory Board (“Erie Arts Board”) that will administer the new, reinvigorated process for local cultural institutions to compete for County funding. By WKBW News, June 29, 2012 06-29-12 Poloncarz Announces Members of New EC Arts and [...]
Last year, if you were tuned in at all to the issues that preoccupy Western New Yorkers, you might have noticed that the regional cultural community of Western New York mounted a full-scale offensive against the government of Erie County. By Colin Dabkowski , News Staff Reports, The Buffalo News, Published:May 20, 2012, 12:00 AM May [...]
Arts and cultural groups and organizations working to combat violence in the City of Buffalo will share $200,000 in grants under a spending plan approved Friday that contains only minor changes from what was proposed by Mayor Byron W. Brown. City lawmakers unanimously ratified a budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year that establishes a “cultural [...]
Earlier this evening, members of Buffalo's cultural community dominated an hour-long public hearing of Buffalo Common Council. The cultural funding advocates, responding to a city budget that includes no funding for the arts, echoed and in many cases built upon the eloquent arguments of last year's Erie County cultural funding crisis. By Colin Dabkowski, The [...]
Arts and cultural groups Monday descended on City Hall seeking funding assistance in the upcoming city budget. Nineteen of the 21 speakers during an hourlong public hearing in Common Council Chambers requested aid from the Council and Mayor Byron W. Brown in the city's new spending plan. By Aaron Besecker, NEWS STAFF REPORTER, The Buffalo News, [...]
Many arts and cultural organizations are breathing a sigh of relief after the electoral ousting of County Executive Chris Collins, who during his tenure reduced and eliminated their funding. Now they’re looking to move forward, more unified after organizing against Collins’ cuts, and with a stronger support system with the creation of the Arts Services [...]
For the arts and culture in Western New York, 2011 began in crisis and ended in triumph. In January, the small and midsized cultural groups of Erie County were still reeling from County Executive Chris Collins' decision to cut them out of the county budget. Twelve months later, after a period of unprecedented solidarity and [...]
Tod A. Kniazuk, new point man for local cultural groups, has already seen success in restoring government funding. On Nov. 18, less than two weeks after Erie County Comptroller Mark Poloncarz beat incumbent Chris Collins in the race for county executive, a quartet of arts supporters gathered in the chambers of the Erie County [...]
