Get Your Vote On! MALC’s Analysis of Gubernatorial Candidate Jeff McCormick’s Campaign/Policy Platforms
As part of MALC’s Get Your Vote On Blog! series, we are taking the time to look closely at the campaign platforms of four of the five candidates running for governor*. (MALC did not reach out to the Lively/Saunders Campaign.)
Members of the MALC Steering Committee met with these four candidates for Governor earlier this year and shared our policy vision** for our sector with them. We urge everyone in our community to take the time to become familiar with the candidates’ platforms, then vote in the November 4th General elections.
Your vote really matters on this very tight governor’s race!
(To find out where to vote: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.aspx)
Today we’re analyzing Candidate Jeff McCormick’s arts policy platform:
Candidate info:
Jeff McCormick (Independent)
Campaign Website: www.JMacForGov.org
Candidate McCormick’s guest blog for MALC: http://wp.me/p2W9Iu-11h
Running Mate: Lt. Governor Candidate: Tracy Post (Independent)
Answered Lt. Governor MALC questionnaire (PDF): http://www.artistsunderthedome.org/Post.pdf
Campaign website: http://www.postforlg.org/about_tracy
1. Does the candidate have a specific policy/issues platform for our sector?
No, Candidate McCormick has not published a platform specifically for our sector under his Issues section at the time of this blog post (Tuesday, October 28th, 12:45 p.m. – MALC will update this blog post if he does unveil one.)
http://www.jmacforgov.org/issues
2. Does the candidate specifically mention our sector in any of their other policy platforms?
Yes. Candidate McCormick does in his Public Education platform in three places and addresses several of MALC’s Priorities found in our Governor’s Challenge,** (MALC comments in green):
Arts Education Programs
A strong exposure to and a quality education in the Arts, is an incredibly influential, yet too often neglected, component in any child’s creative development. Having served as the Vice-Chair of the Citi Center for Performing Arts, Jeff knows, first hand, the benefits of having a strong Arts culture and as Governor will be a champion of the Arts community. The funding for these programs must be thought of as equally important as that in the STEM fields. The potential economic benefits that a vibrant Arts community can have for our Commonwealth are significant and well worth the investment. It all starts with a strong commitment to Arts education in our schools or STEAM. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math — ed.)
Chapter 70 Funding Reform
This reform process begins with bringing local leaders to the table to reexamine the formula. Then work to increase the state contribution to help each district achieve its goals. By modernizing the state’s contribution, we can ensure that our local school districts can properly fund our Early Childhood Education goals, properly compensate excellent teachers, and maintain a rigorous implementation of STEAM courses. (Emphasis added by MALC — ed).
Adapting the Common Core for the Commonwealth
Composed of High School and Elementary School teachers, professors, scientists, engineers, parents, state legislators, early childhood educators, members of the arts community, local school board members, and charter school representatives, this coalition with be tasked with designing the future of Massachusetts education strategy, curriculum, and testing standards that will allow our school systems to continue to lead the country and compete globally for the foreseeable future. (Emphasis added by MALC — ed).
Source: http://www.jmacforgov.org/public_education
Of Note: In his Jobs/Economic Revival Plan, Candidate McCormick addresses a MALC priority found in our Governor’s Challenge regarding the need of high speed internet:
Ensure High Speed Internet
It is no longer acceptable that regions of our Commonwealth are without high-speed Internet connections. Areas in Western Mass, the Berkshires, and the Cape cannot be expected to participate in a competitive business market when they lack what is now an essential component to any successful business. In order to help minimize this disparity, we must ensure high-speed Internet connection for all of our citizens.
Source: http://www.jmacforgov.org/jobs_plan
3. Analyze the candidate’s other platforms and their “news/press/update” sections of their website to assess how their policies may impact and/or could be leveraged to impact our sector:
Several of Candidate McCormick’s platforms are worth noting:
The following items on the Jobs & Economic Growth platform are welcome but should be expanded to address the needs of artists of all disciplines, the arts/cultural community and the creative economy as noted below (MALC comments in green):
- Creating a real growth climate for small business with permitting reform, smarter incentives for start-ups, and an innovation “ombudsman” in the Governor’s office that champions and supports entrepreneurs
(This needs to include the artists of all disciplines and the creative economy — ed.)
- Developing a “foreign policy” for Massachusetts that attracts and retains companies, workers and students with the best ideas from around the world
(This should be expanded to include cultural exchanges, etc. — ed.)
- Supporting Gateway Cities that create regional growth by creating strategic distribution of state grants and assistance
(MALC’s policy challenge includes the Gateway Cities and Candidate McCormick’s policy should be expanded to include our sector and, specifically, cultural districts — ed.)
Source: http://www.jmacforgov.org/jobs_economic_growth
Candidate McCormick’s Jobs Plan focuses primarily on small businesses and the Gateway Cities but should include and serve artists of all disciplines, the arts and cultural community, and the creative economy under the following areas (MALC comments in green):
- Establish the Office of Innovation and Investment (OII)
(This should include artists of all disciplines & the creative economy. — ed.)
- Create Enterprise Zones
(This should also work/collaborate with the state’s cultural districts program and include the creative economy and artists of all disciplines — ed.)
- Offer Cluster Grants
(This should include our sector. — ed.)
- Repeal the Inventory Tax`
(This will help artists, crafts people and many more in our sector. — ed.)
- Double the Historic Tax Credit
(This could help our cultural facilities, creative economy, and should be used to create artists’ spaces, as noted in Candidate McCormick’s visit in May 2014 to Springfield’s Indian Orchard Mills Industrial Complex http://www.jmacforgov.org/indianorchardmillsarticle. — ed.)
- Streamline 43D Local Permitting Process
(This policy should help our sector tremendously – especially our self employed artists, micro businesses, nonprofits & for profits.. — ed.)
Source: http://www.jmacforgov.org/jobs_plan
The Criminal Justice Reform platform also lends itself for integration with our sector. His Empowering at- risk youth with job training could be a key opportunity for more arts and artists’ run businesses and nonprofits to work with our youth:
Empower at-risk youth with job training: Jobs are the critical component to reducing the number of youths who join gangs or turn to violence. We must match young people with quality year-round employment opportunities. We need to build new relationships with our state’s businesses, and non-profit institutions to create more job and training opportunities.
Source: http://www.jmacforgov.org/criminal_justice_reform
*MALC invited four of the five candidates for Governor to guest blog and the candidates will be featured in reverse alphabetical order:
Tuesday, October 28th Candidate Jeff McCormick
Wednesday, Oct. 29th Candidate Evan Falchuk
Thursday, October 30th Candidate Martha Coakley
Friday, October 31st Candidate Charlie Baker
We are using the following format and questions for all the posts analyzing their policy platforms:
List the Candidate’s name, party affiliation (if any), link to their campaign website, link to their guest blog (if they sent one), list their Lt. Governor’s website and their MALC answered Lt. Governor’s questionnaire.
- Does the candidate have a specific policy/issues platform for our sector?
- Does the candidate specifically mention our sector in any of their other policy platforms?
- Analyze the candidate’s other platforms and their “news/press/update” sections of their website to assess how their policies may impact and/or could be leveraged to impact our sector.
**MALC’s full policy platform:
MALC’s Policy Summary:
MALC believes that a serious arts, culture, and creative economy policy must be fully integrated throughout all of the Commonwealth’s policies, programs and initiatives and should also foster cross departmental and agency cooperation. MALC recommends that the next governor’s chief policy adviser be tasked with integration of these policies and that the next governor and their administration address the following four key areas:
1: Artists’ Rights, Artist Retention, and Ensuring the Commonwealth’s Artists Thrive
MALC strongly recommends a commitment to fair trade standards and equitable dealing for artists of all disciplines, along with all those who create intellectual property. This dealing should encompass artists’ work arrangements, fair trade practices, living conditions, tax liability, representation on government boards and agencies, and health and wellness promotion/disaster mitigation.
2: Support and Fund Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy
MALC strongly recommends a commitment to increasing/stabilizing funding for the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Cultural Facilities fund, the Cultural Districts program, the Creative Economy Council, the Gateway Cities initiative, the state library system, and Mass Humanities. MALC would also like the next governor to focus on growing the creative economy, including the film and video game sectors.
3: Support and Fund Arts Education on All Levels and For All Ages
MALC strongly recommends a commitment to moving from STEM to STEAM in all state education programs and initiatives, and to increase and/or continue funding for the arts in schools, the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, arts education communities, community centers, libraries, and elder centers. MALC would also like the governor to support teaching artists as well as and the integration, inclusion, and access of the arts for all residents.
4: Establish New and Needed Programs and Initiatives
MALC strongly recommends a commitment to funding a state poet laureate position, implementing the percent for public art and cultural diplomacy programs, rebranding the Commonwealth, and launching a “Created in Massachusetts” campaign.
***Science, Technology, Engineering Arts and Math
MALC does not endorse candidates for office, but seeks to provide needed and timely information about candidates’ platforms and policies that impact artists of all disciplines, the art, and cultural and creative economies. Nor does MALC take positions on the statewide ballot questions.