Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
While state employee unions work on a new concessions package, local arts organizations are likely seeing red over Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget-balancing plan. Malloy’s proposal would reduce state funding for numerous arts and cultural organizations including the Shubert theater and International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
Last week, the governor submitted to the General Assembly a budget-balancing plan that would cut the Shubert’s state-budget line item by $51,124 in fiscal year 2012 and $378,712 in fiscal year 2013. Similarly, the International Festival of Arts & Ideas would see its state funding cut by $123,687 in fiscal year 2012 and $797,287 in fiscal year 2013.
The cuts proposed for fiscal year 2013 would zero out those organizations’ state-budget line items.
Last week, Gov. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman issued a joint statement about the budget-balancing plan the read, in part:
“Through a mix of layoffs and painful spending cuts we have eliminated the $1.6 billion deficit. This budget is balanced, it’s balanced honestly, and it begins the long overdue process of downsizing Connecticut’s state government to make it one that taxpayers can afford. As everyone knows, we would have preferred to achieve these objectives by reaching an agreement with our state fellow employees; unfortunately, that agreement was rejected. While it remains a possibility that the unions will change their process and ratify an agreement, we cannot count on that happening.”
Following yesterday’s news that the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition paved the way for state employees to vote anew on a concessions package, Gov. Malloy issued a statement in which he said: “Over the next few days Mark Ojakian will be speaking with SEBAC leaders to understand which issues in the agreement need to be clarified. Given the limited number of issues that have been identified as problematic, it shouldn’t take more than a couple of days to have a clarified agreement that’s ready to be voted on by all state employees.”
Mary Lou Aleskie, executive director of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, said, “Much like the governor, we also hope that we will not be in a position” to have to deal with the proposed budget-balancing plan.
Referring to the proposed $123,687 cut in (the state’s) fiscal year 2012, Aleskie said her organization has already “invested in generating one of the most successful festivals we’ve ever had.”
“We are currently projecting a balanced budget” for the 2011 festival, Aleskie said.
With regard to the proposed $797,287 cut in (the state’s) fiscal year 2013, Aleskie said, “There’s already programming and audiences planning to come for 2012 and without the state’s funding, you just don’t raise $800,000 overnight.”
Aleskie said, “It’s important for people to realize that the arts and preservation and cultural sector in this state had already been impacted very negatively in the Rell administration when the economy went south. … All we’re trying to do is hang on until things get better. And a blow like (the proposed budget-balancing plan) would be … devastating and far-reaching.”