"I am writing to you regarding the upcoming Arts Levy that will be on the ballot in Cuyahoga County as Issue 31 on March 2nd. As we are all aware, Cleveland's "Quiet Crisis" is now not-so quiet. Brain Drain, loss of jobs, loss of residents, budget cuts, test scores in the school system, the list of problems seems to be growing. In my career as a business owner, I have learned that the tougher the problems, the more creativity is necessary to solve them. There's the old saying that necessity is the mother of invention, and invention, or innovation, is what our region sorely needs. Where will this creativity come from in our region? From our creative class. Dr. Richard Florida, a professor at Carnegie Mellon, whose research has been cited numerous times in Cleveland media, from the Plain Dealer to the Free Times, makes a clear case for why the strength of the creative class is intertwined with economic development. Please visit http://www.creativeclass.org for more information. Cuyahoga county arts institutions will receive only $2.7 million in funding in 2003 as compared to the $3.7 million they received in 1999. How can our creative class grow when funding is shrinking? Money is the fuel our economy runs on, and the creative class is no exception. The levy proposes a .7 mill property tax for property owners in Cuyahoga County. This tax would cost the owner of a $100,000 house $22 per year for five years. This would raise approximately $25 million a year for five years. The funds would be earmarked for economic development and the arts.

Visit http://www.supportartsandculture.org for more information. Here is something real, immediate and tangible that we can do to help Cleveland pull itself out of our Crisis. We can get this levy passed. The arts and the culture they create help to attract and retain the people who build businesses and the smart people who work in those growing businesses. So don't just VOTE YES ON ISSUE 31 ON MARCH 2ND, but start working now through your workplace or through your church and social circle to get the word out to others who will also vote and support the levy. Let's mobilize all the creative people that we know and get this levy passed for the good of Cleveland!" from Cool Cleveland reader Sarah Wilson-Jones mail@phoenixcoffee.com

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