After Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's strained, and often turbulent, relationship with the art community, the arrival of Mayor Michael Bloomberg came as a great relief to many artists and New Yorkers working for the city’s cultural institutions and art nonprofits. Most of their hopes have been realized. In sharp contrast to Giuliani, Bloomberg has been a strong and vocal advocate for the arts, supporting culture in his official capacity and as a philanthropist.
Over the last eight years, his administration has implemented a number of initiatives and programs designed to support small and large art nonprofits, museums, cultural institutions, performing arts groups and individual artists. In partnership with the Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate Levin, Bloomberg has made critical changes to the system of allocating funds to nonprofits and cultural groups, which have ultimately led to a significant rise in the number of organizations that receive funding from the city. While the economic downturn poses a threat to the welfare of the city's cultural institutions and artists, the mayor's office has stepped in and provided essential resources and new programming to ensure that the arts in New York City not only remain intact, but also continue to thrive.
At the same time Bloomberg has rallied for the art community, he also has been responsible for some flashy high profile projects that have received mixed reviews. The Gates, Christo and Jeanne-Claude's installation in Central Park, won much acclaim and increased tourism and economic activity. Olafur Eliasson's Waterfalls, however, had far less impact on the local economy -- and got decidedly mixed reviews.
If Bloomberg has had a failing in his support of the arts, it comes in arts education, which some experts say has not received the attention it requires.
One of the first priorities of the Department of Cultural Affairs has been eliminating the bureaucratic inefficiency of its funding procedures. From the 1980s until 2008, most arts funding was distributed through line items in the cultural affairs budget and City Council member items.
According to a fiscal brief from the New York City Independent Budget Office prepared by Shari Strauss, Bloomberg and City Council eliminated the 171 line-item allocations in 2008 and increased the Cultural Development Fund to $30 million, in addition to adding a "$5.6 million buffer of temporary funding to smooth the transition to the new allocation system." The goal, Bloomberg said in a statement released in late August was "to get more money to more organizations through an open, competitive peer-review process."
This overhaul opened up the application process to new cultural groups, resulting in a boost in the number of organizations receiving grants, Strauss found. "In the fiscal year 2007, prior to the change, 884 groups applied for program funding and 780 received awards; in the fiscal year of 2009, 1,084 groups applied for funding and 882 received awards," Strauss reported.
There also has been an increase in the number of multi-year grants awarded to large organizations with operating budgets of $250,000 or more. "In fiscal year of 2008, 273 multiyear grants were awarded, and in 2009, an additional 187 group received multiyear grants," according to the Independent Budget Office.
Michael Royce, executive director of the New York Foundation of the Arts, said these multi-year grants can play a major role in terms of offering long-term financial stability. "We were very fortunate to get a multi-year grant when Cultural Affairs switched over to the new panel process," he said. “Knowing that funding will not only be there for the year you are actively in, but also for the next [year], is a tremendous planning benefit and allows for expansion on other programs and ideas because you can take some of your focus off the fundraising and put that energy into exploring creative ways of serving your constituents."
The city also recently modified the process for evaluating grant applications from both small and large organizations to allow members of the art and cultural community to participate in peer review panels and therefore play an integral role in the new funding procedures.
"I think that Bloomberg has taken important steps through the Department of Cultural Affairs to make more transparent the funding process and the participatory process through selection and criteria of programming grant awardees," said Michael Unthank, executive director of the Harlem Arts Alliance. "And that is very important."
The Bloomberg administration has nurtured and developed two pre-existing programs: Materials for the Arts and Percent for Art.
Located in a warehouse in Long Island City, Material for the Arts supplies a wide range of organizations from art nonprofits to after school and community service programs with free, reusable art materials collected from a large number of donors. With a 10 percent increase in demand for materials over the last year, Materials for the Arts has expanded the warehouse space by 10,000 square feet and increased the value of materials donated and the number of organizations it serves.
The Percent for Art program subsidizes public art projects throughout the city by allocating 1 percent of the budget for city-funded construction projects to the creation of site-specific works by New York artists. Under Bloomberg, this program has continued to grow with 69 projects currently in progress and an estimated 16 new works to be commissioned. A few recent projects have included Tony Oursler's Splatter Project #1, a series of video installations set within formations resembling splatters of paint on various walls of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in 2009; Linnaea Tillett and Karin Tehve's light installation, entitled This Way, built in the Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Underpass in 2008; and Luisa Caldwell's three sculptures, Thought Bubbles: Earth, Sun & Universe, suspended from a public school library in Flushing since 2008.
While much of this funding goes through the Cultural Development Fund, the Department of Cultural Affairs' Capital Projects Fund provides significant support as well. With the help of the capital fund, the 33 members of the Cultural Institutions Group and 200 other cultural facilities have been able to complete substantial design and construction projects including historical renovations and expanding exhibition space. Those benefitting include Lincoln Center, Playwrights Horizon, Museum of Arts & Design and the Bronx Museum of Art.
The capital funding has also contributed to the growth of smaller organizations. Anne Pasternak, president and artistic director of Creative Time, elaborates. The administration, not only aided big organizations, but, she said, "strove to do much in order to stabilize smaller organizations by providing permanent spaces as rents were driving organizations to be homeless. This will have a long-term impact on our city."
In June 2008, the office of New York City Public Advocate, Betsy Gotbaum, issued a report on the current state of art education in New York City public schools, entitled, Out of Tune: A Survey on NYC Students’ access to Arts Education. Gotbaum found, that only “7.1 percent of the 98 elementary schools that provided information for the survey, are in compliance with the state regulation requiring schools to offer instruction in all four arts disciplines -- music, visual arts, dance and theater.”
Later that year the Department of Education issued its 2007-2008 Annual Arts in School Report. While it found an increase in arts education from the previous years report, more than half of all elementary schools and two thirds of all high schools still did not offer all four art disciplines.”
As part of its effort to give principals more control over school budgets, the Department of Education eliminated dedicated Project Arts funding for instruction in art, music, dance and theater. That funding now is folded into schools’ general budgets and so principals can fund arts programs or shift money according to their own priorities.
When the economy plummets, the support for the arts is usually the first to go. However, Bloomberg hopes to resist this trend. In late September, he announced the administration would launch five new initiatives: Curate New York City, New York City Performs, JumpStart for the Arts, Artists as Entrepreneurs and lastly, the Arts Cluster Promotion Program.
While these services and programs will offer additional support, the city’s art nonprofits still face the scary reality that they will continue to see cuts in funding from the Department of Cultural Affairs at a time when contributions from foundations and corporations have also diminished. According to the Independent Budget Office brief, the adopted arts budget for 2010 will be reduced by $1.9 million from $29 million to $27.1 million before the end of the year. Strauss predicts that cultural organizations will most likely see further cuts in the 2011 budget.
Arts institutions are relieved the cuts have not proved worse.
"I believe that over the past eight years, Mayor Bloomberg has clearly demonstrated his support for the arts and culture in New York City -- not only by his personal support throughout this time period, but also through his support of the Department of Cultural Affairs and the number of initiatives that DCA has undertaken," said Arnold L. Lehman, the director of the Brooklyn Museum of Art and chair of the Cultural Institutions Group. "I would say that he has been very supportive even during these latest budgetary problems."
Nicole Gates Anderson is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn.
Giving the go-ahead to the Museum of Modern Art to add three more floors to its gallery space, the City Council approved an approximately 1,000-foot skyscraper adjacent to the museum in Midtown Wednesday, which will be designed by renowned architect, Jean Nouvel.
The tower, which will be as tall as the iconic Chrysler Building, has its fair share of detractors, including community residents who argue the building is too large and would bring too much traffic to the area.
The council also approved legislation requiring foreclosure consultants to print state regulations on their advertisements and drastically increased fines for those who leave their vehicles unattended and idling.
The tower, otherwise known as 53 West 53rd Street, will include a seven-star hotel of less than 100,000 square feet, an additional 75,000 square feet for the MoMA, including gallery and "support space," and approximately 120 luxury condominiums.
The tower's midblock location and its size, which was initially proposed at 1,250 feet tall, was the primary reason for community opposition, said RitaSue Siegel, the vice president of the West 54th-55th Street Block Association and the vice president of the Coalition for Responsible Midtown Development. Both groups oppose the plan, and the local community board voted to reject the proposal.
"We have to live with a Chrysler-size building in the middle of a block," said Siegel following the City Council's vote.
The site, which is in Council Speaker Christine Quinn's district, abuts the landmarked St. Thomas Church and the University Club, both of which have agreed to sell their air rights to make way for the tower.
"It’s going to be an iconic addition to the New York City skyline," said Quinn of the tower.
Opponents of the project argue the tower is three times the size currently allowed under the area's zoning.
The tower, which needed a special permit from the City Council, was approved by a vote of 44 to 3. Council members Charles Barron and Tony Avella voted against the proposal -- both members tend to be anti-development. Councilmember Daniel Garodnick, whose district is a block away from the building, also voted against the plan, citing community opposition.
Following the council's approval, the MoMA released the following statement: "Today’s approval of Hines' 53 West 53rd Street proposal represents an important milestone. The Museum of Modern Art appreciates the support of Manhattan Borough President Stringer, the City Planning Commission and the City Council for a project that will contribute significantly to the city’s architectural heritage and economy while enabling the museum to show even more of its collection to the public."
In this economy, the financing for such a large project could be in limbo. When Gotham Gazette asked Houston-based Hines, the developer, if financing was secured, a spokesperson said via e-mail, "Because the special permit was just approved today, it is too early to answer your additional questions on financing and construction start."
They are plastered to telephone poles and street signs across the five boroughs, urging homeowners to "Call Now!" They promise to help residents with foreclosure and the personal mortgage crisis spreading across the city.
The City Council, though, says it’s a scam.
As a result of the subprime mortgage crisis, consultants have created a market and made a living off of residents in or threatened with foreclosure. With signs promising help with mortgages and foreclosure proceedings, these consultants often require homeowners to pay in advance for their services, say city officials. Those consultants, they add, then disappear with the already cash-strapped homeowner's money without providing the promised advice.
Last year, the State Legislature approved legislation regulating these consultants for the first time. The state law requires a contract before these consultants can give services and bans consultants from receiving pre-payment.
Although city officials said they would like to ban these consultants in the five boroughs, a decision ultimately left up to the state or Congress, the council unanimously approved legislation (Intro 1070-A) that requires consultants put these new state regulations on their advertisements so homeowners know their rights.
If consultants do not comply, they could face fines of between $2,500 and $5,000 for each violation.
Ultimately, said council members, the city urges residents in foreclosure to call the city's constituent hotline, 311, so they can be put in touch with a city-chartered nonprofit that provides foreclosure consulting services gratis.
"When you make this call, most of your problems just get worse," said Councilmember Lewis Fidler of Brooklyn, pointing to a photo of a typical mortgage poster seen on the city's streets. "When you make that call, to 311, your problems can be solved."
The city's nonprofit, the Center for New York City Neighborhoods, was founded in July 2008 and has 70 counselors and attorneys to answer residents' concerns and questions. According to the center, its staff has already counseled 5,700 distressed homeowners.
In February, Middle Village residents Robert Ogle and Alex Paul were fatally struck down by a drunken driver after he stole a car left idling outside a local deli.
In January, an unattended idling van left in reverse ran down two children in Chinatown.
Now the City Council passed legislation drastically increasing fines for leaving a vehicle idling and unattended. Currently, the fine is $5 if you leave a vehicle unattended and idling for more than three minutes. Under the new legislation (Intro 947-A) fines will increase to $250 and the time limit will be removed.
The bill was approved by a vote of 46 to 1, with Councilmember Erik Martin Dilan of Brooklyn dissenting.
The council also unanimously approved legislation (Intro 1023) that requires passenger vans post a bill of rights in the backseat. The council has passed similar legislation pertaining to yellow and livery cabs.
The bill of rights will let passengers know they have a right to a properly licensed driver, a working seat belt and a smoke-free environment, among others.
They trade barbs and sling mud.
And believe it or not, sometimes they exaggerate.
We went through some of the accusations thrown by the city's mayoral candidates, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Comptroller Bill Thompson, to find out the fact -- and fiction -- behind the rhetoric.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. more accusations you hear on the campaign trail, and Gotham Gazette will look into them between now and Election Day.
Claim: The Bloomberg campaign says, as school board president, Thompson presided over low performance and waste. Meanwhile under the mayor's tenure, test scores are up, school violence is down and $350 million has been cut from bureaucracy and put in the classroom.
FACTS: The mayor is definitely right about one thing: Test scores are climbing, according to the Department of Education, and fast. Between 2002 and 2009, the number of fourth grade students who met or exceeded state standards in math went from about 52 percent to 84.9 percent, according to statistics provided by the city's education department. In 2002, less than 30 percent of eighth graders met state standards in reading. In 2009, 57 percent made the grade. Whether the rise is because of easier tests, the mayor's changes to the school system or something else entirely remains unclear.
The statistics also improved under Thompson's tenure as president of the Board of Education -- granted far more slowly. From 1999 to 2001, the years the city used the state exam while Thompson was president of the Board of Education, the percentage of fourth graders who met state math standards went from 49.6 to 51.8 percent. For reading, fourth graders who met state standards increased from 32.7 percent to 43.9 percent. According to the city's Department of Education, the percentage of eighth graders who met reading standards dropped from 1999 to 2001 -- from 35.2 percent to 33 percent.
Keep in mind: Thompson did not control the schools as school board chief -- he shared that with the mayor, the chancellor and the other board members -- making it difficult to attribute student success or failure to his actions. From 1996 to 2001, the years Thompson was president, high school graduation rates went from 48 percent to 51 percent.
During Bloomberg's tenure, graduation rates have climbed from 51 percent to 66 percent, according to the Department of Education.
Claim: Thompson says his record as president of the Board of Education led to mayoral control.
FACTS: According to at least one colleague at the Board of Education under Thompson's reign, his actions did help move the city's school system toward mayoral control. "His efforts were precursors to mayoral control. He played a leading role in governance changes," Sandra Lerner, a former board member from the Bronx, told Gotham Gazette earlier this year. While in the post, Thompson advocated for mandatory school uniforms and a chancellor's district for low performing schools. He was thought of as a conciliator. At the same time, in 1996, just before he took over the board presidency, Thompson told the New York Times he opposed giving then Mayor Rudolph Giuliani control over the school system. He has since said he supports mayoral control.
Claim: Bloomberg says in a third term, he will bring New Yorkers the subway and bus service they deserve.
FACTS: Bloomberg says now that he wants to crack down on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But if his record is any indication of his commitment to the authority, voters might have reason for skepticism. During his eight years in office, according to a report by the Independent Budget Office, the city's financial contribution to the transportation authority has remained relatively stagnant -- even while the city had serious surpluses.
In addition, every transit proposal the mayor released in August -- a plan that calls for free crosstown buses and an express F line -- would need approval from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board where the mayor has only four of 14 votes. Some of these ideas, like countdown clocks in stations, are already being implemented by the authority. Others would be next to impossible to implement in the next four years. For one, the F line express train Bloomberg has called for cannot even be considered until rehabilitation of that line is completed. According to an authority spokesperson, that rehab is scheduled for completion in 2014 -- after the end of a potential third term for Bloomberg.
The authority, according to a spokesman, has not done any cost estimates on the mayor's proposals. But earlier this year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority got a state bailout because of its dire fiscal straits. The mayor's campaign office says his transportation plan identifies $247 million in savings for the authority.
Claim: Thompson says under the Bloomberg administration the city has seen record high numbers of homeless individuals.
FACTS: Though the mayor said in the city's first general election mayoral debate that the city's homeless situation is "better" than when he first came to office, the numbers say otherwise. According to a new report from the Coalition for the Homeless, a citywide advocacy group, 39,000 individuals and 10,000 families are in city shelters every night -- a 45 percent increase from when the mayor first took office.
Claim: Mike Bloomberg has brought crime to record lows in NYC.
FACTS: The Giuliani administration gets a major part of the credit for reducing the city's rampant crime rate of the 1980s. For instance, the largest drop in crime, according to annual statistics from the police department, was between 1990 and 1995, when the number of major crimes dropped from 527,257 to 312,332. Nonetheless, the Bloomberg administration has continued that trend even during the recession. Under the mayor's watch, major crime, including rapes, homicides and burglaries, have declined from 162,064 in 2001 to 117,840 in 2008, according to the police department, making New York City the country's safest large city.
Claim: New Yorkers are crippled by fees under Bloomberg, according to the Thompson campaign.
FACTS: Between fiscal year 2005 and fiscal year 2009, the number of parking summonses issued went up by 12.4 percent (more than 10.6 million were handed out in fiscal year 2009). The number of violations issued by the city's Department of Environmental Protection, covering loud music past 11 p.m., went up by about 70 percent, according to the mayor's management report. Some say these increases represent the administration's policy to ticket to create revenue.
Elsewhere, water rates have skyrocketed by a little more than 93 percent -- attributed mostly to unpaid bills and years of lax enforcement by the city. And to close a budget gap, parking meter rates went to 75 cents for an hour from 50 cents this year (most meter rates have been unchanged since 1992).
Thompson, not surprisingly, blames Bloomberg. But during the city's last fiscal crisis in 2002, Thompson too encouraged the city ramp up its fee collections. According to testimony before the City Council in January of 2003, Thompson said, "I have instructed my staff to work aggressively to identify uncollected revenue that will help the city in these difficult fiscal times. It is particularly important that the Department of Finance, as the primary agent responsible for collecting fines and penalties due to the City, maximize its efforts."
Claim: Bloomberg's campaign says the city's pension funds underperform others, because Thompson has engaged in pay to play politics by accepting political contributions from those that do business with the city's pension funds.
FACTS: At a Crain's breakfast forum last week, Bloomberg said again there was no reason for pension managers in California to give to Thompson's campaign unless they expected something in return. According to the New York Times, Thompson has received more than $500,000 since 2001 from money managers associated with the city's pension system. At the same time, according to the Times, the city's pension funds have underperformed -- below the median of 4.5 percent in returns for four of the five public pension funds (under Thompson's predecessor, returns were more than 12 percent). The Daily News reported the comptroller received $158,000 in campaign contributions from those who do business with the pension funds.
The Bloomberg campaign has consistently alleged this amounts to pay to play politics. But none of these reports have made the direct connection that Thompson has received a quid pro quo -- campaign donations for pension contracts. At the same time, Bloomberg is obviously exempt from this particular type of criticism because he is self-financed. Thompson, though, has alleged Bloomberg silences critics through his philanthropic donations -- an allegation that also has not been proved.
No formal complaint has been filed by the Bloomberg campaign against Thompson alleging conflicts of interest.
Claim: Thompson says the Bloomberg years have been rife with "giving to developers and Wall Street" and the middle class is being squeezed out.
FACTS: In 2002, the city gave out $1.7 billion in tax benefits to the real estate industry. In 2009, according the city's Department of Finance, that number grew to $3.7 billion. Over the Bloomberg years, the controversial 421-a tax benefit alone grew from $130 million to $607 million. Sure, more people were building -- but certainly developers are benefiting.
These stats lead Thompson to charge massive development has battered the city's middle class, and a report from the Center for an Urban Future backs him up. Between 2004 and 2005, 12,955 New Yorkers with bachelor's degrees left the city. Between 2005 and 2006, 29,370 left. The report also notes that in 2006, the city lost 151,441 people to other U.S. cities.
On the other hand, according to the city's housing vacancy survey, the median income for renter households in 2007 was $36,200, a very slight increase from $36,000 in 2004.