Letter to The Editor | Democracy on a Budget
- Ian C Hess
- 6 minutes ago
- 2 min read
In a political climate defined by massive budget cuts, slush funds, fraud, and the gutting of national arts funding — even for already approved grants — I try to set that chaos aside. I focus on what I can actually affect, what I can reasonably change.
For me, that’s Richmond — the city I love most. It’s where I’ve put down roots: my friends, my community, my four years at VCU in Painting + Printmaking, my art store SUPPLY, a decade-long career as a painter, and my nonprofit, Little Giant Society — created to build Richmond’s first Public Art Park. I’ve been working on that project for over two and a half years now, essentially acting as a de facto lobbyist.
Richmond has branded itself as an arts city for years — and a public Art Park is exactly the kind of project that puts money where the messaging is. As I ask the city for state and local support, I keep coming back to the same questions: What is our money actually being spent on? How is it being spent? And why does it cost $10,000 to change a light bulb on Broad Street? (Yes, that’s real.)
These things are tangible and quantifiable. They affect everyone in Richmond, every day. How does it feel to walk on our sidewalks? Why is there a 16-building dead zone on one of the city’s main roads? Why weren’t the water filtration systems fixed for years, even after they were flagged as needing repair? There’s a general sense of fiscal corruption — not just palpable, but almost casually accepted as destiny. And for good reason.
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