Left In Lowell

Patrick answered questions from listeners of WTKK’s Eagan and Braude show for the first time yesterday. Subjects ranged from the Mass Cultural Council and the loss of funding for the arts in schools, to the deal that Turner is offering to pay $2M for the Mooninite debacle versus prosecuting the two low-paid artists, to issues of shared parenting.

On the Turner deal, Patrick is right when he says that the process is still going on. The point the caller made, that the artists might end up with a criminal record while Turner gets to cut a check instead of getting sued was a good one, and Patrick made it clear that he and the Attorney General were both very well aware of the question of fairness.

The answer to the first question was unsatisfying to me. Of course, Patrick was honest and said he didn’t see any significant increase for MCC in the coming budget year, since there’s not a whole lot of money to spare right now. However, I would like some more specifics on how Patrick, or anyone, could provide “leadership” on better integration of the arts and education or Commonwealth cultural and economic life. I know that’s a lot to ask in a short Q&A session on the radio, but there’s a lot of rhetoric out there (by state and local officials) without a lot of action.

Anyway, you can listen for yourself.