Napa City Candidates Meet Arts Advocates Tonight

Candidates for Napa mayor and city council are taking part in an "arts town hall" elections forum Tuesday evening.

Napa City Council candidates Bill Bopf, Doris Gentry, Jim Krider, Alex  Pader, Alfredo Pedroza, Charles Rose, and Scott Sedgley, and Napa mayoral candidates Jill Techel and Peter Mott will be quizzed on issues relating to the arts.

Held at the Napa County Historical Society, the event will be moderated by Erik Shearer and is scheduled to run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Among the questions the candidates will be asked, according to a Facebook listing for the event:

1. Many artists, performers, business owners, and city residents feel that current city ordinances, including those covering noise and graffiti, unduly restrict legitimate artistic and cultural activities within the city. How should the city respond to these concerns? What specific changes would you propose as a council member? 

2. Earlier this year, the city of Napa struggled with a controversy over the installation of a Veterans’ Memorial on the corner of Third and Main that displaced an existing sculpture on display as part of a city-sanctioned public art program. Do you think the city acted responsibly and how would you have handled the situation in your role as Councilman or Mayor? 

3. State funding for KR12 and Community College education has declined sharply in the past five years, threatening, downsizing, or eliminating many arts programs in our local schools. What do you see as the City of Napa’s role in ensuring viable arts curricula and programs in the district schools? 

4. The City of Napa currently has a Percent for the Arts program in place to generate funds for public art. What do you view as the governments roll in funding the arts? Specifically, what is the City’s role in organizing and funding other arts programming and events? 

5. Looking broadly at the topic, the arts are not only a means of enhancing a community’s quality of life but a method for transforming a culture toward success through fostering innovation, creative problem solving, and connectivity. How do you see the City of Napa further integrating the arts in the following sectors: education, city planning, economic development, corrections, community engagement, and tourism?

IV. Mayoral Candidates Questions (5 Minutes)

1. What is the unique responsibility of Napa’s mayor in representing arts in the community? When you are representing Napa, how do the arts that currently exist factor in to that representation?

2. As mayor you are not only seen as an elected official but as a highly visible and distinct community leader. In embracing this role, what would you define as your top priority in impacting the culture of the community?

Source: Facebook.

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