Fight Cuts to the Arts: Purchase College President

In response to the Westchester County Executive Office’s proposed budget for 2016 which calls for a 20 percent decrease in county support for the arts, Purchase College-SUNY president, Thomas J. Schwarz, issued a statement and called on residents to speak out.

Voters are encouraged to tell their representatives that the arts are vital by signing the Arts Westchester petition and sharing it with others, and to consider attending the budget hearing at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at the Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua.

Schwarz said:

The Arts inspire people to become creative and in turn create jobs and attract jobs. The County can’t have it both ways. Creative people in biotech and other fields won’t want to live here without a vibrant arts scene. We at Purchase College will continue to do our part with the elementary school students who attend Arts in Education events at the Performing Arts Center, the families who look forward to introducing their children to art for the first time at the Neuberger Museum of Art, and countless audience members who expand their minds at performances and exhibits created by our talented students. What we do here matters.

The County must continue to do its part. It has shrunk support for the arts more than enough. We respect the need for reasonable tax levels. But a balanced budget should not mean an unbalanced approach to the arts. Nor should the Arts be used as a game between the Executive and the County Board of Legislators. Legislators have a short window of time to restore these funds. I urge all Westchester residents to add their voices to my concerns.