Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Arlington's Performing Arts Snobs - Welfare for the Wealthy Elitism at Its Worst

Think the Washington Shakespeare Company and Classika-Synetic Theater need $10 million from Arlington County for a new home in the Newseum Cultural Center? Think the Signature Theater needs an annual stipend from Arlington taxpayers? Check out who's on their boards of directors.

http://www.classika.org/classika3.html

http://www.washingtonshakespeare.org/board.html

http://www.sig-online.org/bod.htm

http://www.sig-online.org/2009gala.htm

http://www.rosslynva.org/who-we-are/rosslyn-bid/officers-and-board

http://www.rosslynva.org/who-we-are/rosslyn-renaissance/officers-and-board

43 comments:

Rich People Suck said...

I checked out the $ignature's Web site for the $ignature's $tephen $ondheim Gala on April 27th. $tephen $ondheim can write a check for $10 million without blinking. He's worth at least a $ billion.

Shameless said...

Live theater benefactors Jim and LuAnn Moran can host a fund raiser in their palace on the palisades, Jay Fisette can hold a fund raiser in his elitist Ashburn Hts. enclave, and so on. Arlington's performing arts groups don't need to hit on the taxpayers for $$$$$. They are shameless.

Anonymous said...

Fisette's domestic partner is vice-chair of the Signature's Board. He and Jay are spending $5,000 for a table at the Signature's April 27th Sondheim Elitist Gala.

Progressive Arlington said...

Time to dump "Giveaway Jay" aka "Gentrification Jay" aka "Gourmet Jay" Fisette.

Anonymous said...

I am really really tired of a county that only wants to fund more entertainment and recreation

Anonymous said...

When does my street get repaved? In 2039?

Anonymous said...

Stephen Sondheim? The worst American playwright of the 20th Century? Same Stephen Sondheim who is collaborating with Karen Murray on a stage adaptation of her "Jane Barcroft" novels?

Anonymous said...

ah, artsy fartsy Arlington --home of the big mouthed ass and other creatures of questionable origin. want your street paved? well, kiss the ass of the civic federation and if that doesn't work, go directly to the horses asses on the county board

Anonymous said...

They are all going to retire to some trendy place in NC in 10 years and leave those who are 30-something today to pay for their bloated arts, recreation, entertainment, social services bureaucracies. That's what their parents did in the Frost Belt 40 years ago.

Anonymous said...

AGREED. They are a bunch of HedoCrats and Log Cabin Republicans who don't give a s*** about anything but their pet people, pet programs, and pet special interests.

Anonymous said...

Yupette, Arlington is basically a bi-partisan turkey farm.

22206 said...

New Thread? What will occur after HOT Lanes are constructed?

Anonymous said...

Arlington's budget? More of the same.

How about the scam Scott McCaffrey is pulling on Arlington taxpayers with Arlington Independent Media? Not enuf that taxpayers are paying for the PR that the S-G prints as news, now Snotty wants AIM to produce sports videos for the S-G.

Duh said...

AIM receives almost $600,000 annually in direct taxpayer funding from Arlington County

Anonymous said...

Sun Gazette will be a LLC once it goes private and will be owned by several wealthy investment banker types.

The paper is way too opinionated and the "news" is reprinted press releases obtained from local governments.

Not the way to operate a successful print - online media company.

Anonymous said...

Will the cultural center come up at this month's Civic Federation meeting?

Anonymous said...

I don't see it on the CivFed's May agenda.

Anonymous said...

I am really REALLY tired of a county whose government only wants to fund arts, entertainment, and recreation.

Taxpayer said...

Is the $10 million Cultural Center funding going to be on the agenda at the next CB meeting?

Where's ACTA? said...

Where is the Arlington County Taxpayers Association when the bankrupt for-profit Sun-Gazette is receiving a de facto taxpayer bailout from Arlington County via taxpayer subsidized AIM?

Anonymous said...

McCaffrey and Sun-Gazette papers are doing the same with the Fairfax County cable access channel.

Anonymous said...

Hi Yupette,

Check out what the Historic Vienna blog has to say about Scott McCaffrey - historicvienna dot com.

Anonymous said...

Yupette, the Signature Theater ONLY raided $275,000 from its Stephen Sondheim black tie gala.

Taxpayer said...

Do the Sun Gazette Newspapers pay any business taxes in Arlington County? Their local offices are located in Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

A.Y. said...

According to McCaffrey writing in his SG blog American Community Newspapers will be sold in the near future to ACN's stakeholders for between $37 million and $100 million. AY has learned that American Community Newspapers will be sold to wealthy investors. Why does the Sun Gazette need pro bono assistance from Arlington taxpayers via a taxpayer-funded non-profit?

Anonymous said...

Everyone else who supports the status quo in Arlington gets a pay off in one form or another, why not the SG?

Taxpayer said...

Scott McCaffrey dislikes placing photos of minorities in the SG even though Arlington is 35% minority. The guy is a total Yuppie. The SG's parent company is $150 million in debt and the new owners will be upscale elitists who are the type of people who buy a $10,000 table at a Signature black tie gala. Bottom line: Scott is just another Yuppie County Board ward heeler.

Anonymous said...

Scott McCaffrey is a greedy Yup-media piece of s*** editor. He will do anything and everything to make lots of $$$ for American Community Newspapers, and himself.

Cindy said...

I don't see the cultural center on the next County Board meeting agenda.

Green Grrl said...

Yupette, how about a thread about the LEED Charade. The Arlington McCaffrey Journal (aka Sun Gazette) just ran an informercial for the law firm that used the LEED Charade to obtain a bonus density handout from the County Board for a building in the Courthouse area.

Anonymous said...

McCaffrey and the Sun Gazette are cheerleaders for the Chamber of Commerce. I just toss the SG into the recycle bin w/o reading it. McCaffrey has been called "corrupt" by the Historic Vienna blog for his antics with the Vienna Town Council. The LEED scoring system is a farce.

22205 said...

Don't bother posting anything critical of the status quo on the SG's online site. McCaffrey only allows 3-4 critical comment to appear every week. McCaffrey's managers at American Community Newspapers are incompetents who let McCaffrey use the SG as his playground.

Anonymous said...

Notice that the only theater group that's considered worthy of mention by the Sun Gazette is the Signature?

Anonymous said...

Just forget the SG. All the SG is interested in is making money and promoting pet special interests and people.

Bradley said...

Hi Yupette,

I don't think the cultural center welfare-for-the-wealthy funding will be on the County Board's agenda this week. Maybe the next meeting.

Anonymous said...

County Board held a walking town meeting in Fairlington yesterday. Want your street paved? Don't bother asking. County Staff (who live in Maryland) will tell you your street is in great condition. The CB-appointed ward heelers in your civic association will agree with County Staff.

Occasional Reader said...

Yupette, do you have a take on the 47th District Delegates race?

I have a feeling Tobar is being groomed by the party elite to keep the machine rolling, but who do you like?

Welfare for the Wealthy said...

County Board fell all over itself on Saturday welcoming the Army-Navy Country Club members who want assistance from the County to build a new clubhouse. LOL.

A.Y. said...

Did you watch the CB meeting on Saturday? Public comments? There are two political parties in Arlington - Republicrat and Dempublican. Only real choice in the 47th is Ruebner.

BTW. McAuliffe is the only candidate for Governor who will do anything to take single occupant vehicles off streets, roads, and highways.

Anonymous said...

When will Ruebner and Reeder show up at CB meetings? In October? The Arlington Green Party is a joke. They spend 10 times more effort politicking and infighting as campaigning.

Anonymous said...

Yupette, where did Jim H. get the data for the personnel costs for the CB, CM, and CA employees?

Anonymous said...

Arlington Green Party? Real name should be Moran Greenocrats.

Occasional Reader said...

I could become more regular, I am seeing more information here than I used to.

Do we know why the Army Navy Country Club thinks it can justify askin the county for money? Aren't those people loaded?

I read the other discussion about personnel costs. Do County employees have some kind of a union deal?

I did sign a candidate petition for this Ruebner fellow who seems a well spoken young man.