A Capitol Opinion

I missed Craig Pearson's blog about the Capitol the other day. (I really wish the Star would add RSS to it's blogs!)

The Capitol conclusion

Protecting taxpayer dollars is an important role of elected officials. So is creating vibrant municipalities, which include cultural institutions.

That said, with a city this size, the Capitol simply does not attract enough business to survive on its own. Acting general manager Tom Lynd recently suggested the Capitol would need about $300,000 a year to thrive, roughly equal to the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, about 60 per cent of the Art Gallery of Windsor, and about 30 per cent of the what the Cleary International Centre received for years.

If councilors feel supporting the Capitol is too expensive, so be it.

They should hold an open discussion, however, and let everyone see who votes to save the Capitol and who votes to let it die, and then leave it to voters to decide whether they like the kind of community councilors are creating.

But making unrealistic demands for relatively small loans — when the Capitol clearly needs operating funds — and then saying, ‘Hey, we tried to help,’ seems unwise.

It likely won’t create a satisfying conclusion.

Craig's blog is a thoughtful and balanced piece. You should read the whole thing.