Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr.
8600 LaSalle Road, Suite 105
Towson, Maryland 21286
Phone: 410-296-8683
Fax: 410-296-8683
Email: bob@bobehrlich.com
www.bobehrlich.com

1. How do you think Maryland's quality of life is affected by its arts organizations? How will this be reflected in your policies and budgets?

Maryland's quality of life is vastly improved, both economically and culturally, by our many and diverse arts organizations. My policies will be vastly different than those of the Glendening-Townsend Administration. I believe the Maryland State Arts Council is fortunate to have the most professional and dedicated staff of any state in the country. Unfortunately, all too often, their professional judgments and plans are overruled and interfered with by outside political influences. This is both unfair to the organizations that play by the rules and de-moralizing to the staff. This will stop under an Ehrlich Administration.

There will be no more outside interference in personnel decisions or resource allocations. I will ask the board and staff of the Maryland State Arts Council, as a matter of policy, to reject any request for funds from outside the normal process. They will have my full backing whenever they do so. I also will use the full power of my office to stop the "line iteming" of scarce resources to specific organizations because this only hurts our ability to provide the full 10% to all eligible organizations. Towards these goals, I will explore the advisability of detaching the
Maryland State Arts Council from the Department of Business and Economic
Development.

2. For over ten years, Maryland Citizens for the Arts has shared a goal with legislative leaders and past Administrations to fund 10% of arts organizations’ operating budgets through the Maryland State Arts Council. Although in recent years, the level of Maryland State Arts Council funding has increased annually, except for FY 03, the growth in the numbers and sizes of arts organizations has increased even more
rapidly. The percent of their operating budgets funded by the state has fallen from 9% in FY 01 to 7.25% this year. Do you accept the goal of providing 10% of the operating costs of arts organizations and what will you do to implement it?

I support the 10% goal, but am committed first to balancing the state’s budget. The $1.7 billion deficit the state now faces will require many years of work to restore Maryland’s fiscal balance. My actions to stop the "line iteming" of funds to specific organizations will provide immediate additional funds and progress towards the 10% goal. I will also ask the Maryland State Arts Council to review the budgets of each organization to ensure that they are essential and being implemented efficiently to achieve their goals.

3. The arts in Maryland generate 17,238 jobs, $30 million in state and local taxes and have an economic impact of $765 million. How will your administration recognize and further this component of Maryland’s economic development?

I will encourage the Board of the Maryland State Arts Council to examine its public role. They will make excellent public ambassadors for the arts in the business community and elsewhere. My future appointments will be partially based on a prospective member's willingness to assume a more public role and extol the value of the arts to the public and business alike.

4. Arts Education has enjoyed a growing level of support from legislators and the Governor for more than ten years. What is your position relative to state funding for arts education instruction and programs in the public schools?

I believe it is an essential component of education and I support present efforts.

5. The Maryland State Board of Education has adopted the goal that 100 percent of Maryland’s students will participate in fine arts programs that enable them to meet the content and achievement standards established by State standards for the arts. This goal places the arts--dance, music, theater and the visual arts-- on the same level as other core subject areas including reading, math, science and social studies. Do you agree with this goal? How will you support the achievement of this goal?

I support the goal and will point out that educational goals cannot be achieved without adequate resources. The state faces a chronic and severe budget shortfall that must be fixed. My budget solution calls for the creation of new revenue streams to solve our state's immediate FY 2003 and FY 2004 budget deficits and provide the
new educational dollars needed to fully implement the Thornton Commission’s recommendations.