Written by Alex Ellis
This increase in cost, although seemingly insignificant, is important when you consider that the council chose to purchase the theater instead of building a new arts center due to the cost. As the cost of renovating the theater slowly approaches the estimated $5 million cost of building a new arts center for St. George, we must ask if cost really was the motive behind the council acquiring one of the city’s oldest buildings, which has provided entertainment for decades.
Given their history concerning it, it seems as though the council really does not like live music or the culture behind it. When you look at the cancellation of a hip-hop dance because of a Facebook post, the police harassment of GOGO37, or the law seemingly taken straight out of “Footloose” that requires venues to acquire a “dance license,” it’s hard to say that the government of St. George truly does appreciate music and entertainment.
Taking all these factors into consideration, it seems as though the city bought the Electric Theater simply to stop live music in downtown St. George. They claim they did so in order to bring life to the downtown area, but why would they attempt to fix something that isn’t broken? During its years of operation, the theater regularly had concerts and dances, even bringing in big bands such as Circa Survive, Underoath, and Reel Big Fish, with ticket sales in the hundreds. Given its success, it seems as though the Electric Theater was successful enough on its own in bringing life to downtown.
Either way, the council decided it would remedy what they apparently viewed as a problem, and is now renovating the theater to serve as an arts center. They claim they will gear it towards teenagers and young adults, who coincidentally are the same demographics that made up most of the audience at the Electric Theater while it ran concerts. Now in case you’re unsure, I challenge you to go ask a large group of teenagers and young adults if they would be interested in visiting an arts center, and doing so on a regular basis. My guess is most of them will say no. At least the city council is trying though, right?
What we should also remember about the recent events surrounding the Electric Theater is that the purchase was made behind closed doors, and the public had no idea of what was happening until after the purchase was made. Where’s the transparency in that?
How beneficial is it to have a “yes” man acting as a judge, a man who apparently believes that when an elected official commits a crime, it suddenly becomes legal? While certainly of no benefit to the people of St. George, it provides a huge benefit to the city council, specifically Almquist, who can now do as he pleases concerning code enforcement and receive a rubber stamp of approval from judge Young. In short, it helps to perpetuate the cronyism which many voters sought to defeat during the last mayoral election.
Speaking of the mayor, we still have yet to see or hear any updates about the curbside recycling program that Mayor Pike promised us during his campaign.
Anyways, many people in St. George have experienced this gross lack of transparency and abundance of mistrust within the local government. My friends Randy Thomson, Matthew Jacobson, and I have experienced it when trying to present the council with an ordinance which I will be writing about later. My friend and colleague Michael Flynn has experienced it firsthand during his investigative research and reports. David Anderson, a tech entrepreneur, experienced “unprovoked defensiveness” when he attempted to merely videotape a public meeting.
Over the past few years, people have been getting more and more upset with their federal government for its discrepancies and mistruths. Among the main issues, led by whistleblower and patriot Edward Snowden, are calls for more government transparency and more involvement by the general public. While this is an important issue on the federal level, we cannot allow it to distract us from home. Wherever corruption lives, we should all work to seek and help stamp it out. You may think, “but what can I do?” I’ll tell you: A lot more than you think. Start attending city council meetings. Bring up things you think are issues. Ask why $4 million is being diverted to an arts center while there are broken storm drains, condemned buildings, and inadequate fields for JV sports.
Write letters to the council. Call the members. Demand change. Vote (preferably for other people)! If we all take an active role in our government, then together we can end the cronyism and the lies, and help make the changes we want and need.
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