New Poll Suggests Support for DIA Millage on Aug. 7
The EPIC MRA poll released Wednesday shows 71 percent of voters in Oakland, Macomb, and Wayne counties will vote 'yes' on Aug. 7. But many of you said otherwise.
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An EPIC MRA poll released today shows that a large majority of voters approve of the tri-county millage to support the Detroit Institute of Arts, Channel 7 is reporting.
If approved, the proposal would levy .2 mills on Oakland County taxpayers for 10 years. At 0.2 mills, a taxpayer owning a home with a taxable value of $100,000 would be expected to pay approximately $20 a year. This tax would begin with December 2012 property tax bills and end in 2021.
The survey interviewed 237 people in the tri-county area between July 24–31, and has a plus or minus margin of error of 6.4 percent.
The majority of support is strong in each county, with Oakland County leading the way at 75 percent, the station reported.
The millage is expected to generate $4.9 million in its first year. In exchange for supporting the millage, residents and school groups from Oakland County would be allowed to visit the DIA anytime without a general admission fee.
Readers Respond
In an opinion piece submitted to Bloomfield Patch last week, Dr. Isaac Barr of Bloomfield Hills, explained his 15 reasons for opposing the millage, and many of the readers that left comments agreed.
"I am completely opposed to a millage increase for ANY city that is not Detroit, to support the DIA, which clearly doesn't need it. VOTE NO!," wrote Randy Jasky.
"Why should we pay for a bloated, mismanaged organization where the director makes a 1/2 million dollars?" asked Sharon Henderson. If people want to support the arts, then do it. But don't expect the 99% of people who rarely go there to do it. The truth hurts."
Others responded in concert with values expressed in the recent poll.
"Study after study shows the value of the arts and its presence and effect on our youth. Framing it as a choice between funding police and funding the museum is a false argument," said Mike White.
And some just showed their blunt frustration with the opposition.
"Such negative responses, but not surprising," wrote one reader that identified themselves as Beverly Hills Royal Oak Sub. "With these attitudes let's just call it quits and move on out of here!"
For more:
- DIA, SMART Millage Proposals Ask County Voters to Add, Renew Taxes
- DIA Millage Request Raises Delicate Questions for Suburban Voters
- DIA Millage Proposal Generating Opinions Before Aug. 7 Election
- Letter to the Editor: The Case For the DIA Arts Millage
- Letter to the Editor: 15 Reasons to Vote Against the DIA Millage
Ken Jackson
7:43 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Like Mr. Charness I was not convinced by Mr. Barr's 15 point argument outlining the "conspiracy" behind the DIA Millage. I will vote yes. I hope my $15 a year helps maintain and development this rather incredible (for metro-Detroit) institution.
Neal Charness
11:26 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The vitriol of folks like art ("leftwingnuts") shows in the comment as the anger in the writing: You're is how "you are" forms a contraction. I haven't made my choice--I expressed some feelings about the issue. I am concerned that some of the issues alleged by Dr. Baar may have merit--he's the wrong messenger because of his baggage. Dr. Baar's conspiracies and reckless allegations in the past make it hard not to disregard what he says.
R Gibson
8:40 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Morning Neal, always a pleasure to read your posts. I concur with you about Dr. Baar's past baggage. I think the DIA needs to be saved, if it is truly in trouble. But, I must sheepishly agree that if some of his assertions are correct then I have a real problem with what is going on. A salary of 500K seems extremely excessive. If this were the Smithsonian and there was a great deal to manage then yeah I could understand that level of compensation. But lets face it, the DIA isn't a place that supports world class restoration, research, or preservation efforts. At least from the outside it doesn't appear that the DIA has multiple museums to oversee or a large staff of uniquely and highly skilled people to manage. Except for the recent update to the facility, which was very well done by the way, the whole facility has essentially remained static for decades. I am also concerned about this whole thing with the City of Detroit. If this is meant to reduce the bureden on the City of Detroit, then there should be a board of equal representation from each county overseeing it and some ownership in it. We need to have some say into how this thing is managed. I just advise you to consider the situation with our water department and how we are held hostage by the City of Detroit Water Department with limited input for all that we pay into that system.
Neal Charness
11:27 pm on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
I apologize for not capitalizing Art's name--no disrespect intended. The Patch format makes it hard to correct typos.
Neal Charness
10:18 am on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Mr. Gibson: I think your comments are spot on. The water department is a fiasco. On top of the city's shenanigans our townships mark up the water excessively. If the preservation of the museum is warranted I believe proper stewardship could be used to keep things in line. Under the emergency manager provisions I wouldn't be surprised if the mayor couldn't reign in salary excesses.
Art Aisner
3:27 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
A comment was deleted for violation of terms of service. We give readers a lot of latitude for opinions on this platform, but please refrain from personal attacks.
Ken Jackson
5:15 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
Mr. Aisner,
I don't really know what standard you use for "personal attacks." Your pages are routinely filled with false accusations, slanders, charges of criminal activity and so on. I would consider either taking greater care in what letters you choose to print and what comments you edit or don't.