With Cuyahoga County elections approaching in November, it’s time to get educated about one of the ballot issues- Issue 8- which is a levy for arts & culture that does not increase taxes.

As part of the Cuyahoga County community, I feel that it is crucial to get involved in issues that affect our day-to-day lives, where we are heading as we move towards the future, and even our wallets. After reading up on Issue 8, I have become an avid supporter. Not only does Issue 8 address something that greatly influenced my upbringing—arts & culture for children—but it also is not a tax increase for voters. The money for the Issue 8 Levy comes from increasing cigarette taxes by a penny-and-a-half. I think this is a creative way to take something that is seemingly harmful to the environment (smoking), and turn it into something that nourishes our community’s youth (education on arts and culture).

I was initially made aware of this topic through oWOW Radio, an internet radio station that proudly works with the Issue 8 campaign to spread the word about its benefits for the public as a whole. oWOW Radio is based out of 78^th Street Studios, which is in Cleveland’s Gordon Square Art Distrcit. Being locally owned & operated has clearly allowed oWOW Radio to get involved in what is going on in the lives of their listeners, as they have absentee ballots available on their website as part of their support of Issue 8.

As a resident of Cuyahoga County, I think it is my civic duty to ensure that arts & culture programs are available to children growing up in the area. Not only does it benefit the young, but according to http://www.voteforissue8.org the Levy would also stimulate the economy and attract tourism to Cleveland and surrounding municipalities.  The original Levy was passed in 2006 and is set to expire in January 2017. This initial Levy was a success in enriching arts and culture in Cleveland as, according to the Issue 8 website, it allowed for more annual educational experience for kids such as fieldtrips and allowed for more grants for a wide array of organizations and institutions.

When I was growing up in Strongsville, dancing singing and the theater were my passions, and I was fortunate enough to participate in public programs that fueled that passion immensely. The reason that I strongly support Issue 8 is that I want to ensure that kids with similar passions growing up today are able to have access to the education and experiences that will inspire them. I hope that you will do some research on Issue 8 and decide that arts and culture helps to renew our communities & is an important part of your life and the life of young people. For these reasons I would like to ask you to stand with the Issue 8 campaign, oWOW Radio, and myself—don’t hate, vote Issue 8.