To be honest, not one of the candidates in the 2019 race to be Tampa’s next mayor energizes us at this point, but maybe that’ll change when the whole lot of them (Jane Castor, Harry Cohen, Dick Greco, Jr., Topher Morrison, David Straz, Mike Suarez and Ed Turanchik) answer questions at this arts and culture forum moderated by Jobsite Theater’s artistic director, David Jenkins.
Tickets are required for this free event, and questions should be sent to forum@gobioff-foundation.org, and this is the one we sent in for consideration:
Some Chicagoans are lamenting Live Nation's recent decision to scrap plans for a 20K-seat stadium, while other see the move as a minor victory in a battle that seems to see the promotions giant trying to shoehorn its way into an established homegrown network of venues. It's easy to see Live Nation asking Tampa officials for permission to build venues whose capacities would affect the calendars at homegrown establishments, effectively taking revenue away from rooms that've long played a vital role in our city's music scene. How would you handle such a request? Do you trust that Live Nation has any kind of altruistic motive in moving into a city's already existing scene?
Jenkins confirmed that the question was indeed received, and we're excited to potentially get answer.
Tampa Mayoral Candidate Forum on Arts and Culture. Tues. Feb. 5, 6:30 p.m. Free to attend. Howard W. Blake High School, 1701 N. Boulevard, Tampa. gobioff-foundation.org.
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This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 7, 2019.