Hilton Head council members should invest their own money in arts venue

Oligarchy — a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power.

That seems to describe the Town of Hilton Head Island government. A tiny minority of elites want to spend taxpayer dollars to build a $65 million arts facility that would be owned and maintained by the town.

The consultant they hired reported the island could not support such a venue, but the committee would not accept the results and wants to spend thousands more on other studies until they get the answer they want. They ignore the study they paid for and the fact the existing arts center can’t make it even with a $400,000 annual town subsidy, and possibly another $600,000 to replace antiquated lighting, and up to $1.5 million more for deferred maintenance.

This reminds me of the time the Town Council arrogantly jammed municipal trash collection down our throats despite objections from those who were far better informed. We know how that turned out.

If these people are convinced another arts venue is economically feasible, perhaps they should pool their resources and build it themselves. They can keep the profits it generates.

Why not use that money to help the kids in the Neighborhood Outreach Connection program at Cordillo Courts, or Beaufort County’s 275 homeless school kids?

It’s time we clean house and elect council members who understand that they are not the master and we the servants. It’s the other way around.

This story was originally published May 19, 2017 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Hilton Head council members should invest their own money in arts venue."