mayors office of film music blows

The Mayor's Office of Film + Music blows!

I used to think James Keblas was a cool guy. He helped found The Vera

Project, Seattle's publicly funded and supported all-ages venue that

not only hosts all-ages shows, but provides young people access and

training in all elements of the music industry. He was an activist for

Seattle's music community for over a decade. But a few years back he

was recruited to be the director of the re-vamped "Mayor's Office of

Film + Music." And ever since, we seem to see ever-increasing support

for more regulation and harassment of local clubs by the mayor and the

Office of Film + Music. What gives?

I'm a small government, less rules, less laws, let the free market

decide things kind of guy. It's not exactly a popular position in

Seattle, where people seem to love nanny state laws to govern civility

at the expense of freedom of expression. And what's really changed in

Seattle to cause this sudden need for more government oversight and

regulation? Violent crime is actually way down. Clubs are ten times

more safe than they were ten or twenty years ago. Clubs no longer have

smoking, free flowing drugs or other problems they once did. Yet they

still need more regulation? Do they want to take all the fun out of

rock and roll?

The biggest push for government regulation of Seattle's music

community has come from city in just the past few years after the

Office of Film + Music was established. And it's come through a large

number of proposals to regulate live music clubs. There have been

attempts to force clubs into special licensing, to pay off duty cops

to police public streets and sidewalks near clubs, increased fines

related to noise complaints, and gearing more tax payer dollars

towards creating new city positions for club inspectors. All during a

time when there are less problems with clubs.

One would think having an long time music activist as director of the

office that regulates live music clubs would help lessen the red tape

and make it easier to promote and support local music. After all, the

Office of Film + Music boasts about how much the music scene helps the

local economy. One would hope Keblas would be working against

increased club regulations and provide a buffer between the Mayor and

the music scene. Sadly, things definitely seem to have gotten worse in

the last couple years, rather than better. Is this what it feels like

when a small local band you've grown up with sells out? Or when your

highschool drug dealer becomes a cop? The transformation from music

community advocate to music club cop has been... well...

disappointing. Am I making too big of a deal out of the actions of

this office in recent years? Maybe.

Want to see you your tax dollars at work? Check out the job listing

for Nightlife Regulatory Coordinator. Apparently we are willing to

spend $40 an hour for someone to "Design and implement a comprehensive

regulatory program regarding nightlife establishments in the City of

Seattle which includes outreach, technical assistance and enforcement

efforts. Current efforts regarding nightlife are spread across

numerous departments and are poorly monitored, coordinated and

implemented." This person will "Coordinate the activities of the Joint

Enforcement Team (JET), an interdepartmental team responsible for the

regulation of the nightlife industry to ensure a safe and vibrant

nightlife in the City. Identify and forward policy recommendations to

the JET Policy/Action Team and defend those recommendations." It's a

$75,000 a year city job, not bad pay for regulating and harassing

local clubs! Just to put it in perspective, the new Club Czar will be

paid a higher salary than your average Seattle teacher, librarian, UW

college professor or local nurse. Do you think that's fair? Do you

want to see your tax dollars spent on this new position, when we

already have building inspectors, fire marshals and police doing the

job adequately?

Ironically enough, the Mayor's Office of Film + Music hosted it's

first monthly happy hour last night... AT A NIGHT CLUB! "This will be

a great time to learn more about the Film + Music Office, meet new

people in our music and film industries and discuss current issues

spanning film and music in Seattle." Or so was the plan... the turn

out at Moe's however was lackluster and some local music club owners

and bookers weren't even invited, so the very real issues that have

been everywhere in the Seattle press and most on club owner and music

fans' minds over the past year regarding new nightlife ordinances and

regulations didn't get aired. Maybe next month? Maybe the real music

community can show up in bigger numbers and give Mr. Keblas and his

office a piece of their mind.

ps- To the Mayor's Office of Film + Music, generally when you throw a

happy hour you at least have some free food, if not free drinks. I

can't see being stingy on a couple veggie platters when you are so

willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on government

bureaucracy, nightclub regulations and their enforcement.

Posted by Dan 10Things

2 Comments:

jkeblas said...

Hi Dan,

Thanks for slamming me without making a phone call first or

finding out more information. You're totally right about me -

now that I got this job I totally don't care about my hometown

or the music scene that is part of my life's work. What are you

thinking? I work my ass off every day on behalf of music in

Seattle. Where have you been? I didn't see you at one Council

hearing on the license issue. I don't see you at SNMA meetings.

And for the record, the Happy Hour events have been going on

since August and I have received significant feedback on their

networking effectiveness. Maybe I should have known the only

thing that gets you away from your keyboard is free booze and

food. I guess I won't be seeing you around.

James

February 2, 2008 4:09 PM

Dan 10Things said...

You failed to address the core issues I brought up. And I don't

buy the idea that people must attend a council hearing to have

an opinion on nightclub regulations or how our tax dollars are

spent.

Look, I absolutely know you work hard for the music community.

I praised your work in my rant and didn't discount it in any

way. But, it's also your job, the Mayor's Office of Film +

Music is a publicly funded office, and you are the public face

of that office. Music fans and taxpayers have every right to be

disappointed in all the nightlife regulation proposals and the

overpriced Club Czar position. I'm not saying anything new

here, you know people are talking about these issues. And I

think more people should express their disappointment publicly,

rather than in phone calls or behind the scenes conversations.

Believe me, I'd much rather you told me I was wrong, there

won't be a 75K Club Czar position and you've really worked hard

to kill all the nightclub regulations, rather than only be able

to tell me I'm wrong about something trivial like when the

happy hours started.

For people interested in helping fight the city's recent push

for nightclub regulations, new noise ordinances, new safety

requirements, and new admission tax rules, check out the

Seattle Nightlife and Music Association: seattlenma.org.

Government is not your partner in rock'n'roll.

February 2, 2008 5:42 PM