Rantz: Tacoma council member spent tax dollars on Indonesia art tour to ‘enhance our creative economy’
Sep 15, 2024, 5:41 PM | Updated: Sep 17, 2024, 6:33 pm
Photo is a screenshot from July 2 council meeting. Jamika Scott was working in Indonesia at the time.
Tacoma City Council member Jamika Scott spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on a trip to Indonesia, claiming it would “enhance our creative economy” and “raise Tacoma’s profile as an international art city.” This expenditure came as Tacoma grappled with a $26 million budget gap, raising questions about the appropriateness of such spending during a financial crunch.
Scott, an amateur filmmaker, anti-police activist, and the first Democratic Socialists of America member on Tacoma’s City Council, flew to Jogja and Jakarta, Indonesia, with five artists as part of a privately planned trip with the ArtCity 2024 Tacoma Arts Delegation—a private group she’s involved with. The trip, from June 25 to July 7, 2024, cost taxpayers $4,574.56, covering airfare, lodging, meals, and priority Lyft service. The funds came from the City Council’s professional development budget, all while the city dealt with the budget shortfall.
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“Together, these cultural ambassadors will explore one of the world’s most exciting art capitals and return to Tacoma with innovative new strategies for transforming our own creative ecosystem,” a PowerPoint presentation for Art City 2024 explained.
The delegation comprises “Tacoma’s most visionary BIPOC artists and policy makers,” according to a GoFundMe page that helped raise money for the trip.
“Tacoma’s ArtCity delegates have a vision for our city and believe so much in that vision that we’re taking steps right now to make it real and develop the city we love into an even more magnificent expression of creative vitality and engagement,” the PowerPoint explained.
Why are Tacoma taxpayers sending a council member to Indonesia?
In a statement to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH, Scott explained the trip to Indonesia was part of her agenda to bring more creativity and art to Tacoma.
“One of my top priorities as a City Council Member is to ensure that we continue to nurture and enhance our creative economy in Tacoma,” Scott said. “Travelling to Indonesia allowed me to meet with city officials in Yogyakarta, creative business owners, curators, local artists and art collectives to learn about their innovative strategies for supporting a thriving arts community and creative economy.”
Scott said she will share a report with the community about what she learned on the trip on October 13 at the Tacoma Art Museum. The event is free to attend.
How is an art tour related to the city of Tacoma?
Scott’s office stated that she was serving in her official capacity during the trip to Indonesia. The only documentation linking the trip to her council work consists of a travel authorization form signed by Mayor Victoria Woodards.
“The Mayor’s Office indicated that Council Member Scott had shared with the Mayor that she intended to meet with government officials and share what was learned for possible continued engagement and policy development to support Tacoma’s economic and cultural development through the arts,” a city spokesperson explained.
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According to Scott’s itinerary, she did not meet many city officials.
On day three of the trip, the itinerary lists afternoon tea with city officials from the Jogja Cultural Council. It’s the only itinerary item that specifically lists “city officials.” The rest of the trip schedule involved visits to art studios and the art festival. Scott had “free” time each day until at least noon or as late as 2:30pm.
Scott did, however, virtually attend a July 2 council meeting while on the trip. She missed the June 25 meeting, the first day of her travel.
Is this appropriate use of tax payer dollars?
The city council’s professional development fund provides council members $3,000 each to be used on “activities that align with City work or policy areas of focus.” While this trip’s price tag was more than what was allotted, Scott benefitted from unspent dollars by the previous council member for District 3. She has $857.15 left to spend.
The fund, according to the city, can be used on “educational courses, attendance at ticketed learning opportunities or community events, or additional conference learning opportunities.” Art and the so-called “creative economy” is a policy focus for Scott.
Scott explained in her statement that “the trip enabled the delegation to help raise Tacoma’s profile as an international art city and share Tacoma’s story with an international audience.”
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