We don’t know who the next mayor of Boston will be. Voters will make that decision on November 5.

But here’s what we do know: The next Mayor of Boston has vowed to make arts, culture, and creativity one of their priorities. Both have vowed to elevate the support and resources dedicated to the sector.

In a departure from the past administration and every mayoral administration before it, the next mayor of Boston has committed to hiring a cabinet-level arts commissioner. This commissioner will advocate for the sector and work on a strategic cultural plan for the city that can be integrated with other priorities such as education, economic development, and public safety.

State Rep. Marty Walsh promised to appoint a cabinet-level cultural commissioner in his answers to the Create the Vote mayoral candidate questionnaire. City Councilor John Connolly promised to do so in the arts and culture plan released by his campaign. And both candidates spoke in detail about the need for a high-level administration appointee for the arts in their meetings with the Create the Vote Coalition. 

Both candidates have also spoken of the need for more funding for the sector; reform of the permitting process; bolstering arts education; and employing arts as a tool to spur neighborhood development.

We will all need to hear more from them about these ideas over the coming weeks. And we’d like your help in soliciting those details from the candidates.

• Tweet your questions about the arts to @marty_walsh and @JohnRConnolly. Post your questions on their Facebook walls.
• If you have not already done so, please sign up to be an arts voter! Pledge to make arts, culture, and creativity a priority when you vote for the next mayor of Boston on November 5.
• Join us! We are always looking for volunteers to join us at cultural events to sign up arts voters and engage artists in the political process.
• Make sure you are a friend of the campaign on Facebook and follow us on twitter so you can help us broadcast info on the campaign and the candidates citywide.

To learn more about Marty Walsh’s views on the arts, you can read his answers to our questionnaire here, and the press release we issued after meeting with him here.

To learn more about John Connolly’s views on the arts, you can read his answers to our questionnaire here, and the press release we issued after meeting with him here. 

Click here to for a chart comparing how the candidates would use the arts to address citywide issues.

Click here for a chart comparing the candidates’ personal connection to the arts.

Click here for a chart comparing the candidates’ stance on how the arts can be used to enhance education.

Click here for a chart comparing how the candidates explain how the role that the arts would play in their administration.

Click here for a chart comparing the candidates’ ideas on how to grow the creative economy.

Click here for a chart comparing the candidates’ idea on how to market Boston as a creative and cultural destination.

Click here for a chart on the candidates’ priorities.