All seven candidates who’ve filed to replace Angela Hunt as the Dallas City Council member for District 14 have agreed to participate in a public forum about the arts and arts issues. They are: Bobby Abtahi, David Blewett, Kevin Curley, Philip Kingston, Chuck Kobdish, Judy Liimatainen and Jim Rogers.

The forum will be held at the AT&T PAC’s Wyly Theatre March 18 with a meet-and-greet at 5 p.m. and the forum starting at 5:30 p.m. The public is welcome — and you can submit questions in advance to [email protected]. The deadline for submission is March 14 at 5 p.m.

The new District 14 includes parts of downtown and Uptown, but the new District 2 also includes downtown. So a separate but similar arts-related forum for District 2 will be held at the Sammons Center for the Arts. No date yet for that one.

The full release follows:

NEWS RELEASE
February 22, 2013
ARTS-FOCUSED DISTRICT 14 CANDIDATE FORUM IN WYLY THEATRE
AT&T Performing Arts Center and Dallas Arts District to Spotlight Arts, Arts District Issues
(DALLAS) The AT&T Performing Arts Center and the Dallas Arts District will co-host a candidate forum Monday, March 18 for the District 14 candidates in the upcoming Dallas City Council race. The forum will be held at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre and focus on issues of importance to the arts community and the Dallas Arts District. A meet-and-greet will be held in the lobby from 5:00-5:30 p.m. The forum will be held in Potter Rose Hall from 5:30-7:o0 p.m.
Topics are likely to include arts funding, venue maintenance, cultural tourism, economic development in and around the District, traffic, public safety and more.
“A vibrant, healthy Arts District and arts community are critical to the future of our city. But there are many challenges ahead,” said Doug Curtis, president and acting CEO of the Center. “It is important that we understand how this district’s new Council member will be a champion for this community.”
The public is welcome. Arts District stakeholders, District 14 residents and members of the arts community are encouraged to attend. They can also submit questions in advance to [email protected]. The deadline for submission is Thursday, March 14 at 5:00 p.m.
So far, seven candidates have filed in the race to replace Council member Angela Hunt, who cannot run due to term limits. All seven candidates have agreed to participate in the forum. They are Bobby Abtahi, David Blewett, Kevin Curley, Philip Kingston, Chuck Kobdish, Judy Liimatainen and Jim Rogers. March 1 is the final day to file as a candidate.
The new District 14 will include more than 83,000 residents in downtown, Uptown, historic east Dallas, Turtle Creek, and Oak Lawn. 75,000 of those residents are voting age population. The area encompasses more than $15 billion in appraised property value. It is experiencing remarkable development and growth, particularly in and around the Dallas Arts District. Stakeholders want to make sure the District’s momentum doesn’t stall.
“Both the public and private sector have made an incredible investment in the District, creating something you won’t find anywhere else in the country,” said Amy Hofland, director of the Crow Collection of Asian Art. She is also member of the Governance Committee for the Dallas Arts District. “Now, we must sustain the progress, tell the world what we’ve got and lift it to the next level. This forum is the perfect place to have that discussion with these candidates.”
City Council District 2 also includes downtown Dallas and has a heavy concentration of arts venues and organizations. The Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition (DACAC) will host a similar arts-focused forum for District 2 at the Sammons Center for the Arts. A date has not been set.