The following is reprinted with permission from a letter received by one of NM's more successful film studios. This letter was sent by the Martinez campaign prior to the election.
"I hope Ms. Martinez's words haven't been taken
the wrong way. In terms of action, she would commission an independent
study of the film industry to determine the effectiveness of a...ll
of our film incentive and loan programs because there is conflicting
data on the issue. She definitely would not simply do away with them,
but given the fact that we spend around $74 million on film incentives
alone, we do need to ensure the taxpayers' money is being spent wisely.
Slashing programs across the board is not a wise way to save money.
Based
on the facts of this study, Susana would then act accordingly. If the
additional study says all of these programs are performing effectively,
then that's that. If there are some areas in which the taxpayers' money
is not being spent effectively, then we would make adjustments. We have
to set priorities and ensure transparency and accountability with the
taxpayers' dollars, something that has not been a priority for the past
eight years."
So what happened to that "independent study" she said she was going to commission? And when did "slashing programs across the board" suddenly become "a wise way to save money"?
Remain vigilant.
