To the Common Council:

I'm very dismayed to hear that some members of the council have proposed an ordinance that penalizes residents for beautifying the city landscape with murals on their own property. The city leaders have a legitimate interest in fighting graffiti that property owners don't want on their homes and businesses, but murals -- approved by the property owners in advance -- are completely different.

People living in the United States have a right to freedom of expression that does not harm others. Public art is an essential element of human creative expression, from the ancient cave paintings in Lascaux to last year's Riverwest Art in the Alleys project. The proposed anti-art ordinance goes against both the U.S. Constitution and the natural human instinct to beautify our living environment and to tell our stories through art.

As a member of another governmental body that relies on the property tax, I would also question the use of gratuitous fines to fill the city's coffers. It would be great if the city leaders would stop making laws that result in fees and fines for the homeowner, and instead levy the needed property taxes honestly and openly.

At minimum, call this tax what it is: A tax on art.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Morales