Jazz museum trumpets its budget achievement
It’s an accomplishment that the head of the American Jazz Museum enjoys talking about.
On July 1, Gregory Carroll, executive director of the museum, will have been on the job for exactly one year. At a recent meeting of the museum’s board, Carroll provided a bit of positive news.
For the fiscal year that just wrapped up, the museum, which receives a subsidy from the city, actually made a small profit. And that’s amazing, considering the economy.
Shortly after Carroll took the job, the museum was forced to trim $250,000 from its budget, a process that was handled without laying off employees. In his formal report to the board, Carroll praised his staff for making it happen.
“We made budget and a small profit,” Carroll wrote. “Achieving this monumental outcome would not have been possible without the efforts of all the (jazz museum) staff. I’m grateful to this team for keeping the spending down and being creative in generating revenue even with all the odds stacked up against us. Bravo!”
When everything was said and done, the museum operation, which includes the gift shop and the Blue Room, made a profit of about $6,300.
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Age is nothing but a number.
Each and every workday, Alby Shipman proves that.
At 86, Shipman is the switchboard operator and receptionist for the Kansas City Election Board. She has worked for the board 19 years. Earlier this week, I saw Shipman busy at work. She’s the first voice you hear when you call the board, and she’s the first person you see when you arrive at the downtown office.
“I like it because of the people,” Shipman said. “You see all kinds of people of all walks of life. I get to talk to people all over the world and all over the country. And no two days are alike.”
Shipman gains a sense of satisfaction being involved in the important democratic process of voting.
“We’re serving the public,” Shipman said. “When people vote, that’s their privilege. And we want them to continue to do that all the time. Every vote counts. You want to help everyone that comes in here solve their problem.”
As for the future, Shipman has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“I’m dedicated to the job,” Shipman said. “I like the money. I can do more with it. I can travel. And I can help my family.”
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A young African-American male tries to walk by Mary Ann Grayson at a recent outdoor concert when she stops him to pose a question:
“Are you registered to vote?” Grayson asks.
“I’m good,” says the man.
Grayson is one of the Kansas City Election Board employees you see out in public, actively registering people to vote. She’s quite effective in persuading people to sign up. I spoke with her as she did her thing at the Rhythm & Ribs Jazz and Blues Festival.
“First of all, I’m clarifying if they are registered,” Grayson said. “A lot of people don’t realize that when they move or change address or change names, they need to re-register. It all depends on how long ago they moved.”
Registering to vote takes only three or four minutes.
“We want to make the process go smoothly so that when they come in Election Day, all someone has to do is just vote,” Grayson said. “It’s not just important to vote this time, but every time. There are issues on the ballot that impact everybody.”
To reach Steve Penn, call 816-234-4417 or send e-mail to spenn@kcstar.com.
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