Kanawha County Commissioner Dave Hardy gets this month's award for 'Lousiest Thing to Do to Hinder the Advancement of Charleston's Cultural Life.' He earns this prize for his unparliamentary manuever to deprive FestivALL, Charleston's very cool summer arts and culture festival, of a much-needed infusion of a little over $40,000 in money from the county. Last year, the commission shipped FestivALL about $34,000 in state grant cash and $10,000 from its general fund. That was about one-sixth of the budget for the first-year festival. The money was wisely and judiciously spent on a lineup that ranged from local performers, family-friendly art and activities in the streets, high-profile concerts like George Benson and the Cab Calloway Orchestra, to the jam-packed "Blues, Brews and BBQ" and "Wine and All that Jazz" events on the University of Charleston lawn. In news stories, Hardy said he felt that it was short-sighted to direct that much money to FestivALL and only $30,000 to Yeager Airport. The FestivALL grant will instead go to Yeager. "The value of Yeager to our economic development is immeasurable," he was quoted as saying. Yeah, well, so is a demonstrably successful citywide cultural festival that has the potential to put Charleston on the tourist map, increase the city's charm and livability and demonstrate why folks should come here -- and stay here. Here's hoping Mayor Danny Jones, who has emptied his own pockets to bolster FestivALL, and all supporters of arts and culture, raise a ruckus. Yeager's important, sure. But it has other funding sources and visible means of support. FestivALL is a little seedling of bigger-city life that needs all the help it can get.