Brooklyn, New York
-- Indeed the title of this article is a shocker
for some. Did an initial set of confusion rush to
your brain? Did you rub your eyes twice to
check what you were reading? Good!!
Ah - but imagine for a moment that twelve months
ago famed business mogul and fellow New Yorker
Donald Trump took over helm
of the New York Steelband Association. And
took an oath to seek all things that were
beneficial to members of this New York Steelband Association,
financially, socially, culturally and
historically.
What would be your minimum expectations of Mr.
Trump, of his office - of what he would bring to the table? Would you not
reasonably expect that the worth of the New York steelband music franchises to
increase ten-fold in value because of the prudent business decisions engaged in and
executed by his office? Would you not reasonably expect him to lay out a
plan, vision, and time-frame included with bench marks by which you could measure
his success or failure?
Would he have not already inked an iron-clad agreement with the mayor, governor and educational institutions
- both higher
learning and K-12 - to make sure that his association (and by default, its members) would have been
a major factor and partner? Is it unreasonable to expect that there would already
be agreements with New York’s world-leading massive media, cultural,
tourist, financial and entertainment industries?
|
Donald Trump |
Would Mr. Trump not already have had huge
endowments and commitments from the private sector to his franchises?
And, finally, on this business of Panorama.
Do you think Mr. Trump would ever let the members of the New York
Steelband Association enter a contest without a contract, and without guaranteed prizes/monies in escrow, and
lots of penalties for late payment? Penalties like partial ownership of the
promoter’s enterprises? Is it not criminal in 2009, to not have such language in your
contract - oh wait - it is 2009, and there was no contract!
But with Trump at the helm, would he not already have produced a list of hardships and
financial repercussions due to payment delay -- real, imaginary or planned?
Have you ever looked at, for example, the contract we all agreed to on our
general utilities’ bills?
Scary stuff indeed.
Would anyone have been surprised if the sign
over the home of the panorama promoter was being replaced with that of the steelband
association’s, for late payments to Mr. Trump’s NY Steelband Association’s members? This new home of the
steelband music association, being restitution and compensation for irreparable harm
done to Mr. Trump’s association members? Or maybe he would have done it
just because he can - and he was seeking the best for his association’s members? Of course this
is just business to Mr. Trump. Nothing personal - just looking out for his
constituents - just an opportunity that any businessman in any country would
understand. Are the folks of the New York Steelband community worthy of
such leadership and representation?
|
John W. Thompson |
Would anyone have been surprised if the
headlines of the New York papers said “Panmen get paid on night of Panorama - Mas men, Bunji Garlin and Machel Montano still awaiting payments - promoter
says they are in
a “holding pattern” waiting for funds”?
Ah... such are the things when one has an
imagination. In any regard, When Steel Talks nominates someone with a Donald Trump-mindset
to lead the NY Steelband association, and if he/she is unavailable - how about John
W. Thompson, CEO of Symantec or E. Stanley O’Neal, CEO of Merrill Lynch & Co.
or, or, or...
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