According reliable information a territorial councilor along with several members including members of Eclipse was not invited to the meeting, which was to organize Fish Day. SMN News further learnt that one of the councilors who are not in favor of the outsourcing was also not invited to the meeting on March 1. Sources say the Arts and Culture department workers were told that they would receive convocation for the meeting and they never got it.
SMN News further learnt that the COM is planning to increase the budget for Fish Day and they believed it would be better organized by a foreigner and not the people who did it over the past eight years.
According to information reaching SMN News, the COM is planning to take the same route they took when they outsourced Caribbean Festival last year to the Committee Traditions and Carnival (CTC).
According to reliable information, the organizer that was brought in to St. Martin to assist with the organizing of Caribbean Festival was paid some Euros 80,000 while there are locals (Eclipse) with licenses to organize the same types of events on St. Martin.
SMN News learnt that a delegation went to meet with the President of the COM Frantz Gumbs on Wednesday but that meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday. It is not clear if President Gumbs agrees with the outsourcing.
Fish Day was launched some eight years ago by culture pioneer Nicole Piper who was heading the Arts and Culture Department. Piper was running the department as deputy mayor, she worked along with Eclipe and other contractors from the day Fish Day was launched.
Nicole Piper had organized Fish Day 2008 and was criticized by the former first vice president responsible for culture for using Euros 60,000 for the event, which attracted close to 20,000 patrons, while members of the current Arts and Culture Department organized the event in 2009.
The source said the new commission wants people whom they believe can better manage the funds that would be allocated for Fish Day 2010. SMN News further learnt that there are several key persons within the community that are ready to take action if Fish Day is outsourced to Calypso Events or any other foreigner.
