Posted on 11/21/2005 8:30:42 AM PST by Ellesu
MONTEGO BAY, St James - Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, says as his city rebuilds in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it would be moving to strengthen economic ties with Jamaica. "As we look to rebuild New Orleans, we are also looking to rebuild relationships and the first place that we are looking to rebuild and strengthen relationships is Jamaica," said Nagin.
The New Orleans mayor who is vacationing in the island with his wife Seletha and three children, at a private villa owned by Sandals chairman, Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, was speaking to reporters in Montego Bay at a brief ceremony hosted by Sandals Resorts, shortly after his arrival at the Sangster International Airport on Friday. Stewart is also chairman of the Jamaica Observer.
Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (left), accompanies Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin to the Sandals Resorts hospitality lounge, shortly after the mayor and his family arrived at the Sangster International Airport on Friday. Nagin is vacationing in Jamaica with his wife, Seletha, and three children, as private guests of Sandals chairman Gordon 'Butch' Stewart. (Photo: Conroy Walker)
Mayor Nagin noted that Jamaica and New Orleans already share interests, particularly in the area of culture. "We both have unique characters, unique styles, wonderful food and, most importantly, wonderful people," he said.
"The wonderful people you see when you go to Jamaica or New Orleans ... they make you feel welcome, they treat you like your brother or sister." Plans were well advanced to twin the southern US city with Montego Bay and for the staging of a food and music festival this November in MoBay, when Katrina hit New Orleans in August at category four strength.
Nagin's angry appeals for urgent assistance to his people in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, catapulted him onto the international stage, amid scenes of devastation and confusion, and death.
According to Nagin, the planned festival was to be used as a springboard to further economic linkages between New Orleans and Jamaica.
"The festival was supposed to kick off something big," he said. "We were planning to rotate this festival between Jamaica and New Orleans where we could bring the best music, the best food and the best people together and then, for example, take advantage of the tourism of both places."
He noted that in addition to the festival, the hurricane also forced the postponement of a planned visit in August of a Montego Bay-based trade delegation to his city.
President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Horace Peterkin said at Friday's welcome ceremony for Nagins, that the trade delegation was to examine ways in which Montego Bay and New Orleans could establish long-term relations.
"The invitation was for us to go there (New Orleans), get the businessmen to look at some investment opportunities in Jamaica and for discussion on the twinning of the cities," said Peterkin, who is also manager of one of Stewart's Sandals properties.
New Orleans' thriving tourism sector was severely damaged by Katrina, which killed hundreds in the region and levelled 80 per cent of the Louisiana capital.
Commenting on reconstruction efforts, Mayor Nagin said that he was pleased with the pace at which the rebuilding of New Orleans was progressing.
"We are moving in the right direction," he said. "The hotel industry is now up to 75 per cent of its capacity and it should be up to 100 per cent by year-end, and electricity has returned to almost 75 per cent of the city."
According to the mayor, several annual cultural events, including Mardi Gras and the jazz festival, would return to the city next year. Nagin told the Sunday Observer that Congress had appropriated US$1.6 billion to assist in the recovery exercise.
"But we are also pushing Congress for tax incentives for businesses and people to move back to the city," he said.
He's vacationing?!?!?!?
New Orleans and Kingston
two rough places just made for one another
Jamaica? Is a basket case. A total gun ban and some of the highest crime rates in the Western Hemisphere...Why doesn't he look at countries that work?
Amazing huh. Wonder if FEMA is paying their bill.
Nagin is vacationing in Jamaica with his wife, Seletha, and three children, as private guests of Sandals chairman Gordon 'Butch' Stewart.
(WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS DEFINATELY NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT!!)
Nagin really IS on a trade mission: Now that nearly all of the former residents of inner city NOLA have been spread around all over THIS country, they're gonna need a fresh batch of poor,"disadvantaged and persecuted" potential welfare recipients to repopulate the place.
Jamaica has a large supply.
Yep, out with the french cajun, in with the poor Jamaican...
Wow, he got all dressed up, didn't he?
"Rebuild" relations with Jamaica? When was it torn down? What needs to be "rebuilt"? Maybe the flow of drugs into New Orleans needs to be rebuilt or stengthened.
What exactly is Jamaica's main export?
:-)
Also,
From CIA.gov World Factbook:
Illicit drugs:
major transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions
This page was last updated on 1 November, 2005
It's less than 2 months since a horrific disaster. Should he really be "vacationing" now?? Many of his constituents don't have that luxury.
Yeah, maybe Jamiac can straighten out New Orleans' problems.
If that doesn't work, they can always consult with Haiti or Mexico.
When is Mayor Nagin going to move to strengthen ties with Mars? Hey, how about Pluto?
Is he trying to revive the slave trade?
All things NO needs right now, huh?
I don't think Jamaica would have been my first port of call to scrounge up bidness.
Nagin is looking for NO to be the center for illegal aliens from Jamaica.
Aka--- Vacation as a Business Tax Write Off
"New Orleans' thriving tourism sector was severely damaged by Katrina, which killed hundreds in the region and levelled 80 per cent of the Louisiana capital."
So they moved the capital from Baton Rouge to New Orleans?
how about strengthening relations with your own constituency, RAY?
How Ray Got His Groove Back.
Like Domincan Republic or Bahamas?
He can vacation in a year from now, IMO.
Imagine the firestorm that would result if GWB were to take a vacation in the middle of a crisis.
When you're in trouble, describe your free vacation as a trip to develop economic ties.
Wonder how much Nagin's trip cost? And what Jamaica got for it? And does Nagin have to declare the amount of his junket on his taxes? Isn't it income?
And I take it NO doesn't have any rules about its elected officials accepting freebies over a certain amount?
Everyone deserves a vacation once in a while. Even this particular slimeball.
Stupid looking cornrow hairdos on returning tourists...
Oh, so true! My niece still has nightmares about how much hers hurt!
The New Orleans mayor who is vacationing in the island with his wife Seletha and three children, at a private villa owned by Sandals chairman
------Vacationing when so many people are in limbo from New Orleans. I would be trying to help my citizens, IMHO.
He was so damned proud and thought they were so cool, he volunteered to "do the rounds" his first day back to work ("rounds" being the run to the warehouses, banks, etc.).
Nagin - Ray Nagin
in
Live and Let Slime
What does it matter to you
when you got a city flooded booya
You got to live well
and give the republicans hell
duh duh duh duhu duh
( with apologies to roger moore and wings)
Yes Drug running into New Orleans
with Mr Big
Guess it's the dem version of, F'it.
"Imagine the firestorm that would result if GWB were to take a vacation in the middle of a crisis."
I seem to remember an uproar because GWB was on vacation BEFORE the Hurricane.</p>
Not to mention the drugs and crime, fit right in with the 'New America'!
Ganja, possees, or voodoo bones. Take your pick.
Was there tensions between Jamaica and New Orleans? Was there war?
Yeah, we should open up the doors to Haiti and Jamaica, oh, wait a minute, there are no doors.
That economic powerhouse known as Jamaica!
Just stay off Magenta Drive and away from Crab Key. Ask 007 about it.
powdered donuts...
"He's vacationing?!?!?!?"
Okay,this stuns even me, and I'm a native New Orleanian. I thought that I had seen it all, guess I was wrong. I'm glad I live in an outlying area that escaped major damage. With people like this in charge what chance does the city have?
Oops! This is new information. It has been reported that he bought a house "in Dallas", "in Frisco" and one other location that escapes memory at the moment. This is the first time I have seen Houston mentioned ... or that it is a 5 bedroom house.
What is the source of this information?
----When George Bush "vacationed" during a crisis, he was nailed to the cross. When Nagin does it, knowing his citizens are displaced and time is running out, it's ok. Go figure this logic.
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