Like a slacker teenager who asked to borrow the car if he promises to wash it and fill up the tank but flaked out, the Chamber is a big disappointment.
SDUT article Chamber of Commerce might put off holiday parade
“One of the things we are considering is that maybe not doing it in '07 but doing it in '08,” chamber Executive Director Gary Tucker said. “We have not said we are not doing it. We want to make sure we are doing it right. We're looking at all options.”
Tucker declined to elaborate on the obstacles the chamber faces in hosting the event, which has attracted almost 100 community groups in the procession and 30,000 spectators in past years.
Tucker said one of the problems was the lack of time.
The chamber had spent the first half of the year preparing its new office at Second Street and moving from its former home on Encinitas Boulevard, Tucker said.
The Chamber parade committee hard at work.Encinitas' holiday parade is not just a major holiday event. It was a source of controversy two years ago when then-Mayor Dan Dalager changed its name from Holiday Parade to Christmas Parade.
The name change infuriated some members of Encinitas' Jewish community, who accused the city of favoring the Christian faith in a taxpayer-funded event. The parade was held nevertheless.
Take the parade duties away from the pathetic Chamber who apparently has been too busy shopping at IKEA to give a damn. (Maybe give the parade duties to the Jewish community?)
Previous NCT.com story about the cocky Encinitas Chamber, Encinitas chamber on the move
Dude, I've been like really busy bro. I'll do that parade thing next year, I swear. Quit smothering me bro.
take the 100k and blow off the parade.
ReplyDeleteMoving to downtown after downtown was spuced up and then saying it will help the city if they move there.
How does cancelling a parade help the city?
This is a fund raising gimmick or a publicity stunt of some sort. This in no way makes the chamber look good so why would they let this get out to the press until they were sure?
ReplyDeleteNow is the time for the council to jump in and immediately call other organizations to ask them to take over.
Call:
1) the temple. they will change the name,
2) DEMA. it is downtown,
3) Rotary. they could pull it off,
4) Boy Scouts. I would be a good experience.
The origin of the parade, by the chamber, was to bring business to downtown Encinitas. The city shouldn't be involved in the chamber events. The city already gives the chamber $90,000 a year.
ReplyDeleteLast year the parade cost the city over $40,000. The money that is spent on the parade should be spent on storm drains.
The chamber hierarchy was threatened by Stocks and Dalagar to do the parade per their exact instructions or they would be toast.This way they could have their christian F.U. fest without direct city funding and, more importantly, get a ton of air time on the Roger Hedgekook show.
ReplyDeleteGet off Gary Tucker's back. He's a real good guy and you have no idea what he's really going through relative to this subject.It is unlikely the facts will ever see the light of day.
ReplyDeletethey are sure, the board voted not to do it.
ReplyDeleteCEO is soft peddling the news.
The chamber takes public money. Their books, minutes, and anything else is public information.
ReplyDeleteSo, what are the facts?
we only got what Gary wants to tell the people to work with here.
ReplyDeleteThe chamber has had a cozy relationship with Barratt and the eckes. In the last chamber newsletter they had a big article on how great David Meyer's, husband of Ecke, new development is going to be. That is pretty distant from a topic that gets its readers to shop encinitas. Before that Gary was a major force for Ecke's prop A campaign and he used chamber's resources (taxpayer financed) to campaign pro Ecke. Shouldn't some have gone to jail for that?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the function of the chamber? How does giving a page to David Meyer's development help carry out that function?
This is poetic justice because Tucker is a big supporter of the 3 councilboyz.
ReplyDeleteFrom the ut comments,
"I heard that the city didn't disclose the full cost of the parade." To the chamber or the public.
If true it will not be surprising. The city plays shell games with the money and Tucker either knew this or he had his head stuck in the sand and didn't want to believe all the "whiners". Now the problem is in his backyard. He isn't a NIMBY, so lets watch him swallow the costs or find funding.
Funny question: who's whining now?
Put on the Parade or stand up and tell the public that Dalager and Stocks don't keep a tight ship down at city hall and don't disclose the real costs.
Let DEMA take the reigns... they would do a better job anyway!
ReplyDeletePut Barbara Cobb in charge of the parade. She seems to know what is best for everyone.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we boycott all parades until we're out of Iraq?
ReplyDeleteI give. What does Gary Tucker do and what does Peder Norby do at the Chamber? I thoght Peder was in charge. Help someone. Clue me in if you don't mind.
ReplyDeleteahhh, comment moderation (aka board censorship).... it's what's for dinner.
ReplyDeleteHow about a peace march. Tis the season. Jews and Christians believe in Peace, don't they?
ReplyDeleteARrr... Was'nt Jesus a Jew!
ReplyDeleteChrist.... Can't we all get along for humanity?
Long boarders have to give respect to the short boarders for better skill......
ReplyDeletelet the fat asses waite for some waves and let the short boarders show them some them style.
Peder is not in charge of Gary Tucker. But he is in charge of Irene Kratzer. That will be fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteHere's an idea: Get off your blogger butt and use this "powerful" blog source to arrange and fund the parade. I believe the actual cost is $75,000.
ReplyDeleteHere is another idea: Since this is a community oriented event, ask the community to come together and make it happen (Surfers, Taxpayers, Schools, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Chamber, DEMA, Rotary, etc.). Power of the people! What would Austin Powers do? Yaah Baby!
Funny how this event has gone from something the Chamber originally put for the community at no cost - to something that is totally expected at no cost.
Consider this - Back in time when the parade was started, Encinitas was not even a city...
How do you like "them" apples?
hmmm, I've got a lot of fund raising to do. I've been challenged to raise $100,000 for public art and $75,000 for the Holiday parade. Oh yeah, I'm also supposed to raise money for median landscaping on HWY101.
ReplyDeleteIf I have to raise that much money I'm giving it to some orphan kid with cancer.
It would be interesting to see an accounting for the cost involved in the parade. What's happened over the last couple of years that made it no longer affordable...?
ReplyDeleteJP imposter,
ReplyDeleteYou don't need 100K to make a beloved piece of surf art for the ages. It can be done for 50K.
What if they gave a Peace Parade and nobody came?
ReplyDeleteThe sweet "little old ladies" who worked for free, as volunteers, at the previous Community Commerce center, near Smart & Final, didn't endorse the move downtown, and spoke against it at Council Meetings, to no avail.
ReplyDeleteThere was not a parking problem, there. People visiting from out of area didn't have to try and find Second St. They were right near the Encinitas Blvd. off the freeway, easy access to Moonlight, too.
Gary Tucker and "friends" had to move downtown to a more prestigious location. Just like Christy Guerin, high paid District Manager for Bilbray, moved his headquarters to Solana Beach, from Escondido.
Now, the Chamber is reserving two more parking spots for its use, twenty minute parking only. We are losing seven parking spots to the new Pacific Station development, and two more to the Chamber of Commerce.
why are people talking when they have no idea what is going on!
ReplyDeleteBecause that's how this blog creates buzz. Give the public just enough info to get their conspiracy feelers up, and then let them voice all manner of opinion, not fact.
ReplyDeleteAll we have to go on is this crappy news article saying that there may not be a parade in 2007. This is completely unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteAre you heart broken if there is no parade? Can you come up with the $60K to put it on? I say, let's just do a doo dah parade in the parking lot at Scripps and be happy.
ReplyDeleteO.K. - I'm here to set the record straight for all of you who seem very confused. Since I am the person who planned the Parade last year as well as worked as an assistant for the Parade the three years prior to last year's I can tell you that the public does NOT have all the facts regarding who is doing what for this year's Parade, nor is it important for them to know all of them. All the community needs to know at this point is, YES - there will be a Parade in 2007 and it will be called the "Poinsettia Parade" and it will be held on the first Saturday of December, just as it has been for the past several years. Whether the Chamber organizes the event, the City organizes the event, an independent group of citizens organizes the event, or if they all work together to organize the event - it WILL happen. The ACTUAL cost of the parade is not even close to $75,000- more like 1/2 of that and things are being looked at so as to bring that price down. When Gary referred to not having enough time to plan the Parade, he wasn't that far off. The City usually starts to work on this event as early as February/March - so this being August already, the planning is a bit behind but certainly NOT to the point where the Parade won't happen due to lack of time. I hope this has cleared the air for a few of you and that you will continue to come out and enjoy this great community event
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon 2:11. I hope that the name change will mollify the "anti" zealots. Nice to hear that we'll still have our community parade!
ReplyDelete