Six Years Later: What Did New York State Companies Receive From Governor Andrew Cuomo’s US$100,000.00+, 27-Hour Visit To Cuba?
/Six Years Later…. What Did New York State Companies Get For Governor Cuomo’s Estimated US$100,000.00+ 27-Hour Visit To Cuba?
Was a US$10,000.000 “Advance” Trip Necessary If A Consultant Was Paid US$25,000.00?
What’s Happened- Where’s The Yogurt And Milk And Healthcare Products?
Why No Representatives From PANYNJ, NYSDAM?
Governor Staff To Company Ratio Was More Than 2:1
Why Did He Ignore Financial Institutions?
Six years ago, The Honorable Andrew Cuomo (D), Governor of the State of New York, embarked on a twenty-seven (27) hour quixotic journey to the Republic of Cuba with a foundation anchored far more upon his focus to be the “first” governor to visit the archipelago since the 17 December 2014 statements by President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro than by his role as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of the State of New York.
To date, there have been no published reports of exports of products to the Republic of Cuba from the seven (7) companies participating in the 20 April 2015 to 21 April 2015 visit.
The Governor and his staff embraced the “planting seeds” analogy… There are few seeds that do not create something within six years.
The planning process and follow-up to the April 2015 visit was the third-least transparent of the twenty-one (21) governors who visited the Republic of Cuba since 1999. The visits by West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant were the least transparent.
What the Governor shared with media in January 2015 about the focus for his visit to the Republic of Cuba was different than the anticipated result from the April 2015 visit to the Republic of Cuba.
The Governor used a 150-passenger Airbus A-320 aircraft operated by Long Island City, New York-based JetBlue Airways Corporation for a group (including eighteen journalists) comprising approximately sixty (60) passengers. JetBlue Airways Corporation did not report if (how) the aircraft was chartered by a third-party and if any discount (or contribution) was provided.
The Governor traveled with representatives of seven New York-based companies and fifteen (15) members of his staff- seven (7) of whom had a focus upon relations with the media. He was accompanied by five (5) representatives of the New York State Legislature. Some delegation members had made campaign contributions to Governor Cuomo.
Governor Cuomo was not the first governor to have a visit scheduled to the Republic of Cuba since 17 December 2014. He was the second.
The Honorable Jay Nixon (D), Governor of the State of Missouri, was scheduled to visit from 1 March 2015 to 4 March 2015, but due to the death (suicide) of The Honorable Tom Schweich, Missouri State Auditor, the ninety-five (95) member delegation was led by Mrs. Georganne Nixon.
Governor Cuomo directed more resources (human and financial) towards preparation of the April 2015 visit than any of the governors who visited the Republic of Cuba since 1999, resulting in the highest expenditure of taxpayer funds for one night in the city of Havana, Republic of Cuba.
The U.S. flag was not flown outside the U.S. Interests Section in Havana on 20 April 2015. On 20 July 2015, the U.S. Interests Section in Havana was re-designated as U.S. Embassy Havana. The Honorable John Kerry, United States Secretary of State, traveled to the city of Havana for the ceremonial opening on 14 August 2015, at which time the United States flag was raised on Embassy grounds.
Governor Cuomo would likely have gained greater value for New York-based companies had he waited forty-days (40) for the removal of the Republic of Cuba from the Sanctions List (May 2015), then waited a further ninety-days (90) past the re-establishment of formal diplomatic relations for the for the flag-raising on 14 August 2015.
If Governor Cuomo had waited, he could have been the first governor to enter the United States Embassy in Havana in more than fifty (50) years. That’s a deserving newspaper front page image.
Upon completion of the May 2015 through August 2015 events, the government of the Republic of Cuba would have encountered fewer sector-specific impediments to implement agreements with New York-based companies (entities); and the governor would have been a more forceful advocate on behalf of a larger delegation of New York State-based companies (entities) brought together through a more inclusive and expressive process.
