PHOTO: Peter Gerazounis and Yiannis Stroumbakis, two promising younger leaders ready to help the Federation of New York.
The next few weeks and months will be tests for the unification process, which will involve the younger generation’s participation in the Federation through the operation of the Parade Committee.
By Nick Stamatakis
In the last few days, the situation around the Federation of NY has been critical in every sense. The two opposing sides are acting in a way that is truly not helpful for transitioning to a solution to the problem and forming a new administration.
The Kalamaras side rushed to the election based on a new charter that had not been discussed widely and is inappropriate for the present situation. 1) How do you proceed to have two sets of “parties” running for the election when the Federation is split? Yes, if unity had been achieved, this might have worked. But the way things are, this “system” led to a “prefabricated” election. 2) I often warned all sides that they should take this as a new beginning, a “constitutional” phase. How can you include the younger generation if you apply a STUPID rule that they should have served at least one term before they are allowed to take office? The younger generation has already proven that they are more mature and able to run the Federation better than the older “do nothing” presidents. And they should be allowed to be elected officers since these first elections.
The Georgopoulos side, unfortunately, are acting as they always acted, as orangutans, as thugs! When I started writing about the Federation, 3-4 years ago, George Georgopoulos was fistfighting in Stathakeion! The other two (Tassos Karagounis and Pol Kotronis) were cursing and being violent in different ways, acting like thugs! I exposed all three of them, and they were forced to change at least the optics of their behavior. Now, all three of them (along with others) have “graduated” to unbelievable acts of blackmailing and harassment against the other side, whose associations wanted to take part in this Saturday’s elections. Did anyone harass you and your friends in any “election” you held over the past two years? No!! Why do you act like thugs? For this reason alone, their role in this transitional phase and the future of the Federation should be minimal. Their attitude does not belong among us in this community.
I have supported the 2024 Parade Committee mainly for their superb job organizing the Parade, and I have pointed out that most of its members belong to the younger generation. I have recently proposed that this younger generation form a Parade Committee for 2025, which should be used as a vehicle for the transition of the Federation to a new phase where, eventually, in the next few months, they could organize new elections and take over the administration. Hopefully, they will be allowed to do it agreeably. People like Yiannis Stroumbakis, Peter Gerazounis, Aris Kourkoumelis, Dimitris Gonias, and the rest of the Parade Committee deserve a chance. They should take the lead and bring the community together and back into Stathakeion. They should be allowed to be elected in any office from these elections.
Philip Christopher can help with his experience, BUT we have not forgotten that in December 2022, while the two sides were very close to making a deal and proceeding united to elections, he was asked to help and turned his back to an effort organized by respected community leaders (Nikos Alyssandratos, Kostas Evangelatos, Theodoros Pavlakos). Many weeks of talks and negotiations had taken place then, and it was very disappointing to watch Philip Christopher ignore a valiant effort.
Hopefully, this time, Philip will act as a “good faith facilitator” and put all his credibility and experience on the table to offer a solution. He should take advantage of the younger leaders’ immense goodwill and talent. For the Federation of NY, there is only one way: Forward with the Younger Generation!
April 25, 2024, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
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Conclusively, since the New Leaders will not democratically take charge of the Omospondia’s affairs, as it seems, it’s inevitable that its end is fast approaching, with all of these conniving and endlessly conspiring idiots running it. As a former member of the Omospondia’s Independent Auditing Committee and knowing first hand the thievery and the disappearance of incriminating financial records that took place, I am amazed to see that certain “thieves” are still playing an active role in the Omospondia’s affairs. I have been trying all along to find an amicable solution for the Omospondia’s huge problem, with a well conceived road map of mine, that was accepted in the past by both of its fighting parties and which was never implemented due to their self serving idiotic reasons. As Euripides said: “Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish” and that’s exactly how the above mentioned “fools” handled the above mentioned road map, for the Omospondia’s survival. As far as I am concerned, most of the Omospondia’s actors and for their own good, shall immediately visit a psychiatrist, since they are way beyond any “επιτόπιας εγκεφαλικής επισκευής”. However, the only remaining way out of this mess, is the creation of a brand new non for profit organization to be named “Federation of Global Hellenic Diaspora”, in order to replace the Omospondia, with a capable New Leadership in charge and modeled after the well run international ” The Hellenic Initiative” organization.