From Promise to Disappointment: A Critical Look at the Greek Independence Parade

ΕΑΝ ΠΡΟΤΙΜΑΤΕ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΠΑΤΗΣΤΕ ΤΗ ΣΗΜΑΙΑ ΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΩ ΜΕΡΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΟΘΟΝΗΣ

PHOTO: Business as usual – Katsos, the NYC “leader” and Manatos, the “Swamp Rat”… Representing Hellenism without forgetting their own business… What would Kapodistrias think about them?

Last year, we fully supported Lou Katsos’s bid for Parade Chairman, as he pledged to “rationalize” the organization and eliminate hidden connections and personal agendas.  He broke his main promises and disappointed many with his dictatorial managerial style.

By Nick Stamatakis

This analysis will deal mostly with the many issues created this year by the Parade Committee and its Chairman, Lou Katsos (regarding the Church’s role in the parade, please refer to our recent article – link here).

A central theme of our criticisms over the last few years was directed at the Parade Chairmen and the overall organization regarding the choice of Grand Marshalls.  We explained in a myriad ways that the Parade must finally stop selecting a Grand Marshall based on their likely financial contribution to the event, or on political or financial ties with the Parade Chairman, the Parade Committee, or others. Last year, we faced the extreme situation of having to select Vangelis Marinakis, who was under criminal investigation in Greece! Helleniscope’s well-founded criticisms and widespread influence led the second Grand Marshall, General Andrew Poppas, to cancel his appearance and send a lieutenant in his place!! Notably, the Parade Committee had the chance to hear Helleniscope’s opinion many months in advance, in October 2024 – in fact, they informally asked for our opinion!! They heard, but they did not listen… They ignored the facts, and we all saw the result…

When it came time to elect and install a new chairman, we fully supported Lou Katsos, as he pledged to “rationalize” the organization and eliminate hidden connections and personal agendas. To his credit, he began on a strong footing — forming committees, establishing a clear plan early in the summer, and addressing key organizational issues throughout the summer and early fall. He also planned and oversaw an unprecedented number of events related to Greek Independence.

However, many of these efforts ultimately fell short. As our ancestors wisely noted, “Ουκ εν τω πολλώ το ευ” (“quality does not lie in quantity”) – a lesson that proved all too relevant in this case.

Before Thanksgiving, it dawned on him to have a meeting with …himself and – without listening to the opinions of anyone else – to “secretly select the Grand Marshalls” – two personalities and two organizations. He unveiled these choices in late January at the Cathedral’s Vasilopita event, even personally inviting me to witness his “surprise” announcements. And surprise it was. The self-proclaimed “reformer” had ultimately chosen to favor his own business associate, John Catsimatidis—undermining the very principles of independence and transparency he had promised. (link here for our reaction to this event).

The following summarizes the major concerns raised – based on numerous complaints submitted to Helleniscope – regarding “Katsos-style” leadership:

• Authoritarian management style: A highly centralized approach marked by top-down, “military-style” directives, frequent yelling, and coarse language, with little emphasis on collaboration or teamwork.
• Unilateral decision-making: The selection of Grand Marshals has historically been a collective process involving the Federation Board, Parade Committee, and broader community input. Katsos’s decision to act alone represents an unprecedented and troubling break from that tradition.
• Broken promises:
  1. He pledged to avoid financial or preferential considerations in honoring individuals, yet selected his long-time business associate, John Catsimatidis.
  2. He publicly committed to honoring filmmaker Giannis Smaragdis (“Kapodistrias”) but failed to follow through.
• Inappropriate use of public space: The installation of plaques at Bowling Green – a historic landmark where the American flag was first raised in New York in 1783 – was widely viewed as improper. Questions also remain whether proper authorization from the Parks Department was obtained.

PHOTO: Katsos, “A New York City Hero”, the honorary award given to Katsos by Arthur Piccolo, Chairman of the Bowling Green Association… To justify the atrocious plaques…

• Media exclusion and retaliation: Ahead of the April 25 Cipriani Gala ($600 per person), Helleniscope was denied full access under the pretext that it was not “main media.” Who is part of the “main media”? We should ask… The “photographers” and the “bootlickers” who never dare write a word of criticism to get a few pennies extra?  Following our critical coverage of the Bowling Green plaques, Katsos sent us a message early Saturday morning that “our presence at the Gala has been blocked”, showing his true dictatorial face…
• Even before the above episodes, we had called for the disclosure of funds allocated to community media, but this remains unanswered.  Helleniscope is the ONLY news medium in the community that, 5 years ago, promised to draw NO funds from the Parade budget until the Federation is reunified. Past practices suggest significant – and at times excessive – payments that warrant public accountability. Many still remember the tens of thousands paid to TNH during the infamous “Galatoulas leadership.”
• Failure to communicate and delegate: The most consistent complaint across stakeholders has been Katsos’s inability to communicate effectively, share responsibility, and empower collaborators, leading to widespread frustration among those expected to work with him.
• At a Panomogeneiaki meeting at the Federation in March, Katsos rightfully chastised the Hellenic Initiative (his own “secret” choice for Grand Marshall) for their announcement that they would charge $100 for an event at a taverna with the Evzones!! He used harsh words, as is his style, but then he removed the livestream from the Parade’s YouTube channel! If certain principles were faithfully followed, shady actors such as Kostas Ouranitsas (who allegedly masterminded this) wouldn’t be able to exploit the Evzones.
• We should once again note the positive role Peter Vlitas has played, overseeing the Evzones’ participation.  He was only limited by the Archdiocese’s sometimes inappropriate decisions and by the friction in his relationship with Lou Katsos. The goal here is to relieve the Evzones of being a tool of promotion for anyone, esp. the Archbishop, and to render them a symbol of our pride and part of the calendar/life of our schools.

Finally, I would be remiss not to note that Katsos’s extreme emphasis on “bridging revolutions” (i.e., the American and Greek Revolutions) was historically inaccurate and excessive.  Don’t misunderstand me: for many years, Helleniscope has promoted the theme of American Philhellenism – if you search our site, you will find many examples, especially those related to the work of the American Philhellenes Society, led by our friends Georgia and Peter Nikolopoulos.  But watching and listening to Katsos pre-parade themes, one would think that the Greek Revolution of 1821 started between Baltimore and New York and was primarily assisted by American Philhellenes!!

BUT we all know the facts: the 1821 Greek Revolution started in Russia (Odessa was Russian, and Moldova and Wallachia were partly under Russian rule).  Above all, the Ypsilantis brothers were high-standing officers in the Russian Army, and Kapodistrias, the true leader of the Revolution, was the Russian Foreign Minister for years!!  Finally, without the huge Russian victory in the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-29 (The Russians came 20 miles outside Constantinople!!) and the ensuing “Treaty of Adrianople” (1829), Greece would not be independent but part of the Ottoman Empire – paying taxes to the Sultan (that was actually the British plan)!!

Katsos likes to proclaim himself a historian, while distorting basic historical facts and refusing to pronounce the word “Russia” ONCE before and during the Parade… I have watched Katsos talk repeatedly about the countries that supported the Greek Revolution, from Haiti (a wonderful participant in this year’s parade with its folk costumes) to America, England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, and more.  He mentioned 15-20 countries on various occasions, and never once did the word “Russia” come out of his mouth!! He has caught the same “cancel culture” virus that has afflicted many other ignoramuses in America, who happily cancel “Russia, Russia, Russia” to please their “deep state” masters…

It would probably not bother me so much, but a very important part of my doctoral dissertation (main theme: Greek Cypriot identity, Stony Brook 1994) on the issue of “exploiting or rewriting history to serve current political goals.” I was lucky enough to put these ideas into practice in the early 1990s when the “Skopje nationalists” hallucinated that they were Macedonians, descendants of Alexander the Great!…  In the years when AB Iakovos and the whole Greek-American community were demonstrating in DC and NY – outside the United Nations, I was the main editorialist at TNH, and my articles played a significant role! It’s unbelievable to me that today, 35 years later, I would have to expose another “hallucinator” of historical dreams, Katsos….

Based on the above notes, I plan to put together ideas for creating better foundations (maybe a permanent Parade structure/organization next to the Federation?).  I am inviting all of you to contribute…

May 1, 2026, 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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