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Michael Granger is StMaartenNews.com's Person of the Year

Philipsburg - Michael Granger is StMaartenNews.com's choice for Person of the Year. No one has helped make more headlines in 2017 than Michael Granger in his role of PR & Communication Officer for the Ministry of TEATT headed by the Honourable...

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stmaartennews.com
Dear Reader

Our nominations for Person of the Year certainly garnered a lot of responses.

Our choices were based on who made headline news in 2017. As a media outlet, our hint should have given our readers an idea as to what our choice would be and why.

However, we did receive via email some good arguments why others should have been on this list of nominees.

AJ wrote: " Person of the year should be Glen Carty and or the Laser 101 storm watch team. He may not have made as many headlines as your other nominees but they played a critical role for everyone on the island in the most challenging of times."

MD also wrote: " I just saw your person of the year nominations. I'm very disappointed you did not include the actual person of the year Mr. Glen Carty. His continuous broadcast on Laser 101 kept our nation informed when our own government just stood by and did nothing before, during and after Hurricane Irma. I hereby request you consider him as a candidate. If it wasn't for Mr. Glen Carty and his daughter Jennifer Carty the passing of the hurricane would have been so much worse for so any of us. They gave us a sense of hope, understanding and security."

PP wrote: " I really do enjoy reading the StMaartenNews newsletter, but I have to respond to the editorial statements of the December 30th edition: "So when we stop to think about who our Person of the Year would be, we think about those who have consistently made the headlines in 2017. That is why our nominees for Person of the Year 2017 are people who have made the headline news one way or the other. Some dominating the headlines even more than others. Some willingly, some unwittingly. Some from behind the scenes. Some from far away. Some from near. Some just by using the power of their pens."

And then you present your readers a list of 5 nominees to vote for Person of the Year 2017. I'm not from St. Maarten but I believe they're all politicians. I don't believe it is right to present to your readers a list of politicians in a year where politics failed St. Maarten so bad. And just because they were in the news is not a good enough reason. It is the people of St. Maarten that should be on the list. They were in news with or without names but continuously starting September 5th. They were inspiring, hardworking, suffering, recovering, rebuilding etc. etc. They should be in the spotlight and be persons of the year. Just because someone is in the news often should not make him or her person of the year. Time Magazine did not choose Donald Trump person of the year, although he must have made the headlines more than any other individual in 2017. No, Time Magazine chose the #MeToo movement person of the year. Life is more than politics. Readers want to read more in their newspaper than politics, they want to read articles on what really matters. I know The Daily Herald already chose the people of St. Maarten to be person of the year, but stillI I think you should be able to come up with something more inspiring than the list of people you're presenting us right now."

We tend to agree with these writers. That is why StMaartenNews.com uses its medium as a platform to highlight the actions, the activities and the achievements of those who work tirelessly in the community executing their civic duties to help others. But we need help from others to bring these people and their work to our attention. Having a good PR person in any organization goes a long way in helping us know about the works of these people.

The popular vote in the poll went to Sarah Wescot-Williams, followed by William Marlin. No surprises there. We also nominated Wycliffe Smith because he has written extensively over the past year about Parliament and its functioning. For this he was a strong second place choice for us. We therefore urge many to write and to submit their articles for publication. We at StMaartenNews.com will gladly publish your writings.

Minister Ronald Plasterk was chosen because he managed to dominate how St. Maarten was perceived in the Dutch and local media. This to the detriment of William Marlin, whose downfall as Prime Minister of Country St. Maarten we believe is more a public relations failure than anything else. Instead, he has been made to be perceived as a leader who did not take decisive actions before, during and after a natural disaster of epic proportions on St. Maarten. Even worst, St. Maarten has been made out to be a country full of incompetent, ineffective and untrustworthy politicians who are not worthy of being in charge of the disbursement of some 550 million euros in recovery aid to rebuild the island.

Hence, our selection as an online media outlet for Michael Granger as Person of the Year for 2017. His body of work speaks volume. Just do a search on our website using the keyword " Doncher" and see the results.

The lesson we want to impart with our selection is that in today's world of social media, fake news and spin doctors working their media magic to influence the public, as a minister, especially a prime minister, a ministry, a department, an organization, a company, basically any public or private entity, you have to be aware of the power of the media and be able to effectively respond to any publication or effectively direct the publication of news regarding your organization. You cannot let anyone else dictate how you are perceived in the media. It is unavoidable that a (Prime) Minister or CEO will be in the news, sometimes even with bad press. But having a competent and effective PR person working on your behalf goes a long way in mitigating the effects of bad publicity.

St. Maarten as a country has had a lot of bad publicity in 2017 for a lot of reasons and the media plays a great role in that process and we are the first to admit that a lot of that bad press is directed from behind the scenes by person or persons for ulterior reasons and often we have to see the bigger picture to understand who is doing that and for what reasons. As such, we the media have to always remain critical of the news we publish and understand its effect and consequences.

But the media is also helped to be effective when we have public relations officers who know their jobs and communicate effectively with the press. Therefore, we congratulate Michael Granger and thank him for all his press releases.

With that said, we wish everyone no bad press but only good publicity for 2018.

The Publisher,
StMaartenNews.com

PS: Please email your press releases, public announcements and bulletin board notices to info@stmaartennews.com. We urge to always include a photo as often as possible.

StMaartenNews.com New Year's Messages
NEW YEAR ADDRESS BY PRIME MINISTER RAFAEL BOASMAN 2018

Fellow residents of St. Maarten here on the island or abroad, it is with mixed emotions I address you as 2017 comes to its end and 2018 approaches. It is customary that at the end of the year we reflect on the occurrences of the past year and...

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stmaartennews.com
New Year's message from President of Parliament

"Don't let the disaster that befell us get the better of us." It would take more than a few words to adequately describe the year which has become last year and a year we have put behind us. A year we would rather forget, but are reminded of...

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stmaartennews.com
New Year's Message from Minister of Education

Philipsburg - The following address is the New Year's Message from Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Ms. Silveria Jacobs. With a new year, we are granted new opportunities and chances to make a difference, give our life a different ...

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stmaartennews.com
Minister Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher New Year Message 2018

Thinking differently Fellow citizens, What a test 2017 turned out to be. At the start of the year, none of us could have imagined going through a year that has brought about such dramatic changes to so many lives. The one thing we were sure of,...

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stmaartennews.com
End of Year Address of former Prime Minister William Marlin

Fellow St. Maarteners, Residents of our beautiful Island, For many of us, 2017 could not end fast enough. It has been a year of unprecedented disaster in the form of Hurricanes Irma and Maria; a year in which many of our plans and even successes...

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stmaartennews.com
StMaartenNews.com Police News
Suspect wanted by Anguilla Police Arrested in Sint Maarten

SINT MAARTEN/ANGUILLA - The Sint Maarten Police Force started 2018 with a very high note, after a suspect wanted by the Anguilla Police was arrested here on the island. Police confirmed to Soualiga Newsday on Monday evening that the suspect was...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Poll

William Marlin - 26.7%
Sarah Wescot-Williams - 37.8%
Wycliffe Smith - 17.8% 
Ronald Plasterk - 11.1%
Michael Granger - 6.7%

Poll sponsored by AirSXM.com, where the first fare is always the lowest fare guaranteed.
Should Glen Carty be awarded a special award as Extraordinary Person of the Year 2017?
Yes
No
StMaartenNews.com Political News
Throwing down government had absolutely nothing to do with..

Dear Editor, The people of Sint Maarten are growing increasingly frustrated with the uncertain and unstable position that the country was forced into by a few individuals who decided that it would be in their personal interest to bring this...

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stmaartennews.com
SMCP Candidate, Shenella Browne, opts out due to health...

Philipsburg - Due to health reasons, SMCP Candidate, Shenella Brown, will not be able to contest the upcoming parliamentary election on February 26, 2018. Nevertheless, Shenella has still managed to remain active, in her hometown district, Dutch...

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stmaartennews.com
OSPP out; Lenny Priest to contest elections on NA ballot

PHILIPSBURG - Leader of the One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP) Lenny Priest, says he will be contesting the coming elections on the ballot of the National Alliance (NA). Priest has over the years been very vocal about issues he deems pertinent...

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www.soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Online News Stories
January 2 Day Off for Civil Servants

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The Council of Ministers recently decided to give Civil Servants a day off on January 2nd, 2018. All Government Offices with the exception of emergency and special services will be closed on Tuesday, January 2nd.

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www.sintmaartengov.org
Art school donates to Sint Maarten Police Force

PHILIPSBURG - On Saturday December 30 th 2017 the Sint Maarten Police Force received a donation from the Art Café Gallery and Art School in the form of two paintings that were created by art students of various ages attending the school.

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www.soualiganewsday.com
Community Bulletin Board Notices & Announcements

#1. SZV will be re-opening their offices on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018. #2. The Board of the National Alliance hereby invites its membership to a Special Membership Meeting to be held on Wed, Jan. 3rd, 2018 at the Belair Community Center at 5:30pm.

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stmaartennews.com
Government stops with Guangdon Zhenrong Energy

WILLEMSTAD - The government of Curaçao puts - as expected - an end to the relationship with the Chinese company Guangdong Zhenrong Energy (GZE). This paved the way for finding a new strategic partner for the operation of the Isla oil refinery....

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curacaochronicle.com
Help Rebuild St. Maarten Mental Health Care

Foundation The Quill wants to help the mental health organizations on St. Maarten to accommodate the population of St. Maarten. These are the Mental Health Foundation and Turning Point Foundation for rehabilitation (addiction care)...

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foundationthequill.com
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Let's Cruise - Eastern, Western, Southern Caribbean...

Lets-Cruise.co is offering cruise vacations on the best and biggest cruise ships in the world with brand name cruises and destinations in the Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean, Alaska, Europe and the Mediterranean, ...

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Former Leo member Hassana Ellis spreads Christmas joy

Former Leo member spreads Christmas Joy - Acting Minister Plenipotentiary Mr. Hasana Ellis, (former Omega Leo member) during a working visit to St. Maarten, visited the St. Maarten Lions Club. During...

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Lions & Leos host Christmas Party

Lions & Leos host Christmas Party - St. Maarten Lions Club assisted by St. Maarten South Omega Leo Club organized a Christmas Party for the children staying at the Festival Village and the Little...

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Successful Christmas Market 2017 at the Philipsburg Library

PHILIPSBURG - The annual Christmas Market hosted by the Philipsburg Jubilee Library on December 21 st, 2017, was a huge success. The Christmas Market hosted 28 booth holders. Past & present booth holders came out with new original ideas and...

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Advertise Here

Email info@stmaartennews.com today and request our advertising rates for 2018.

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stmaartennews.com
Changes in 2018 - a round-up of taxes, benefits and new laws

As every year, a number of new laws come into effect on January 1, while taxes and benefits go up and down. Here's a round-up of the main changes: Work and benefits The minimum wage for an adult will rise by 58 cents a day to €72.83.

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StMaartenNews.com Column
Find and mind Caribbean culture

by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Maybe I should have suggested a headline 'The quest for the Caribbean heart and soul and purifying its society'. But there are more and different perspectives to it. It should be a top resolution for the New Year. Tourists...

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stmaartennews.com
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