Premier Cannonier First Shoe Shine Customer
In a nod to the traditional business hotel, The Fairmont Hamilton Princess today unveils its new shoe shine stand.
Located in the lobby, the custom-made, antique-inspired chair will serve as both a functional shoe shine stand as well as a unique show piece. For $6, guests of the hotel can give their footwear the “royal” treatment to include cleaning, polishing and buffing to a perfect shine.
The honour of the very first shoe shine was given to Premier Craig Cannonier who said: “I think the new shoe shine stand is a wonderful and practical service to offer guests, particularly business travellers.”
“As one of the main business hotels in Bermuda, we felt this new chair was a natural addition to The Fairmont Hamilton Princess,” said Len Czarnecki, General Manager at The Fairmont Hamilton Princess.
“As the only shoe shine stand like this in Bermuda, we were thrilled to have Premier Cannonier be the first to experience the service and we invite locals and guests to come in and give it a try.”
Situated near the concierge desk, the dark red mahogany stained chair features solid brass footrests and hardware, and comes complete with a built-in newspaper rack. The shoe shine stand will operate between 7am and 10am, Monday through Friday, except on holidays.
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Another photo-op? The more things change…
Such a shame you’re not photogenic, J Star!
Even Disney World has Micky Mouse, leave the poster man alone. His job is to smile while the big boys solve the problems the PLP couldn’t fix.
@J Starling: I know it’s irritating when pre-madona’s like yourself are not the center of attention.
You’re one to talk, your photo op cost the taxpayers, at least the Premier just gave $6 back and promoted a unique addition to a much needed sector.
Lol – Even if we follow your logic (didn’t know standing up for freedom of information and accountability qualified as a photo-op, but so so), let’s see how much this cost the tax-payer.
The Premier gets paid by the tax-payer. I believe his annual salary is $204,285. Which comes to $17,023.75 per month. Or $3928.56 per week. Assuming he works a 37.5 hour week, he costs us $104.76 per hour.
This photo-op would have taken at least an hour out of his day. So, he pays $6 to the shoe-shine. This brings the net cost to the tax-payer for this photo-op to $98.76.
I would think he works much more than 37.5 hours a week mate. He’s not a receptionist ffs.
Was using that simply because it is the standard work-week for full-time workers. He is, of course, Premier 24/7, but this seemed the appropriate metric for getting an idea of his hourly wage. It’s simplistic, sure, but better than nothing.
No, it’s made up and misleading. Nothing would have been better.
And you know what? It wouldn’t have taken anywhere near an hour. Come on, Jonathon you can do better than this. It was more like a few minutes, and whatever he was doing before and after that shoe shine was work. Your argument is petty.
My sentiments exactly but clearly some dont like my reply.
@J Starling – you are boring!!
The shoe shine itself would only take maybe a quarter of an hour. But going from Cabinet Office to the shoe shine stand and back, the disruption caused, etc, I think it’s fair to say it took an hour out of his work, yes.
Is the argument petty, about the cost to taxpayers? Perhaps, but it was in response to a petty attack against me. Sometimes it requires holding up a mirror to that pettiness.
To me, I fundamentally have a problem with the Premier being reduced to an advertising gimmick and photo op. I find it disrespectful to the office and to the people in light of the ‘serious workload’ the OBA complains about.
I also take issue to the OBA getting a free pass for doing things the PLP would have been crucified for. Had this been Dr Brown it would have launched a thousand insults. Instead it launches a thousand hypocrisies.
Your intial comment was petty and you didnt hold up a mirror because that would reflect back at me, istead you attack the Premier once again. You take issue with the Premier being used as an advertising gimmick yet advertising around the world uses figurs that people look up to in order to give their product a respected look. Your silly argument about how much it cost for the Premier to leave cabinet is crushed by the simple fact he is promoting a new addition to the recently purchased hotel by BERMUDIANS. Furhermore the plp were crucified because of their gross mismanagement and complete lack of respect for the general public over a period of almost 15 years, come back and complain after the 6 month deadline the oba gave us. I know you’ll just come back and argue for arguments sake because I’ve seen it on here before but the bottom line is you dont always have to be negative about the positive things the oba are doing to try and change the tarnished image of our island. You could join the rest of us in picking up the pieces or you would be just as good grabbing your skirt and heading back to Scottland to blog about it.
I don’t recall anyone crucifying Paula Cox for cutting the ribbon at Red last fall, certainly not you Jonathon. So maybe it’s 1001 hypocracies.
How could they when no news article exists featuring Paula Cox cutting the ribbon at Red last fall?…
There’s Bermudas own non-independent, independent thinker. Maybe you should do a sit-in in the new chair at HP
Given your confession that as premier, his job is 24/7, corrected appropriately, he actually makes just a fraction over $23.38/hr
You admitted yourself you may have gone about it the wrong way. There are specific avenues that can be taken to achieve what you attempted without having to disrupt daily work and pull the police away from more pressing matters. I’m dead sure the “photo op” as you want to label it didnt take any longer than it took to shine his shoes and not only that he was promoting something other than himself. Ever since 17/12/12 you and others have been nothing but haters while all the years before you remained silent like lambs. Something tells me you fear the reach of the Dr. So ya, until you criticize the countless photo ops, back door deals (not the kind you’re into), over budget construction projects, and everything else that glorified our unethical politicians while simultaneously lining their pockets and putting us in an inconceivable amount of debt while riding the backs of the hard working taxpayers, go lay down. Laverne and yourself would do well to take an oath of shutthef@ckup because while we put our country back on track the public doesn’t want to hear your negative BS every time the new government takes a step. Keep it up and you may end up like your brethren Tailhole Dill.
You have so much $hit to say but you never post the name ya mother gave you. Until you can man up, shut the F@ckup. At least J. Starling doesn’t hide behind a blog name like a keyboard nerd.
Ok Laverne, sorry with all the little wannabe gangsters that come on here the name my mother gave me wasn’t Stupid.
Jon,
You are a hypocrite and have turned into a simple media whore since December 17 2012.
You knew full well that the Permanent Secretary was in no position to simply give away a Government report without the Minister’s (who was off island) permission. If he/she would have done so they would have broken the CBA and confidentiality clauses they must abide by. So instead of coming back when the Minister was back in the office (the next day by the way) you acted like a petulant little child and ran to twitter, Bernews and anyone else that had a microphone and media presence. So your little stunt not only disrupted the PS’ daily work, but also required the police and another Minister to get involved.
So don’t play that it was all about freedom of information. You knew the rules and someone who professes to be about workers’ rights should have never expected the PS to breach their employment contract and established rules and regulations governing their job role.
You had nothing to say before December 17 2012 except defend and spin. Now all of a sudden you are a freedom fighter?
Hypocrite and fraud is exactly what you are…
…
Dear Mr Smith,
To begin with, I was unaware that the Minister was off-island until I arrived at the office. While I completely agree with you that the PS could not provide me with the information, I was – as should you be – fully aware that the Acting Minister or Premier had the authority to authorise the release of the documents I requested. I was also aware that the PS had the authority to write a statement which I could take back to my constituents, on who’s behalf I was acting, explaining why they could not release the document.
I waited in the waiting room reading a paper. That hardly interrupts the civil servants from working – any disruption was caused by them calling the police, not me. At the end of day I would have left when the office closed and returned the next day and so on until the documents were released or a written statement explaining why they could not be released was made available.
I only went to Twitter to ask for advice and provide evidence once it was clear they intended to seek my arrest.
I have been active in criticising the previous government, online and in the media. You seem to be experiencing some selective memory in failing to acknowledge that.
Yours,
Jonathan
“To begin with, I was unaware that the Minister was off-island until I arrived at the office. ”
So you were made aware once you arrived and despite knowing this, and knowing full well the PS couldn’t just give you the information you sought, you still sat there as opposed to returning the NEXT DAY to talk to the Minister.
Why would you continue to sit there and then tweet, run to Bernews or any media outlet that will listen to you whine?
You were never denied any information from the Government (i.e. Minister), but only from a civil servant who is prohibited from giving out such documents. But yet you claim your actions were in the spirit of “freedom of information?” We are not all gullible and naive my friend.
So your little PR stunt cost the taxpayer much more, as compared to the Premier promoting a local business, as it required the disruption not only of a the civil servants daily work but also that of another Minister.
And your claims of previous criticism is total and utter nonsense. Not once on here, the RG or any other site have you been so vociferous about the actions of the previous administration.
So I stand by my classification of you as a fraud and a hypocrite
He took time out of his day and brought attention to a local business man. This is a good thing for this man and his enterprise.
Don’t be an individual who paints Mr. Cannonier with the EB brush.
way to get Bermuda back to work shoe shinning
takes me back to the good old days like the 50s
if Ewart Brown was a political pitbull Craig Cannonier looks like an obedient lap dog
or a political ornament you bring out to display
Anybody ever thought this was what the hotel wanted, the Premier to be the first to get the service??
I would rather him in not so shiny shoes leading the country instead of again another photo op about nothing. That’s probably a senior working since his TCD benefit was pick pocketed.
Yeah, poor guy can barely afford to keep him $45,000 SUV on the road.
*his
@dreamcatcher
I’m sure the gentlemen who owns that stand doesn’t feel like the photo op was about nothing. It’s about his job and the success thereof.
The Premier bringing awareness is a good thing for this man.
At least he’s doing his photo ops here in our country, touting what is good and at least reasonably praise-worthy here, rather than jetting to Dubai and Bombay.
Standing Strong for Bermudians, one job at a time, 1,999 to go, and $6 per shine.
………please dont charge the shoe shine man 25% VAT on his $6.00 service to pay down the PLP’s debt burden, do some retroactive taxation on them big contracts that were shared out to friends and family, from 1980 to 2013
You are all a bunch of haters! Get a life!
Shame on you Jonathan for setting a negative tone on an article that I believe most people will find to be positive. Why positive?
To start with, we have a new business setting up, no matter how small, keeping at least one Bermudian employed. The business is located in our prime business hotel and provides a service to hotel guests – our visitors. The hotel no doubt called the Premier’s office and requested that he attend to be their first customer. I wonder how Jonathan, or anyone from the Opposition Party would have responded to such a request? Would it be best just to say no and to let the hotel know that our Premier is much too busy and much too important to take time out of his busy schedule to spend a few minutes helping to promote a new business venture catering to visitors/tourists and offering employment to a fellow Bermudian.
Our Premier’s have been taking time out of their busy schedules for decades to attend the opening of new businesses both big and small. That’s a little part of what they do. They support new ventures.
From where I’m sitting, this article and the negative comments from Jonathan Starling and others give a clear indication of where we are. The Premier is clearly showing that he and his Government want to encourage new business, no matter how big or small, in order to get our economy moving forward. Our PLP supporters on the other hand are prepared to criticize and disparage anything and everything the Premier and the new Government do – even if they would have done exactly the same had they still been in Government.
I often agree with Jonathan Starling’s comments, but on this one Jonathan, I have to give you the bird!!!
Jonathan Starling is just a silly young man with nothing better to do with his time than to make comments like this.
It is amazing how Jonathan Starling is being vilified. No disrespect to the shoe shine operator but this photo op is insulting. Why? Because we have yet to see Premier Cannonier come forward and speak on any real issues. He is being used as a token Premier. Just to smile and nod. I cannot believe he has allowed himself to be reduced to this. And to hear that he makes more than the PM of UK. Smh. If this was a picture of Dr Brown then there would be hundreds of comments attacking him. At least Dr Brown held down a ministry and his Premiership whereas Premier Canonier doesn’t seem to have any decision making abilities in his own government. The hypocrisy is blinding.
He tried to speak on a real issue in front of Cabinet the other day and the lynch mob wouldn’t let him get a word in.
@ Wow,
Far from vilifying Jonathan Starling, I for one pointed out why I thought he was wrong on this particular issue, and concluded by saying that I usually agree with his comments.
And as for this total myth about Premier Cannonier not speaking on any issues, it is abundantly clear that you simply don’t ever actually read what he has to say in the newspapers or when appearing on television. It appears from my vantage point that some folks from the Opposition camp are doing their utmost, with no success, to paint Premier Cannonier as a token Premier when he is just the exact opposite. He and his team appear to be doing their utmost to get our country back on track after inheriting a catastrophic economy, and they are doing so as a team.
seeing the premier of any party or a minister be the first guest for any business is rewarding and shows support towards our own people.
i wish the shoe shine business all the best and hope this news article helps build business.
let’s all help each other out… it’s something worth doing.