Marty Markowitz...I'd be careful with the last name on the person signing/organizing this petition. Ain't sound Caribbean and is likely some white person trying to take over the carnival.

There are many valid points there and it's obvious that the organization needs to be transparent and accountable. For example, the organization can have a carnival board that consists of members of the community (usually members of the contingents) and all fiscal things go through them though they are not really the ones making the decions on how money is spent.

A $500 prize is ridiculous. I have the same beef with the SF carnival because they spend 20K on festival entertainment and 19K on the stage and tents. Needless to say entertainment sucks.

Given that WIADCA or whatever it is called has so much political clout and has been around for so long, seems a better approach would be to join them and make them better rather than start from scratch. There are so many ways money can be reinvested in the community. Many artists in Trinidad are dealing with this now, asking for a cultural arts center. It would be interesting to know where the money goes. Maybe that needs some revamping to ensure it goes to an entity that benefits many people and can be used for profit ventures etc. or some great community service.