Community Relations Commission

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION SISTER CITIES SUBCOMMITTEE Draft Minutes for Meeting on October 29, 2014 Present: Chair Bruce Doughty, Commissioners Safa Hamed, Dale Duda, and Elliot Bruckman Absent: Member Gerri Kirby Place: Northbrook Public Library, Study Room 2. Chair Doughty called the meeting to order at approximately 7:00 p.m. He welcomed everyone, and then provided an overview for the meeting. Report from the Highland Park Meeting Chair Doughty reported on his October 8 meeting with Carol Wolfe, who has been running Highland Park’s Sister Cities program for the past 25 years. He found the meeting very informative, noting that Ms. Wolfe has deep experience and is very willing to help Northbrook start a Sister Cities program. Among other things, Ms. Wolfe shared structural information about Highland Park’s program, which has a non-governmental organization, with separate committees for each sister city. She also discussed both successes and failures with other cities, noting the importance of having local governmental support. Ms. Wolfe pointed to the arts and food as good early points for cultural exchange, and added that connections at the high school level have been beneficial, as well. Ms. Wolfe would be happy to address the Commission and/or the Subcommittee about her town’s experiences. Discussion of Initial Mission Statement Chair Doughty presented a draft initial mission statement. He explained that the statement was intended to capture the Subcommittee’s cultural and educational focus. He also noted that the statement was initial in nature, as it focuses on developing a Sister Cities program, and he expects that the statement would evolve if and when a program is established. After discussion, the Subcommittee approved the statement with one adjustment. Chair Doughty said that he would present the statement to the Commission at its next meeting. Discussion of Candidate Identification and Evaluation Process Chair Doughty reviewed the Subcommittee’s framework for identifying and 1 evaluating candidate cities. The approach will have a cultural and educational focus. The process will be inclusive across the Village. It also will be transparent. Chair Doughty noted various methods for identifying potential cities, including word of mouth, publicity, and various arms of the Sister Cities organization. He added that the Subcommittee would be developing criteria for evaluating candidate cities. For examples, he pointed to size, location, level of governmental support, and opportunities for meaningful exchange. Chair Doughty asked the Subcommittee members to develop additional ideas for criteria, which will be discussed at coming meetings. Miscellaneous The Subcommittee discussed roles that youth members could play. The Subcommittee determined that such roles could be beneficial, and agreed that obtaining at least one youth member should be a priority. Commissioner Hamed suggested showing the Commission some background information at its next meeting. The Subcommittee agreed that presenting a one- page summary after the presentation of the draft mission statement would be useful. Next Meeting The Subcommittee agreed to meet next on December 2, 2014. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bruce Doughty Chair, Sister Cities Subcommittee 2