Community Relations Commission

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION SISTER CITIES SUBCOMMITTEE Draft Minutes for Meeting on December 3, 2014 Present: Chair Bruce Doughty, Commissioners Safa Hamed and Dale Duda, Member Gerri Kirby Absent: Commissioner Elliot Bruckman. Place: Northbrook Public Library, Study Room 2. Chair Doughty called the meeting to order at approximately 7:05 p.m. He welcomed everyone, and then provided an overview for the meeting. Followup on Mission Statement Chair Doughty reviewed the draft mission statement that had been presented at the prior Commission meeting. The Commission had been comfortable with the statement as drafted, and no issues had been identified. Chair Doughty asked whether the Subcommittee wished to raise any further points. Commissioner Duda reiterated that the statement was initial in nature, in that it focused on developing the Sister Cities program. Chair Doughty confirmed that nature, and noted that statement would likely evolve as if and when the program developed. Candidate Identification and Evaluation Process Chair Doughty reviewed the Subcommittee’s framework for identifying candidate cities. The approach will have a cultural and educational focus, and will be transparent and inclusive across the Village. The Subcommittee discussed various sources for finding potential cities, including residents of Northbrook, the Sister Cities International organization, and various leaders in cities with which the Subcommittee has had contact. The Subcommittee also considered publicity within the Village to generate ideas. Given the pending holiday season, the Subcommittee decided to work on publicity early in the new year. The Subcommittee also discussed criteria to be used in evaluating candidate sister cities, including comparable size to Northbrook and governmental support. Chair Doughty added that potential arts and youth connections would be helpful, as other programs had found such connections to be good starting points for exchange. The Subcommittee will continue discussing identification methods and evaluation criteria at its next meeting. 1 Youth Membership The Subcommittee determined that having more than one youth member could benefit the Sister Cities project. A few candidates have been identified already. Chair Doughty will follow up with those candidates to explore their level of interest. Miscellaneous Chair Doughty noted that Carol Wolfe, who heads up Highland Park’s Sister Cities program, will be available to address the Commission at its January meeting. Next Meeting The Subcommittee agreed to meet next on January 14, 2015. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Bruce Doughty Chair, Sister Cities Subcommittee 2