Ukrainian mayors visit U.S. as part of exchange program (05/02/99)

Ukrainian mayors visit U.S. as part of exchange program

by Olenka Dobczanska

WASHINGTON - Mayor Serhiy Starun of Nikopol, Ukraine, was surprised and touched when he was welcomed into the Woitha home in Toledo, Ohio, by Katie Woitha with a traditional Ukrainian greeting of bread and salt. He was even more surprised when he saw an American twist to the old tradition - the bread on the plate was baked in the shape of an American football to celebrate Superbowl Sunday!

In a subsequent letter, Mayor Starun mentioned his wonderful visit at the home of the Woitha family, and added that he has pleasant impressions of the life of average Americans, and very much liked the American spirit of overcoming difficulties.

Mayor Starun, visit to Toledo paralleled the visit of Svitlovodsk Mayor Viktor Boloban to Springfield, Ill. and Komsomolsk Mayor Olexander Popov's visit to Ithaca, N.Y.

The mayors were part of a delegation that included six Ukrainian mayors and one Verkhovna Rada national deputy. They each visited different U.S. cities to learn about budgeting, debt management, economic development and privatization. Five of the mayors lead cities that participate in the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation's Community Partnerships for Local Government Training and Education Project and were able to visit their respective partner communities. Their trip was organized by the United States Information Agency's International Visitors Program.

Other members of the delegation included Vasyl Hnidenko, mayor of Pervomaisk, Mykola Ordynsky, mayor of Kherson, Yuriy Kluchkovsky, national deputy of the Verkhovna Rada; and Viktor Strelchenko, mayor of Romny.

Before traveling to their partner communities, the group visited several organizations in Washington and received a preliminary overview of how American city governments operate.

Among the places they visited were the new offices of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, where they met Bill Hanna, former mayor of Rockville, Md. Mr. Hanna shared his experiences as mayor and as president of the Montgomery County Council. He described the structure of Rockville's government and its relation to county, state and federal entities.

The mayors responded with many direct, practical questions, which touched on diverse topics, including the role of the mayor in providing health care, education, road maintenance, tax collection, waste management, water management, police protection, and even architectural control and inspection. Ukrainian mayors are expected to make many more decisions within much smaller budgets than their U.S. colleagues. In addition, their staffs are still learning how to operate in a democratic framework.

Mr. Hanna left the mayors with two pieces of advice: to involve the population in local government, such as a citizens forum where citizens could attend weekly council meetings and speak on any problem for as long as he or she wanted; and to have a strategic plan for the city. "If you don't know what your goals are, you tend to let things just happen and then problems tend to get out of hand" added Mr. Hanna.

For more information contact: U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, 733 15th St., NW, Suite 1026, Washington, DC 20005. telephone, (202) 347-4264; fax: (202) 347-4267; e-mail, usuf@usukraine.org; website, http://www.usukraine.org/.

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