09.20.2006
Storm Lake committed to working out
sister-city pact
Delegation arrives from Mexico
By Art Cullen
A
delegation from Ayotlan, Mexico, was welcomed to Storm
Lake by the city council Monday evening as the first
step in establishing a sister-city relationship.
“We
see the benefit of a relationship and look forward to
working with you,” Storm Lake Mayor Jon Kruse
told the delegation during a formal supper at the
Embers Lounge.
The mayor
also read a resolution approved by the council Monday
that says the city is “committed to a closer
relationship.”
A
delegation from Storm Lake visited Ayotlan last
October.
Ayotlan
Mayor David Soto is pressing to wrap up an agreement by
December.
Soto was
not able to come to Storm Lake. The delegation includes
Councilwoman Ariceli Tabarez, Secretary General Moises
Delgado, Attorney Ruben Tejada and Economic Development
Director Sergio Quezada.
“It
was an honor to receive you in Ayotlan,” Quezada
told Kruse. “Now we see Storm Lake and Ayotlan as
very similar in everything, especially in the quality
of the people. Our reason to pursue this agreement is
to see each other as family.”
The
proposed agreement calls for exchanges in health care,
tourism, education and economic development.
Ayotlan is
a county in central Mexico, about an hour east of
Guadalajara, where many Latinos living in Storm Lake
come from. Ayotlan includes the town of Santa Rita,
where the bulk of the local Latino population has its
roots. It is in the heart of Mexico’s
agricultural region. The region around Ayotlan is a
major center for the production of tequila.
Several
Ayotlan natives living here showed up at the Embers to
greet the delegation.
Kruse told
those gathered that it makes sense to develop a
sister-city relationship because of the deep
connections that already exist between the two locales.
“We
take great pride in our community and its
diversity,” he said.
The
delegation arrived weary after being hung up in Chicago
as severe storms delayed flights to Des Moines. They
arrived in Storm Lake Monday afternoon.
They are
touring the city and Buena Vista County through
Thursday, when the group heads to Ames and Des Moines.
They are scheduled to meet with Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson
and the Iowa Department of Economic Development on
Friday.
