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Mayors from two Mexican cities visit Campbell
By Moryt Milo
The Campbell City Council chambers became an international summit of sorts when Campbell Mayor Jeanette Watson welcomed Mexican mayors Elí Pérez Flores and Jaime Macías Oviedo, representing the cities of Rioverde and Cárdenas, respectively, during the March 19 council meeting.
Mayor Watson presented each mayor, accompanied by a delegation, with a proclamation--translated into Spanish by Campbell Public Works Director Bob Kass--that sought friendship building and an opportunity to exchange technical assistance in the areas of municipal public works and management.
"It is a special pleasure to have everyone here today," Watson said before the Mexican delegation eager to learn how the Campbell officials conducted business.
This was the first time the group visited Campbell, but the delegation already knew several members of the city's staff including Kass; Gretchen Conner, Campbell's finance director; and Al Bito, Campbell's administrative analyst. Campbell officials had met with the mayors and their representatives last December in Mexico.
"The first two visits between the Mexican cities and the city of Campbell were basically to get acquainted and to learn more about each other," Conner said.
The exchange is part of the International City/County Management Association, a federally funded program that matches cities in the United States with cities in Latin American, Central and Eastern Europe and newly independent countries.
The city is participating in a specific ICMA program entitled International Resource Cities Program, established in 1997 to specifically sponsor partnerships between international municipalities. The cities in the program team up to share ideas and offer suggestions on ways to improve local public works, and to study and learn about how each municipality governs.
The Mexican delegation will visit Campbell two times and Campbell representatives will visit Mexico three times, during the next 18-24 months.
"I found [going to Mexico] to be a rewarding, yet challenging experience," Conner said. "It's rewarding to be able to expand my knowledge of another country and [offer] my knowledge and experience in municipal finance. The people were wonderful, and I felt as though I made many new friends."
The project was initiated through Kass' interest in Latin American countries, Bito said. Kass submitted an application to ICMA and was later contacted by the organization about working with cities in Mexico. Kass brought the idea to Campbell City Manager Bernie Strojny and before the city council, which approved the proposal.
Through the program, city staffers learned that the most significant difference between cities in Mexico and the United States is their delegation of power.
"In Campbell, the council manages the city, and the mayor is chosen by the council members," Kass said. "In Mexico, the mayors are elected and run the city."
The Mexican Mayors also pointed out another important variable between the two countries.
"One of the biggest differences politically is [the mayors] can only be in office for three years, and we cannot be re-elected," Mayor Flores said in Spanish, speaking through a translator. "This makes it very difficult to maintain any sort of program continuity."
He also told The Campbell Reporter through a translator, "We want our town citizens to become more involved in the system, create active citizen committees, and establish a local council."
The mayors saw the March visit as an opportunity to look for better ways to improve the delivery of local services to their towns.
For Campbell officials, their visit offered the city a chance to see how a municipality operates on a limited budget, Bito said, and a way for them to share good practices and tips on the delivery of city services.
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Campbell, California
