Issue No. 51

Fall 2004

SPECIAL FEATURE

Japan Local Government Center
Celebrates Fifteen Years
Hello everyone!
It is my pleasure to announce that thisyear the Japan Local Government Center(JLGC) will celebrate its fifteenth anniversary.
JLGC was established in New York City in
1989 as the first overseas office of the Councilof Local Authorities for International Relations(CLAIR). CLAIR is an organization createdby Japanese local authorities to promote locallevel internationalization in Japan. Since its
inception in 1988, CLAIR has establishedseven overseas offices throughout the world.
JLGC, NY had a humble beginning witha small office and staff. Thanks to the hard
work and effort of my predecessors and theirstaff, JLGC operations has grown to 18 staff
members, including four American staff. The
ever- increasing workload includes extensive
research projects, arranging appointments forJapanese government officials, event planningand conducting a wide range of public relations to promote our symposiums, seminars,
training programs and internships.

and 70 between Japanese and Canadian
local authorities. My present staff andtheir predecessors have contributed greatly
to this effort by promoting and fostering
mutual understanding and cooperation.
This year JLGC will be actively engaged in:• Research• Support for overseas delegations• Fellowship exchanges• Summer intern program for graduate
students• Three month international study program• One year overseas study assistance program• Support for the US and Canada JET Alumni
Associations

Mr. Naofumi Hida, Director of JLGC,
announces the fifteenth anniversary of JLGC.

used by local governments in Canada
and the United States.
• Actively disseminate information about
JLGC and Japanese local government
activities via the Internet and our updated
web site: www.jlgc.org
Continued on page 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL FEATURE

All of these projects are important and I
will continue to work hard to improve uponthem by making an effort to:• Strongly support JET Alumni Association
activities and local level relationships.
Currently there are 6,569 JET alumni
belonging to JETAA chapters in the UnitedStates and 1,996 JET alumni in Canada.

JLGC Celebrates Fifteen Years
Congratulatory Reflections on the
15-Year Anniversary of JLGC
PREFECTURE TODAY

Niigata Prefecture
JETAA ACTIVITIESBy Janak Bhimani
JLGC UPDATENGA Annual Meeting
JLGC UPDATEOver the years, there has been solid
growth in international exchange and affiliations between Japanese local governments andtheir counterparts in America and Canada. Asof 2003, there are 435 international affiliations
between Japanese and American local authorities, the largest such relationship in the world,• Focus on conducting research on the bestpractices used by American and Canadian
local governments to address important
local government issues. As decentralization
moves forward in Japan, Japanese local
governments will be interested in collecting
information on model systems and practices

Copyright 2005 Published by Japan Local Government Center

1

SPECIAL FEATURE

The 2004 FCM Conference

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Message from USCM –15th Anniversary of JLGC
JLGC UPDATEUSCM meets in Boston

78

Masthead: The sakura, or cherry blossom, is Japan’scherished national flower. Special hanami parties andexcursions are held during blossom time each year.

The Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, Tokyo

SPECIAL FEATURE

Congratulatory Reflections on the 15-Year Anniversary of JLGC
by Brian J. Nickerson
Director, the Michaelian Institute for Public Policy & Management, Pace University

It is difficult to imagine that 15 years
have passed since the creation of the Japan
Local Government Center (JLGC) in New
York City. I fondly remember being asked in
1994 by Dr. Anthony Cupaiuolo, the former
Director of the Michaelian Institute, if I wasinterested in becoming involved with an international training program for Japanese Local
Government Officials. I was thrilled to be
asked and began teaching in the program
shortly thereafter.
My initial eagerness was quickly met
with equal enthusiasm from the many oneyear trainees who made my experience one of
the most enjoyable teaching assignments that I
have ever had. In a true educational and cultural exchange, the program has allowed thetrainees to learn about American governmentand culture while simultaneously providing avaluable learning experience about Japaneseculture for Pace University faculty and staff.
Since 2001, I have the great pleasure ofoverseeing the training program as the

Director of the Michaelian Institute. We havealso expanded our relationship to include
additional research projects, special staff seminars, an Oxford University study component,
and attendance in Masters Program in Public
Administration (MPA) classes.
Consequently, Pace University’s relationship with the JLGC has continued to be one of
the centerpieces of the Institute’s professional
life and we truly look forward to continuing
our long and productive relationship. As one
Pace colleague, Dr. Gregory Holtz, poignantly
commented at a recent one-year trainee graduation ceremony, “in many ways a seed wasplanted 15 years ago and that seed bore a treewith productive fruit that we all continue tobenefit from.”
We are pleased to have been a part of thevital work of the JLGC and I speak for everyone at Pace University when I offer sincerest
congratulations on 15 years of dedicated service in the spirit of international cooperationand exchange. We wish JLGC well in all its

Japan Local Government Center
Celebrates Fifteen YearsContinued from page 1
I believe that Japan’s relationships
with Canada and the United States are strong
and productive. At JLGC, we will continue to
do our small part to contribute to these relationships.
I would like to express my gratitude for

JLGC Newsletterthe support JLGC has received over the past
fifteen years. We will continue to work hard topromote internationalization at the grass roots
level and appreciate your ongoing support andunderstanding.
Thank you very much.
Naofumi Hida, Director
Japan Local Government Center, New York2

The author, Mr. Brian J. Nickerson (left), shakes
hands with JLGC staff after a friendly softballmatch between Pace University and JLGC.

important endeavors and look forward to continuing our mutually supportive relationship.
Comments from other involved Pace
faculty and staff:
Dr. Anthony A. Cupaiuolo,
Professor of Public Administration“For 15 years the JLGC has served
as a bridge promoting friendship and understanding between Japanese and American
local government officials. I am grateful andhonored that JLGC selected Pace University
to be its partner. Congratulations and muchcontinued success!”
Dr. Grant Loavenbruck,
Director of Special Projects“I couldn’t imagine a better professional
relationship. I have fond memories of themany local government trainees that havespent time with us. Thanks for the opportunity
to grow from our mutual experiences. Job
well-done!”
Lorraine Monaco, Government Specialist, andBernice Spina, Program Support“We have developed so many deep relationships with the JLGC over the years that
we could not overstate how important JLGC
has been to us. Best wishes!”

Issue 51

Fall 2004

PREFECTURE TODAY

Niigata Prefecture“The train came out of the long tunnel
into the snow country.” This is the beginningof “Yukiguni” (Snow Country), a novel written by Japan’s beloved winner of the Nobel
Prize for Literature, KAWABATA Yasunari.
You may recall that this great novel takes
place in Niigata Prefecture.
Such things as snow, rice, sake (Japaneserice wine), and internationally protected toki
(Japanese crested ibis), a new symbol ofJapan-China friendship, are thought of as
images of Niigata.
Niigata, however, presents much morethan just a nostalgic atmosphere. Located at
Japan’s gateway to Northeast Asia, Niigata isa pioneering prefecture in the promotion ofactive exchanges with countries and regionsin Northeast Asia.
Northeast Asia, consisting of China,
North and South Korea, Mongolia, Russia,
and Japan will see dynamic transfers of people, goods, and information as well as extended exchanges in a variety of fields, such as
business and culture, in the coming years.
In addition, Niigata will continue toprogress in step with this expansion of
exchange. I hope that this article will be ofgreat help for you to learn more about
Niigata.
The Opening of the Japan Sea
Until the end of Edo period (1603-1867),
present day Niigata Prefecture consisted of
two regions called Echigo and Sado. The
ports in the area prospered as a result of thelinks to the Tohoku (Northeastern), Kansai(Greater Osaka), and Western Japan regions
through various sea lines called Kitamaebune
in Japanese.

JLGC Newsletter

In 1858, as aresult of the JapanUS Treaty of Amity
and Commerce,
Niigata Port was
opened as the soleopen port along thecoast of the Japan
Sea. Great Britain,
the United States,
and the Netherlands
were some of thecountries that soon
Niigata’s New Symbol-Toki Messe
established consulates in Niigata
after the port was opened.
Hawaii, USA, and with the Province of North
Holland, the Netherlands.
After the Edo Shogunate ended, the
new government abolished all Edo period
A base for International Exchanges
feudal domains in 1871 and replaced them
As part of a project for the new century,with prefectures, which were rearranged
Niigata’s new base for international exchanges,
and consolidated many times. Niigata
Toki Messe, was created in the Bandaijima
prefecture has been in its present fromarea in 2003. Being the gateway to the Japan
since May of 1886.
Sea region, a symbol for Niigata, and a complex for cultural activities, Toki Messe is comCreating a Network Open to the World
prised of the Niigata Convention Center,
In preparation for the Era of Japan Sea
which houses an international convention hall
Exchange and to facilitate the transfer of peo- and conference rooms, and the Bandaijimaple, goods, and information throughout thebuilding, which with a height of 140.5 meters
region, Niigata Prefecture is actively pursuing is the tallest building on the Japan Sea side.
exchanges with local authorities of theNortheast Asian region, especially with those
The Bandaijima Building houses internain Russia, China, and Korea.
tional facilities such as the Niigata PrefectureInternational Plaza, the Niigata Passport
We are specifically promoting exchanges Center, and the Economic Institute forwith our friendship region, the Province ofNortheast Asia (ERINA), as well as facilities
Heilongjiang in northeast China, by hostingsuch as the Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum
exchange students and technical trainees, andand the Niigata Industrial Creation
through projects in many broad fields such as Organization (NICO). Also, located on theeconomic relations, culture, and sports.
upper floors of the building are hotel rooms,
and on the uppermost floor lies the observaAlso, Niigata maintains exchange relation deck, where you can enjoy a panoramic
tionships with the State of Illinois andview of the city.
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Issue 51

Fall 2004

JETAA ACTIVITIES

by Janak Bhimani“Crunch; Crack” It wasn’t a tootsie
roll but there was definitely something
hard in the middle of that seaweed covered
three-dimensional rice triangle. It was
the first time in my life that I went into
a quickie mart and didn’t see alreadyexpired hot dogs or bladder busting beverages. There were lots of teas and rice. Riceas far as the eye could see and more thanany stomach could digest. It was the firsttime I ate umeboshi…and not by choice.
No one had warned me that these things
had hard pits in the middle of the soft rice.

the New York area; many of the people in
my home-away-from-home prefecture of
Saitama were convinced that they lived
in a suburb of Tokyo.

“April is the cruelest month” but a
hot summer day in Japan is definitely no
picnic. After spending three splendid daysin the lap of luxury (i.e. business class on
JAL and three nights at the Shinjuku
Hilton), I took a short trip to the land of
my destiny; a land from which many run
and most do not choose to go – Saitama.
It was July and I had involuntarily tradedin the high life for a mansion (2DK1 to be
exact) and a small toothache.

Saitama is very important. Not
only would there be a noticeable hole in
the topography of the Japanese mainland
if there was no Saitama, but there would
also be a lot less JETs and therefore fewer
students who would benefit from the interaction and effects of internationalization.
Not only is Saitama home to many train
lines and the Misato IC (interchange),
but it also has the one of the highest
populations of residents and the highest
concentration of JETs in Japan.

Saitama is like Nu Jyaji2. I have noidea why people think this, but almost every
Japanese person I came across kept repeating this mantra to me. It’s hard enough live
in a new place by yourself. Everybody
telling you that place, as well as the placethat you are from, is dasai3 really doesn’t
help either. But then again, not everybody is
me. In the industrialized world, people havea really unique quality of not telling people
from where they really come. Many people
who reside outside major metropolises
are very guilty of this passive crime. Just
as many of my fellow citizens from the
Garden State tell people that they are fromJLGC Newsletter

NO! I live in New Jersey. I lived in
Saitama. I love New Jersey and Saitama.
Saitama was my destiny. From the lovely
landscapes of the Chichibu area to theeveryday excitement of school life in mysmall city, Saitama was, and is, integral
in the shaping of my relationship to Japanand Japanese culture.

The first day of school is nerve
wrecking for any student. It is, however,extremely nerve wrecking for a handsome
young man chosen to be an ALT in a small
junior high school situated between threerice fields. The JET Program brought me to
Japan. My students brought me happiness.
From that first day when I was so nervous
to the last day when I had to choke backtears during my farewell speech, my school
was a major factor in the shaping of myexperience in Japan. Like most JETs, I
ended up learning much more from mystudents than I taught them. They taught

4

The author, Mr. Janak Bhimani, former ALT(Saitama Prefecture)me that the capital of Brazil isn’t Rio (it’sa different place). They taught me how tosimultaneously eat, drink and breathe withina ten minute lunch period. Most of all, mystudents taught me to be proud of where
I’m from, who I am and that a smile isnever lost in translation.
“Be careful! There is a tane in that
onigiri” I said thanks to the student andproceeded to eat my umeboshi rice ballwith caution and delight.
1

A 2-bedroom apartment with a dining
room and kitchen

2

The Romanization of New Jersey after it
has passed through the ringer of Japanese

3

Dasai has many meanings. In this instanceit means corny

Issue 51

Fall 2004

JETAA ACTIVITIESNational Governors’Association Annual Meeting in Seattle
by Seth B. Benjamin
JLGC Senior Researcher
One of the oldest associations ofelected officials in the United States,
the National Governors’ Association(NGA) held its 96th annual summer
meeting in Seattle, WA. Every summer,
the governors get together to discussand exchange views in a bi-partisan
forum. Director Hida, assistant directors
Masashi Takahashi and Masahiro
Nagumo, and senior researcher Seth B
Benjamin attended from JLGC. In
addition, we were most fortunate to have Mr. Kimitake
Kuze, a member of Japan’sHouse of Councillors, join
the meeting.

gave the governors a CD-ROM on which
was included a ‘top 20 list’ of actions thegovernors could take to improve long-termcare in their respective states. It was allpart of the chairman’s hope to convince thegovernors to make their states ‘elder-ready’.

vice-chairman, Governor Mike Huckabee(R-Arkansas). It is a tradition of theassociation to alternate between Republicanand Democrat governors. Governor Warner’s
initiative will focus on the urgent need to
improve America’s high schools, calling it
Redesigning the American High School.
One concern Governor Warner had was
As a follow-up to the presentation,
the manner in which school districts wasted
many of the governors attending the annual
the senior year of their students. The new
meeting took part in a televised ‘town hall’chairman said that only 70 per cent of
discussion with local residents on this issue
the nation’s high school
students earn a diploma
and of those who do only
three in ten are ready toattend a four-year college.
In a student, he preparedfor his initiative, he said,
At the annual meeting,“Students, parents andthe incoming chairman ofteachers should no longer
NGA selects a theme,
consider the so-called
known as the chairman’s
initiative, which he will pur‘senioritis’ a benign rite ofsue throughout the ensuingpassage. Instead, it shouldyear. For the 2003-4 year,
be recognised as a waste ofchairman Dirk Kempthorne
time and resources, not to
The 96th annual meeting of the National Governors’ Association (NGA) in Seattle, WA(R-Idaho) wanted to raise
mention a lost opportunity
was a complete success in June 2004.
the governors’ awareness offor learning and preparing
the challenges and prospects
for college or for a successof long-term care for the growing seniorof looking after the elderly. It was a lively
ful transition to the workforce.”
population in the United States. The culsession where the governors explained how
mination of his initiative was presented inthey themselves were personally affected
We were fortunate to have Mr. Kuzeby the need to look after elderly parents.
Seattle: A Lifetime of Health and Dignity:
attend the meeting and JLGC was able toConfronting Long-Term Care Challenges
The whole thrust of the chairman’s initiative
meet many of the governors and continue
in America, a remarkable presentation by
was to see how much the elderly, particularly its fruitful relationship with the National
two leading companies at the forefront of
those who have worsening health problems,
Governors’ Association staff. Also, at thetechnological change and its application
could live their lives independently and atsplendid evening events, there were manyfor the health industry. The focus of thehome in dignity.
great opportunities to meet the governors’
presentation was to show the governors
staff from many different states. All in all,
how the cost of health care for the elderly
At the end of the meeting, theit was a most successful meeting for thecan be substantially reduced through the
Association chose its new chairman,
JLGC and we look forward to the 97thuse of technology. Governor Kempthorne
Governor Mark Warner (D-Virginia) andmeeting in Des Moines, IA.

JLGC Newsletter

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Issue 51

Fall 2004

JLGC UPDATE

Oh, Canadian Municipalities! The 2004 FCM Conferenceby Matthew Gillam
JLGC Senior Researcher
Every year, JLGC sends several staff
members to participate in the Federation of
Canadian Municipalities (FMC) Annual
Conference and Municipal Expo™. Attending
as both delegates and exhibitors, we find thatthe conference provides an excellent opportunity to learn about recent developments in thevarious facets of local public administration, as
well as the chance to spend time speaking
directly with many politicians and administrators across the country.
The main theme of this year’s conference,
held in Edmonton, Alberta, was a new deal for
cities and communities. This was the first
FCM conference in 25 years to take place
while a federal election was in progress, andthe candidates for Prime Minister from two of
the three main national parties took advantageof the opportunity to address the municipal
officials gathered there. Each emphasized thevital role that urban areas and governments
play in the well-being of the country, and eachpromised to give them new access to revenue
from the federal gasoline tax and to include
them in policy discussions at the federal levelin matters affecting their communities.
Much of our energy during the firsttwo days of the conference was devoted to
speaking with visitors to our booth. It isalways fascinating to talk with the many
people who have been active in sister city
programs or who have children who havetaught English on the JET Program. The
depth and variety of personal, professional,
and civic relationships between Japan andCanada constantly impressed us, as well as
the number of people who were interested
in developing a new sister city relationshipor in revitalizing an existing one.

JLGC Newsletter

We also attended many of the sessions
devoted to the discussion and dissemination of
information among the participants. On Friday
morning, Ralph Klein, Premier of Alberta, wasthe first speaker during the Opening Ceremony.
He was followed by Bill Smith, Mayor of
Edmonton, and Yves Ducharme, Mayor of
Gatineau, Quebec and President of FCM for
2003-2004, who very graciously introduced theinternational guests attending the conference.
This year these included representatives from
Mozambique and Vietnam, Charles Lyons,
President of the National League of Cities in
the US, and our own Mr. Hida, who was asked
to stand and be acknowledged by the audience.
After this came Paul Martin, Prime
Minister of Canada and head of the federal
Liberal Party, who was in the midst of a desperate race to retain his position as PM. He
had taken over from Prime Minister Jean
Chretien last December and was facing his firstelection, confronting a serious challenge by the
opposition Conservative Party under Steven
Harper. The centerpiece of his speech was theofficial announcement that, if elected, he would
phase in funding to cities and communities
from the federal gasoline tax starting in 2005.
He said this would eventually amount to up to
five cents per liter or two billion dollars a year
within five years, out of the ten cents per liter
tax that is estimated to raise about $4.5 billion
per year for the federal government.
Furthermore, he would require that this money
would be distributed to communities specifically for their infrastructure needs. Municipal
governments are dependent on property taxes
and provincial funding, and have been demanding for years through FCM that they be given
new, stable, reliable revenue sources to support
their infrastructure development needs. The
6speech was well received by the audience,
despite some questions and reservations about
the amount being promised and the timerequired to phase in the program. This funding
agreement was seen as a significant victory formunicipal governments and FCM.
Some of the other sessions attended
include:“Bridging Social Infrastructure to
Economic Benefit”, on bringing the arts into
communities as one element to strengthensocial infrastructure and attract and retain thetalented people who are the movers of modernhigh tech economic development;“Four Pillars of Drug Strategy” given by
Larry Campbell, Mayor of Vancouver, PhilipOwen, who worked in Vancouver’s Downtown
Eastside for years dealing with addiction
issues, and Donald MacPherson, Drug Policy
Coordinator for Vancouver;“Issues Facing Municipal Governments inNorth America” a discussion between Yves
Ducharme and Charlie Lyons;“Bridging the Sustainability Gap” given
by former British Columbia Premier Mike
Harcourt. He talked about the “urban tsunami”
which he defined as the combination of massive population growth in urban areas, poverty,
health issues like HIV/AIDS, malaria, and malnutrition that threaten to engulf cities aroundthe world, and the need to develop sustainable
solutions to address these;“New Finance Options for Municipal
Continued on page 7

Issue 51

Fall 2004

JLGC UPDATE

Oh, Canadian Municipalities! The 2004 FCM Conference
authority to set theirown rates and distribution of revenues.
The closing
Keynote Address wasgiven by Jack Layton,
the New Democratic
Party candidate forPrime Minister. He
also acknowledged theneed to give municipal
JLGC participated in Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual
Conference and Municipal Expo™ in Edmonton, Alberta in May 2004.
governments a shareof the federal gasoline
tax, in a plan similar to Mr. Martin’s but at a
Continued from page 6
faster rate of phase-in, plus a renewed federal
Government”, on the increasing demands
commitment to affordable housing in addition
placed on municipal government resources and to the promised support of infrastructure prothe best way to develop a mix of different
jects. Both Mr. Martin and Mr. Layton shifted
taxes, for which governments would have thebetween French and English during theirspeeches, to demonstrate proficiency in bothnational languages.
The broad economic ties between
Canada and Japan, the growing numberof JET alumni around the country, andongoing sister city relationships always
create a great number of people who lookfor our booth every year. They are happy
to see that we maintain an active interest
in Canadian affairs and in working to keep
the JET and sister city initiatives healthyand strong. It is a pleasure to be able tospeak with so many different people, tobe able to help answer their questions
about Japan, and to occasionally be ofassistance in establishing or renewing thelinks between the two countries. We lookforward to attending the 2005 conferencein St. John’s.

SPECIAL FEATURE

Message from USCM on the 15th Anniversary of JLGC
by Thomas CochranManaging Director, Office of Program Development and Technical Assistance
The United States Conference ofMayors (USCM) is pleased to congratulate
the Japan Local Government Center (JLGC)
on the occasion of its fifteenth anniversary.
Since its establishment, JLGC has been of agreat deal of assistance to the Conference
and the nation’s mayors.
It is vitally important that in this day
and age, the mayors from all countries haveaccess to information and ‘best practices’that work in cities. We can all learn from one
another, be it how to provide housing for our

JLGC Newsletter

senior citizens, operate effective recycling
programs, or tackle such health issues as
AIDS and obesity.
JLGC has worked with the Conferenceof Mayors through our meetings, its publications and website, and the Japanese
Fellowship Program to provide opportunities
for American mayors to learn about theJapanese local government system and innovative municipal programs. The staff has also
been very helpful to us in helping to organize
our mayoral delegation visits to Japan.
7

As theConference ofMayors continues our outreacharound the world Mr. Thomas Cochran congratulates JLGC on theirand through thefifteenth anniversary.
International
Conference of Mayors to learn new ways thatmayors can deal with community problems,
the work of JLGC will be an important partof our efforts. We look forward to having along and beneficial relationship in the years
ahead.

Issue 51

Fall 2004

JLGC UPDATEThe United States Conference of Mayors
Meets in Boston for its 72nd Annual Conferenceby Seth B. Benjamin
JLGC Senior Researcher
This year’s annual meeting of the UnitedStates Conference of Mayors (USCM) took
place last June in the historic city of Boston.
USCM acts as an organization representing
the mayors of American cities that have a
population of over 30,000. Mayor James
Garner of Hempstead (NY) has been president of USCM since June 2003 and handed
over the leadership to Mayor Donald
Plusquellic of Akron (OH) for the ensuing
year at this meeting. The Japan Local
Government Center (JLGC) attendees included the director Naofumi Hida, assistant directors Atsushi Fukuda, Yujiro Toi, and Maki
Tomikawa, and senior researcher Seth B
Benjamin. The many workshops and sessions
allowed the staff to learn about many of theissues that urban centers in the United States
must face.
A wide range of topics has been coveredat previous annual meetings and this year was
no exception. From homeland security to city
livability, from the progress in post-apartheid
Cape Town, South Africa, to faith based
prison re-entry programs in Philadelphia,
from the arts, cultural and fitness programs to
obesity in America, the mayors listened with
rapt attention. Keynote addresses included
two of special note. The newly appointed
Ambassador to Poland and former Mayor of
Nashville (TN), Mr. Victor Ashe, gave athoughtful speech on the importance of international communities and activities as anintegral part of American cities. In anotherspeech, the Chinese Ambassador to theUnited States described what opportunities
lay ahead for cities wanting to invest in a
relationship with the cities of China.
JAPAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT CENTER
666 FIFTH AVE., NEW YORK, NY 10103-0072

A fascinating presentation wasgiven on a
new initiativethat USCM
was promoting
to help community andbrownfield
revitalization.
United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) was held in Boston in June 2004.
Advocating
the public-private partnership, Tom Darden of Cherokee
Of course, the conference is not all work.
Investment Partners explained how blighted
The evenings offered opportunities for allsites that mar the quality of urban centers can attending to enjoy the great city of Boston,be brought back to productive use, create jobs including the John F Kennedy Memorial
and bring economic vitality to American
Library. For the JLGC staff, the conference
cities. The difference in this program was that was a wonderful chance to make new friends,
Cherokee aims to implement the city’s vision
renew and strengthen old friendships and deeprather than the typical developer who comesen our relationship with USCM.
in with a pre-set idea of what he wants tobuild. This produces a true partnership
between the public and private sectors.
FeaturedAnother subject that has been
uppermost in the minds of virtually all
mayors is homeland security. Governor
Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mayor
Plusquellic, both members of a federal
homeland security task force, described
how essential it was for all levels of government to work together on this very
important issue. As they so aptly
emphasized, cities are on the front lineof homeland security. The ‘first responders’
are the people who are the first on the sceneof a terrible event and are almost always cityor county officials.
TEL: (212) 246-5542
FAX: (212) 246-5617

in thisissue:NIIGATA
PREF.

Tokyo

E-MAIL: jlgc@jlgc.org
WEBSITE: http://www.jlgc.org