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SPRING 2008
An eight person Rule of Law and Sister City Delegation
traveled to Archangel for the 3rd annual "America Week" celebration from April
20 to 26, 2008.
Our delegation was led by Portland Mayor Ed Suslovic and
his 13 year old daughter, Kate! Also on the trip were U.S. Bankruptcy Judge
Michael Deasy from New Hampshire, Portland Press Herald Editorial Writer Gregory
Kesich, Deputy Portland Police Chief Joseph Loughlin, Portland Police Sergeant
Richard Betters and Archangel Committee members Ray Pelletier and Neale Duffett.
Also participating in the week's activities were Mary Ellen Countryman and
Benjamin Wohlauer from the U.S. Consulate in Saint Petersburg, and Yelena
Yefremova from the Open World office in Moscow. As in previous years, special
thanks must go to Sergey Namoylik in the Mayor's office (assisted by Marina
Pirogovskaya and Alexi Smirnov), Victoria Podolskaya at the Academic Library,
and Rule of Law Coordinator Tatiana Zykina (assisted by Masha Liponina and
Yelena Solovieva).
The weather was cold with frequent snow showers and the ice on the Northern
Dvina was just beginning to move out. The city was alive with activity, however,
as robust Rule of Law, America Week, Sister City and Open Word schedules were
carried out:
Rule of Law – Judge Deasy and Ray Pelletier conducted intense
seminars with their counterparts on the Archangel Commercial Court on
the subjects of Land Law and Individual Bankruptcy. Greg Kesich and
Neale Duffett worked with court and other legal professionals on the
subjects of "Courts and the Media" and freedom of the press. Judge Deasy,
Neale Duffett, Joe Loughlin and Rick Betters joined their counterparts
in a program focusing on court security and judge protection. Mayor Ed
Suslovic spoke at a number of events on the topics of local
self-government and the implementation of Federal Law 131. Finally, Joe
Loughlin and Rick Betters engaged in discussions, tours and ride-alongs
with the command staff of the Archangel police.
America Week – At any given time, some part of our delegation was
always in America Week activities, including visits to many schools;
interviews with local newspapers, television and radio; judging student
talent competitions and participating in virtual computer tours of
Portland. Of course, young Kate (Katya) Suslovic and the two uniformed
Portland Police Officers stole the show all week as they were the focus
of constant public attention!
Sister City – Sergey Kochegarov, Dmitri
Trubin, and members of the Greater Portland Committee hosted the
delegation at an art show and dinner. Viktor Panov and his troupe hosted
the delegation at his new Theater and Sister City meeting center. In
particular, Sergey Namoylik, Sergey Kochegarov and Neale Duffett spoke
at a gala reception about the 20 years of growth and progress between
our sister cities since relations were first established in 1988. All
speakers re-affirmed their commitment to making the next 20 years even
better!
Open World – We met with more than 25 Open
World Alumni in the Archangel Oblast, including the new Governor of the
Oblast Ilya Mikhalchuk.
Maine District Court Judge Joseph Field, Cumberland County
District Attorney Stephanie Anderson, Juvenile Prosecutor Christine Thibeault,
and Juvenile Justice Professor Faye Luppi met Archangel colleagues Professor
Tatiana Zykina, Oblast Judge Sergey Burmagin, and Oblast Judge Valentina
Barannikova in St. Petersburg on May 19, 2008. Then they traveled to Kingesepp
in the Leningrad Oblast and met with appropriate City officials, judges,
prosecutors, investigators, advocates and social workers to observe their new
juvenile court and learn about how they implemented the juvenile court pilot
project. They went on to Archangel where they met with judges, prosecutors,
police, advocates, social workers, and education specialists who work with
juveniles to learn more about their current procedures. They participated in a
Juvenile Justice seminar where they heard from their Russian counterparts about
current issues in Juvenile Justice, and where they presented information about
how the Juvenile Court functions in Maine, the role of the juvenile prosecutor,
and how a separate Juvenile Court developed in the United States.
Archangel Committee Co-Vice Chair Dennis Marrotte was
recently recognized by the Portland Camera Club with a Lifetime Membership
Award. The presentation acknowledged his steady dedication to the Archangel
Sister City Exchange and the many wonderful photography projects he has promoted
between our two communities. FMI: www.portlandcameraclub.org
OPEN WORLD LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Our Archangel Committee is privileged to be an active member of the Open World
Leadership Program based at the U.S. Library of Congress. Since 1999, Open World
has brought more than 12,000 young leaders from Russia and other NIS/CIS nations
to the United States for 10 days of professional activities; more than 75 of
these delegates have traveled from the Archangel Region to Maine. FMI, check out
their new website at: www.openworld.gov
June/ July/ August 2008 - MDOT may host
Archangel Governor Ilya Mikhalchuck and 2 engineers from Archangel DOT (FMI:
Cliff Curtis at 624-3568)
July 25-27, 2008 - Portsmouth NH will send delegation to
Severodvinsk's 70th Anniversary (FMI: Alex Herlihy at 603-373-8933)
September 13-20, 2008 - Maine will host 5 person Open World Legal
Delegation from Archangel
December 5-13, 2008 - Maine will host 5 person Open World
Education/Accountable Government Delegation from Archangel
December 5-13, 2008 Waterville will host 5 person Open World
Education Delegation from Kotlas (FMI: Ellen Corey at 859-4388)
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