By Dan Martin
Filed Friday, May 04, 2007 at 3:51 PM
At today's Board of Alderman meeting, Board president Lewis Reed acknowledged a delegation of Russian political leaders currently paying a visit to the St. Louis area. The group, sponsored by the American Council of Young Political Leaders, is making a stop in town on its larger tour of the United States. Labels: Board_of_Aldermen, City_Hall
The ACYPL is an organization that provides US and international leaders between the ages of 25 and 40 the opportunity to travel abroad and experience other political systems.
License Collector Mike McMillan is acting as the group's host while they are in town. A veteran of the program himself, McMillan told PubDef that the program "gives you a very broad prospect of the types of challenges... of different governments throughout the world... and of the role of the US abroad."
Dave Chilenski, Deputy Chief of Staff for McMillan, noted that the Missouri stop has been of particular interest for the visitors. "Missouri was almost more interesting [than DC]" for the visitors since many of them "aren't from Moscow, so they're more interested in how the outlying regions function," said Chilenski.
The Russian visitors will spend one more night in St. Louis. The next stop on their tour of America is Salt Lake City, Utah.
2 Comments:
I'm sure the Russians will feel right at home with the corruption, the self dealing and the general lack of democracy in St. Louis. First in crime, last in everything else except beer and corruption.
Am I being too hard? No truly, the parallels to dictatorial Russia are much too close to home.
Sorry, wish I could go rah, rah, but personally I'm sick of the power structure and the little games of providing for their wealthy friends.
Take a hard look at who this city is run for, Blairmount and Paul McKee on the Northside is the most obvious example, but there are plenty of other examples of self dealing. Pyramid and the financial giveaway at St. Louis Centre downtown is another example. It is endless and the people are excluded from having a voice at every turn.
Perhaps we should invite the Russians back when St. Louis has been liberated.
5/04/2007 9:38 PM
The Russian visitors were at Hillary Clinton's fundraising event at the Renaissance Grand last night.
5/05/2007 12:49 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home