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| Vol. 19, No. 10 | Nov. 4, 1999 |
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| Vol. 19, No. 10 | Nov. 4, 1999 |
Slovenia visitors in Middletown, Del., during their visit to the First State.
Calling themselves "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," one woman and seven men mayors from Slovenia visited the University and Delaware and several American cities in October, under a United States Information Agency (USIA) grant.
During the first phase of the USIA/Slovenia project, Mark Huddleston, political science and international relations, Arno Loessner, urban affairs, and Ron Gardner, former Newark mayor, visited Slovenia last spring and held a series of workshops for the mayors on how American municipal governments operated and were funded.
During the return visit, the mayors had opportunities to learn first- hand how American municipalities are run directly from those in charge.
An important component of their visit was UD's Institute of Public Administration (IPA). Upon arrival, IPA presented an overview of local government in Delaware. Later in their visit, the mayors attended the 11th Delaware Institute for Local Government Leaders, with the theme "Managing Municipalities in the 21st Century," which was sponsored by IPA in cooperation the Delaware League of Local Governments, Sussex County Association of Towns and the Delaware Association of Town Managers.
"The relationship between the University and local and state governments fascinated the mayors," Huddleston said. "For instance, urban affairs has been involved in helping with a town plan for Middletown, and the University has worked with Seaford on water resources issues. Universities in Slovenia tend to be more traditional, and there is not this kind of interaction between them and government.
"In Slovenia, the mayors double as city managers," Huddleston said. "They are involved in the day-to-day operations of city administration, and, in addition, have responsibilities for overseeing education, the care of the aged and primary health care.
"One of the problems city governments face, which is shared with most cities in formerly Communist countries, is that although they have been given a lot of autonomy and responsibility, they have not been given enough money and have to develop local revenue sources," he said.
"Consequently, the mayors were very interested in the nitty-gritty of raising revenue and running city services, such as water treatment, sewage and garbage collection. A highlight of the trip for them was a tour of the water treatment plant in Dover, and they asked to see Newark's garbage compactor in action.
"Water meters were another innovation that interested them. Payments for city services, such as garbage and water, may be one way Slovenian cities can raise revenue without too much public opposition," Huddleston said.
The Slovenian mayors represented cities ranging from Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia, down to a small town of about 5,000 people. Adjoining the Italian border and primarily a Roman Catholic country, Slovenia is more westernized than the rest of the former Yugoslavia, Huddleston said.
As a group, the mayors, who are mainly in their late 30s or early 40s, are knowledgeable and sophisticated, according to Huddleston.
They are familiar with modern technology, using cell phones and e-mail to keep in touch with their home cities. Most had visited the United States, so they were familiar with American culture. Their schedule included excursions to places of interest, such as Longwood Gardens and Hagley Museum, which they enjoyed, but the most beneficial part of the program was open discussions with their counterparts here and other government and business representatives, Huddleston said.
Huddleston said that he hopes that the relationship with the Slovenian mayors and cities will continue, and he plans a follow-up visit to the country as part of the USIA project. "We all recognize that we increasingly are a global community and that we need to form partnerships with cities and institutions overseas," Huddleston said.
-Sue Moncure
Photo by Jack Buxbaum
