Increasing international understanding

Partner Cities Tour brings delegates from three European countries to Camas

By Danielle Frost

September 24, 2013 12:00 am

Life

The international delegation got to experience one of the many things that makes life in the Pacific Northwest so great--the myriad of outdoor activities that are readily available. Here, the group kayaks the Columbia River. Other activities included a trip to Mount St. Helens and a picnic at Beacon Rock park.

Camas Mayor Scott Higgins (center) poses on the steps of the Camas Public Library with mayors and council members from cities in Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. The delegates arrived on Sept. 13 and are set to depart today. While in Camas, they toured local businesses and City Hall, dined at local restaurants, toured Microsoft, went sightseeing via train, and were the honored guests at the Portland Polish Festival.

Delegates listen to Higgins and retired city administrator Lloyd Halverson discuss how Camas leaders in the 1970s and 1980s developed Camas from a small mill town into a diverse, mostly high-tech economy. "The story is interesting and may be applicable elsewhere," Halverson said.

When asked what he enjoyed most about Camas, Michael Wagener, mayor of Wissen, Germany, said “the people.”“It’s the contact with the people that is most rewarding,” he said. “When you come to another country, you can learn a lot of things by listening. We can learn how a city gets a vision, and comes up with ways to make it happen.”

Wagener needed no translator to communicate his statement. He speaks fluent English. He was part of a Partner Cities delegation visiting Camas. The group arrived on Sept. 13, and included professionals from the cities of Krapkowice, Morawica and Zabierzow in Poland; Lipova Lazne in the Czech Republic and Wissen, Germany.

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