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<br /> e M I NUT E S <br /> Eugene City Council <br /> McNutt Room--City Hall <br /> August 10, 1988 <br /> 11:30 a.m. <br /> COUNCILORS PRESENT: Freeman Holmer, Ruth Bascom, Robert Bennett, Debra <br /> Ehrman, Jeff Miller, Roger Rutan, Emily Schue, Cynthia <br /> Wooten. <br /> The adjourned meeting of August 8, 1988, of the City Council of the City of <br /> Eugene, Oregon was called to order by His Honor Mayor Brian B. Obie. <br /> 1. REPORT FROM MAYOR OBIE ON IRKUTSK VISIT <br /> Mayor Obie shared his experiences from his recent trip to Irkutsk, U.S.S.R. <br /> as part of the sister city delegation that included University of Oregon <br /> President Paul Olum and several members of the Sister City Commission. He <br /> described the trip as intense and non-stop as the six-member delegation was <br /> kept busy for often 16 hours a day. Before traveling to Irkutsk, Mayor Obie <br /> said the delegation landed in Moscow and was met by two representatives from <br /> e the sister city. Throughout their stay in the Soviet Union, Mayor Obie said <br /> the delegation was transported in limousines and fed excellent food. <br /> As part of his report, Mayor Obie had staff show the first two segments of a <br /> series on the trip by an accompanying news team from KEZI Television. Mr. <br /> Rutan asked how the trip compared with the Kakegawa trip. Mayor Obie said in <br /> some ways it was easier to communicate with the Soviets because their <br /> lifestyles are closer to those in the West. He noted that Irkutsk is the <br /> government seat for the province of Irkutsk, and counts wood products as its <br /> major industry. <br /> Mayor Obie said he was astounded to learn that City officials in Irkutsk view <br /> Eugene as their window to the U.S. Because of the nature of their system of <br /> government, he said City officials can have direct relationships with <br /> representatives from other countries. The mayor of Irkutsk, who is also <br /> active in national politics, indicated the City is interested in aggressively <br /> pursuing economic opportunities in Eugene. Mayor Obie said the mayor <br /> expressed an interest in seeking housing, food, and some clothing items from <br /> the U.S. <br /> Mayor Obie said six people and the mayor will make up the Irkutsk delegation <br /> that is scheduled to visit Eugene. The six representatives will include a <br /> university president, the equivalent of our planning director, and an <br /> interpreter. He said the Eugene delegation encouraged the Soviets to include <br /> . MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 10, 1988 Page 1 <br />