Saturday, October 4, 2008

Ballard to Head Overseas

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard took the opportunity during his remarks at yesterday's presentation by a member of the German Bundestag to talk about his vision for globalization of Indy.

He announced yesterday that he'd be making two trips abroad within the next year, one to Europe and the other to South America. He intends to find more Sister City affiliations for Indianapolis, he said.

Meanwhile, rumor has it, Ballard has killed the budding Sister City relationship Indianapolis had started with Eldoret, Kenya, saying that there was no economic benefit for Indy in that partnership.

His remarks were made during Friday's breakfast with Dr. Werner Hoyer in the offices of the Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. Dr. Hoyer (who spend a high school year in Montana and attended US colleges) talked about "Global Challenges and Changes in Leadership in the United States and Europe" in a presentation sponsored by the Indianapolis Eric M. Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany, Indianapolis-Cologne Sister City Committee and Independent Colleges of Indiana.

No doubt the Indianapolis mayor's upcoming trip to Europe (which includes, he said, a stop in Cologne) will be a topic at tonight's Taste of Germany. Ballard is expected to attend the fundraiser benefiting the Indianapolis-Cologne Sister City Committee and the Indianapolis Fire Department's Survive Alive Program. Ballard was stationed in Germany during his time in the U.S. Marine Corps.

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