Palatine Mayor Rita Mulins bids farewell to mayors' conference

Mullins bids farewell to mayors' conference: Former Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins traveled to Providence, R.I., recently for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' 77th annual meeting.

Mullins was a long-standing member of the organization and most recently served as a committee member until she the mayor's job lost to Jim Schwantz in the April election.

The Providence Journal reported that Mullins was honored as a longtime member during time originally slotted for speeches by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and White House drug czar Gil Kerlilowske.

They were supposed to discuss crime reduction and public safety, but members of President Obama's administration pulled out of the conference amid protests by Providence firefighters involved in a union contract dispute.

According to the published report, Mullins kept her remarks brief and said, "I'm very proud to have been your colleague and your friend."

The conference drew dignitaries from across the globe including the mayor of Hiroshima, Japan, who spoke of the dangers of nuclear proliferation.

- Kimberly Pohl