Is it 'au revoir' for Mount Prospect's Sister Cities Commission?

Mount Prospect could be bidding “adieu” to its Sister Cities Commission.

The commission voted Thursday to rebrand itself as the broader and more inclusive International Cultural Relations Commission.

Sister Cities Commission members say the proposed change would allow the panel to pursue collaborations with other cultural, educational, professional and economic organizations on events and business relationships.

“This would then open the door to be more diverse,” Commission Chair Bob Usnik said.

The change needs village board approval to become official.

The Sister Cities Commission was formed after the village formed a relationship with Sevres, France, a suburb of Paris, in 2000. At the time, then-Mount Prospect Mayor Gerald “Skip” Farley and his wife, Janice, visited with Sevres Mayor Francois Kosciusko-Morizet and his wife, Benedicte.

Papers were signed, making the relationship official, and the village board passed an ordinance establishing the commission to handle subsequent exchanges.

Commission member and former Mayor Arlene Juracek, said the panel's value to the community is enhanced by looking beyond France.

“We all know the statistics. We are 40% foreign born. We've got a huge immigrant population, but it is so varied, as we have seen with the Celebration of Cultures (event),” she said.

But Juracek said the change does not mean the village should abandon the relationship with Sevres.

“I think there's a way to maintain that friendship and not focus so much on the actual state visits,” she said.

“I know that we have ties to French companies, and that sister cities relationship could come in handy,” added commission member and village Trustee Colleen Saccotelli.