Mayor, some Ghanaians meet, but not in Harrison

A delegation from Ghana visited the state Capitol on Wednesday as part of a Sister City trip to Jacksonville. From left are Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher; Mama Komla-Teng II, queen of the Kpando municipal district; James Kpatakpa, Ghana’s deputy national youth organizer; Togbe Dagadu VIII, paramount chief of the Akpini state of Ghana; Gov. Mike Beebe; Paulina Adinyirah, municipal chief executive of Kpando; and state Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot.
A delegation from Ghana visited the state Capitol on Wednesday as part of a Sister City trip to Jacksonville. From left are Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher; Mama Komla-Teng II, queen of the Kpando municipal district; James Kpatakpa, Ghana’s deputy national youth organizer; Togbe Dagadu VIII, paramount chief of the Akpini state of Ghana; Gov. Mike Beebe; Paulina Adinyirah, municipal chief executive of Kpando; and state Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot.

Harrison Mayor Jeff Crockett and as many as five other city leaders plan to meet in North Little Rock today with a delegation from Ghana that has been visiting potential sister city Jacksonville this week.

The Harrison leaders' visit to central Arkansas comes after that city asked another group of Ghanaians to postpone a trip to the state because of fears of the Ebola virus, Crockett said.

Crockett told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette last week that some of the partners in Harrison's sister city proposal backed out because of fear about the deadly virus. No cases of Ebola have been reported in Ghana.

Crockett described the decision to postpone the trip as "hysteria" over the virus outbreak in West Africa. The decision was made two weeks before the trip was to take place, he said.

Partners in Harrison's sister city effort included North Arkansas Regional Medical Center, North Arkansas College, the Harrison School District and North Arkansas Transportation Service, Crockett said.

Jackie Elliott, president of North Arkansas College, said Wednesday that the school hadn't "backed out" of the Ghana delegation's planned visit.

Crockett said he assumed that the college had pulled out, on the basis of emails he received and because no representative from the college attended the Aug. 13 meeting where the final decision was made. Also, the mayor said, others spoke on behalf of the college at the meeting and perhaps they shouldn't have.

On Wednesday, the college sent out a news release about the issue.

"We certainly respect the overall decision to postpone the visit," Elliott said in the release. "However, Northark did not contribute to the discussion to postpone."

The college was preparing to welcome the visitors to campus to tour agricultural and technical programs, according to the release.

"We open our doors to everyone," said Elliott. "We are celebrating 40 years of enriching our community through education, community events and bringing various cultures to this area."

Elliott didn't return a message left for her on Friday seeking comment for a story about the postponement that appeared in Sunday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

"We hope to meet representatives from our Sister City in the near future," said Elliott. "Perhaps we can find funding to travel to Ghana ourselves and by our actions show how much we value strengthening ties and forming relationships with our Sister City."

Jo Anna Cartwright, transportation director at North Arkansas Transportation Service, said she decided to back out as a sponsor of the effort after attending the Aug. 13 meeting and realizing she didn't have time to consult her board on the matter. Cartwright said she thought the trip had already been canceled because she hadn't heard anything about it for months.

At the Aug. 13 meeting, Vince Leist, president and chief executive officer of the hospital, expressed concerns about the Ebola virus, Cartwright said.

"When the head of the hospital says, 'No, you can't come to our hospital' ... you do take those things into consideration," she said.

North Arkansas Transportation Service had planned to provide a bus to take the Ghanaian delegation to and from Little Rock.

Neither Leist nor Melinda Moss, superintendent of the Harrison School District, returned telephone messages left for them Friday and Wednesday.

The four-person delegation that has been visiting Jacksonville this week came from the Kpando Municipal District. They toured Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville and Jacksonville High School, as well as the state Capitol and Heifer International in Little Rock. They also met with Gov. Mike Beebe.

"It's been a very, very great and enjoyable time," said Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher. "I feel like a rock star. When I'm with them, everybody wants their picture with me. ... Everywhere we went, they were a hit."

Fletcher said he felt sorry for Crockett, who was hoping to have a similar week.

"Obviously, he tried, but they missed a great opportunity," said Fletcher.

The delegation that was to have visited Harrison included 10 people from the North Dayi region of Ghana. They were to have arrived Saturday in Harrison and left today. They had planned to canoe on the Buffalo National River, visit businesses and dine in Harrison homes.

Fletcher said late Wednesday that he was preparing to say goodbye to Jacksonville's Ghanaian delegation.

"We had a lot in common," said Fletcher. "You don't realize how small the world really is."

The delegation to Jacksonville will participate in a sustainable-agriculture symposium at the Arkansas Municipal League office today.

Three more Ghanaians are expected to arrive today to participate in the symposium, said Sherman Banks of Little Rock, president emeritus of Sister Cities International.

Secretary of State Mark Martin and Prince Kwame Kludjeson, president of the Africa Global Sister Cities Foundation, are scheduled to speak at the symposium, said Banks.

The delegation arrived in Jacksonville last Friday and plans to return to Ghana on Friday.

Crockett said he hopes that Harrison can host a visit from the North Dayi delegation next year. There was a concern that Harrison residents might not be welcoming if they were worried about the virus, he said.

"If I'm involved, I'm going to put a little more effort into getting committee partners who can commit," said Crockett.

Banks said it's still possible for Harrison to have a sister city in Ghana.

"If they want to participate, the door is still open," said Banks. "But I want a firm commitment."

Banks said there was no threat of the Ebola virus related to visitors from Ghana.

Fletcher agreed, noting that visitors from Africa are screened at U.S. airports.

According to cdc.gov, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "works with partners at ports of entry into the United States to help prevent infectious diseases from being introduced and spread in the United States." The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with an infected person or a contaminated object such as a needle, according to health officials.

Banks said the North Dayi delegation had already purchased airline tickets to Harrison but that they can be exchanged for other flights.

Founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Sister Cities International unites tens of thousands of citizen diplomats and volunteers in programs in 140 countries on six continents, according to its website, sister-cities.org. The organization works to advance peace and prosperity through cultural, educational, humanitarian and economic development exchanges.

Harrison's sister city proposal hasn't been without controversy. In April, after the Harrison Daily Times published an article about the plan, some people complained about the initiative in the comments section of the newspaper's website and on other Internet sites. They argued that an election should be held to determine Harrison's sister city.

Harrison has tried in recent years to improve its reputation regarding race. Riots in 1905 and 1909 forced all but one black resident out of the city. Now about 34 of the city's residents are black. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Harrison had a population of 12,943.

Harrison's image issue was exacerbated in the 1980s when Thom Robb, leader of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, moved to rural Boone County and began using a Harrison post office box for the group's mailing address.

The CDC and the Arkansas Department of Health have said Ebola has been confirmed in four West African countries, but not Ghana. The affected countries are Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

According to the World Health Organization, the Ebola outbreak has caused more than 1,400 deaths. Health officials say an outbreak in the United States is unlikely.

A section on 08/28/2014

Upcoming Events