By Tom Easter
June 27, 2005

The United States Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe addressed the Sunday Plenary Session in Chicago. Ashe was sworn in last June and arrived in Warsaw on July 21 to begin his new duties. The Ambassador is a Past President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and was mayor of Knoxville (TN) for 16 years.

"The relationship between the Conference of Mayors and the Republic of Poland actually goes back to when this meeting was held here in Chicago 15 years ago during Mayor Daley's first year in office," Ashe said. He explained how a Conference of Mayors delegation went to Poland to assist local leaders establish and then to maintain local infrastructure in a country that at that time had only been free for one year. It has only been within the last three years that the people of Poland, directly elects their mayors.

"Sixteen years as mayor isn't bad training to be an Ambassador," said Ashe, speaking of his focus to local government within Poland. "I am the Ambassador to Poland, not just one city," the Ambassador said, referring to his travels to 42 polish cities and fifteen of the sixteen provinces and makes sure that at least one day a week he is outside of Warsaw. Many of the Polish mayors that the Ambassador meets have never seen an Ambassador from the United States or anywhere else.

"Many cities here have relationships with cities in Poland. In fact, 42 American cities have a sister city relationship with a city in Poland," pointed out Ashe, talking of the close relationship that the United States and Poland enjoy. "There are ten million Polish people in America and forty million in Poland, and Poland has been a close friend of the United States," Ashe stated.

Ashe said that in returning to the Conference's Annual Meeting, he feels he is "coming back home." He invited mayors to let him know when they are coming to Poland. "I will look forward to welcoming you and visiting with you in Warsaw," he said.