OCEAN CITY — Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting had a decidedly international flair with a coalition of visitors from Haiti on a tour of the resort and its operations in attendance.
At the outset of Monday’s meeting, Mayor Rick Meehan introduced the group visiting from Haiti including the Director General of the Ministry of the Interior and a coalition of female mayors from communities all around the Caribbean island nation. The group arrived in Ocean City on Saturday and toured the resort.
Prior to Monday’s meeting, Meehan hosted the group on a tour of City Hall and told them about how the town’s government operated with its various departments serving the needs of both residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors during the summer season. The visiting Haitian American Organization for the Advancement of Democracy was then introduced at the Mayor and Council meeting and sat in for much of the proceedings to learn how the civic government operates.
“We’ve been very honored to have this group of visitors from Haiti,” said Meehan. “They’re in this country to learn about our cities and how they operate and to develop a working relationship with Ocean City. It’s been an honor to learn about some of the things we have in common and this has been a great opportunity and experience for Ocean City.”
Through an interpreter, the Haitian Director General of the Ministry of Interior and National Collectives and Defense told the mayor and council and the public in attendance how impressed the group was with the cleanliness of Ocean City and how it went from a town of 7,000 year-round residents to a major city often with hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The high-ranking Haitian official said the visit to Ocean City afforded his colleagues an opportunity to see how an American tourist town operates and presented opportunities for cultural, social and economic exchanges. He also invited resort officials to Haiti for a reciprocal visit to create lasting and meaningful partnerships. Ocean City Communications Manager Jessica Waters further explained the purpose of the Haitian coalition’s visit to Ocean City.
“There were 14 visitors from Haiti in total who came to study our government, learn about our tourism efforts, have social experiences and build partnerships,” she said. “They were extremely enthusiastic about their time in Ocean City and couldn’t believe the services that are provided here. It was a unique cultural experience for them and for us.”
