A Bahamian delegation from Cat Island is forging a mutually beneficial ‘Sister Cities’ relationship with Richton, Illinois, in a move that could lead to increased foreign direct investment (FDI).

Cat Island’s administrator, Jackson McIntosh; chief councillor, Kevin Brown; superintendent of education, Garth King; Cat Island Sister Cities Association chairman, Danson King, and member Melvin Seymour, along with Immerse Bahamas president and chief executive, Ginger Moxey, travelled to Illinois from September 22 to 25 to meet key people in Richton Park.

The trip aimed to discover mutually beneficial opportunities, meet potential investors, promote Cat Island and the Bahamas as a vacation destination and develop educational exchange programmes.

Mayor Rick Reinbold led the delegation on a tour of Richton Park, and its Public Library, Southland College Prep Charter High School, Governors State University and the St. James Hospital.

The group also travelled to Chicago to tour the Navy Pier before visiting Michael Fountain, who was recently appointed as the Chicago-based Bahamas Honorary Consul for the Mid-Western US.

Mr Fountain said the delegation was the first to call on his office since his appointment, adding: “You are very precious to me. …Your being here is very important.

“Obviously, I don’t have to tell you that. I’m honoured that you guys get to step foot in the Consulate; the first Bahamians to do that, that’s a very important thing. “

Mr Fountain, who has been a lobbyist in the state of Illinois for the last 20 years, said the Government wants to replicate his appointment and role in Houston, Los Angeles and Denver.

The Village of Richton Park hosted the Bahamian delegation to a welcome reception at the Community Centre, where they learned more about the Bahamas’ culture and history, which included the promotion of the Junkanoo Carnival event set for May 7-9, 2015.

Mayor Reinbold, who also serves as Village president, said: “This is really an opportunity for collaborative efforts between both communities. We all get along very well, and I think there is a lot of common ground in the interest of education and also in tourism.”

The mayor said the next step was for the people of Richton to coordinate a delegation to Cat Island. “That is something that I’m already looking forward to. It is very clear that there is support of our government, our governing body as a board, and this has been a personal dream of mine for over three years to find a Sister City that in the true sense of the word is a sister for our communities. We’re just very excited about it,” said Mayor Reinbold.

Mr McIntosh said the visit was both intriguing and promising. “It offered a real glimpse into the future of what could be a very fruitful opportunity for the people of Cat Island, especially in the field of education and the advancement of more domestic ownership in the Bahamian economy,” he added.

Immerse Bahamas is a destination and project management company that aims to promote cultural programmes. It has partnered with Sister Cities International to develop sister city relationships for the enhancement of cultural, educational, tourism and business exchanges throughout the Bahamas.

“The Richton Park visit exceeded even my expectations, in terms of the opportunities available for the Cat Island community and, by extension, the Bahamas in general. We will work expeditiously with the Mayor and Richton Park community to ensure that our discussions have an immediate impact on the people of Cat Island,” Ms Moxey said.

Plans are underway for a Cat Island visit in early 2015.