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INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP: La Grande Mayor Colleen Johnson, left, Lisa Dawson of the Northeast Oregon Economic Development District, right, and Pendleton City Manager Larry Lehman, center, visit an industrial site during a trip in July to the Croatian cities of Pazin, Labin and Buzet. They advised officials there on business attraction and retention, public-private partnerships, workforce training, and more. (Submitted photos).

Bill Rautenstrauch

Staff Writer

If you're ever in Croatia, try to spot the Northeast Oregon influences on the local economy.

They're there, if you know where to look.

Last month, La Grande Mayor Colleen Johnson, Pendleton City Manager Larry Lehman and Northeast Oregon Economic Development Director Lisa Dawson made a second trip to the Balkan nation.

Their mission? To share their economic development know-how with three cities recovering from years of warfare and strife.

The trio went as part of the Technical Twinning Partnership funded by the United States Agency for International Development.

As they have in the past, they shared ideas with counterparts in the Istrian Peninsula cities of Labin, Pazin and Buzet.

"The focus is on economic development, trying to help their (Croatian) economy by providing expertise and consulting," said Johnson.

The program, also known as CityLinks, is administered by the International City/County Management Association, a professional group for city officials.

The cities of La Grande and Pendleton, plus Union County represented by the NEODD, became involved in October 2004 at the urging of Wes Hare, a long-time and very active ICMA member.

Counting July's journey, the Northeast Oregon contingent has made two trips to the counterpart cities.

Croatian officials have visited Northeast Oregon once, and will be here again in October.

Hare left La Grande earlier this month for a job as city manager in Albany. His involvement in the project is at an end, but La Grande, Pendleton and Union County have decided to continue.

"We felt we still needed to be involved," said Johnson, who has stepped into a leadership role. "It's been an interesting transition."

From 1991 to 1995, Croatians fought a bloody war of independence with Yugoslavia. Since winning that conflict, the country has struggled to develop a viable economy.

The manufacturing sectors of the Pazin, Labin and Buzet have declined, and government leaders are searching for ways to make up for it.

All three cities are located on the Istrian Peninsula. They are developing a healthy tourism industry while trying to rejuvenate the manufacturing base.

"Their tourism sector is pretty well developed. They're in a beautiful part of the country and you can see why they have a handle on it," Johnson said.

During the most recent trip, Johnson, Lehman and Dawson participated in roundtable discussions with delegations from the three municipalities. They also met with the new mayors of Labin and Buzet.

Talk centered on attracting and retaining businesses, and development of projects through public-private partnerships.

"We've shown them how we value those partnerships. It's not something they know much about," Johnson said.

Ways to train or re-train workers also played heavily in the discussions.

Included in the proceedings was a transcontinental videoconference between participants in Croatia and Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton Lisa Davis of the ICMA said the videoconference was a first in the history of the twinning program.

"It was one of the most exciting events of the exchange," she said. "This form of conferencing may prove to be a valuable tool is assisting workforce training in Croatia."

Lehman said the twinning program offers leaders from the American and Croatian communities a chance to share ideas and experiences.

Often, they find they have things in common.

"The issues Buzet, Labin and Pazin have identified as challenges are similar to ones urban governments face in the U.S.," he said.

Lehman added he is pleased to have a chance to reach out and help the Croatian people.

"We work everyday to make our communities a better place for our citizens, and we're happy to have the opportunity to help Croatia's leaders do the same for ours," he said.