The legacy of an international partnership facilitated by ICMA was recognized by the city of Tigard, Oregon, as it dedicated a park pavilion to honor the ICMA program and a key contributor from Samarinda, Indonesia. The dedication recognized ICMA's Resource Cities Program—now known as CityLinks—and the late Muhammad Saili, the chief administrative officer in Samarinda at the time.

The partnership between Tigard and Samarinda was active from 2002 through 2005. It was facilitated by ICMA, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to help the Indonesian city assume the responsibilities that had devolved to the local level with a nationwide decentralization of power. When the program was extended after the first two years, the city of Balikpapan was added to the partnership.

Throughout the program, Tigard helped Samarinda make improvements in its water system, local government accounting, citizen participation, and education, particularly as related to the environment. Tigard sent six delegations to Indonesia and hosted five delegations in return.

Speaking at the pavilion dedication, former Tigard city manager William A. Monahan cited the program's success: "The partnership and the relationships that were built truly reflect the best characteristics of the two communities as well as their mutual commitments to providing the best possible environments for their citizens to live, prosper, and educate their children." He noted that the examples provided by Tigard "were put into practice beyond our expectations" and that a room in the Samarinda municipal building has been named the "Tigard Room."

Monahan credited Muhammad Saili with much of the success of the partnership, on both professional and personal levels. During his U.S. visits, Saili "brightened the room" with his smile, intelligence, and speech-making ability. He developed a close relationship with the local public works director and other staff, participated enthusiastically in training sessions—and boosted the local economy by purchasing numerous gifts for family and co-workers back home.

At the dedication of the pavilion, Tigard mayor Craig E. Dirksen also dedicated a tree to be planted in honor of the current walikota (mayor) of Samarinda. He invited Samarinda to renew the partnership, sharing ideas about education, infrastructure maintenance and improvement, environmental awareness and preservation, and citizen involvement and good governance.

In a letter prepared for the ceremony, the Samarinda mayor welcomed the suggestion. Recognizing the earlier program, he wrote, "Our citizens benefited greatly from the knowledge and assistance that you and your staff provided to us in the areas of water system improvement, accounting practices, citizen involvement, education, and good governance."

Speaking about the partnership, current city manager Craig Prosser noted, "I was fortunate to have the opportunity to participate directly in the partnerships with Samarinda and Balikpapan. People to people partnerships, such as those sponsored by CityLinks, break down barriers and open the door to lasting friendships. Tigard was very fortunate to be part of this program."

ICMA has facilitated numerous CityLinks partnerships and other programs in Indonesia and continues to work as a subcontractor to RTI International under the Local Governance Support Program. For additional information about ICMA International programs, visit the Web site or e-mail international@icma.org.