On February 10, Orlando, Florida joined Mayors for Peace with a moving public ceremony at City Hall. The signing ceremony was a high point of the 7th Annual Orlando Latin American Film & Heritage Festival (OLA Fest). Opening the ceremony, OLA Festival organizer Nelson Betancourt, described it as a “sacred occasion.”
The ceremony featured a poetry reading, remarks by Tad Daley, author of “Apocalypse Never,” and a benediction. Filling in for Mayor Buddy Dyer, who was called away at the last minute, Mayor Pro Tem Tony Ortiz declared: “This represents a milestone in our quest for world peace.” He then read a Proclamation proclaiming the City of Orlando a member of Mayors for Peace.
The Pro
clamation cites the 2010 U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) resolution calling on Congress to terminate funding for nuclear weapons systems, to reduce spending on nuclear weapons programs, and to redirect funds to meet urgent needs of cities. It also notes that, “The City of Orlando through its Sister Cities Program has established cultural and economic relationships with nine world cities, five of them already signatories to the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign.” Read the full text of the Proclamation here.
Mayors for Peace U.S. membership has grown to 170 cities, and we have set a goal of 200 members by the time of the June 2011 USCM annual meeting.
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