(Photo – Graphics Dept.)
On Monday, January 22, 2024, members of the Pasadena Sister Cities Committee (PSCC) attended the City of Pasadena’s City Council meeting to voice their concerns over the recent change in the nonprofit’s administration and financial standing.
By News Desk
PSCC is an official committee of the City of Pasadena and a subset of Sister Cities International. It is composed of six cities in China, Germany, Japan, Finland, Armenia and most recently Dakar-Plateau, Senegal. Dakar-Plateau, the capital of Senegal, became Pasadena’s sixth sister city in 2019 thanks to the concerted efforts of the late Councilmember John J. Kennedy.
Funds raised by the organization are generally used to entertain foreign visitors, to arrange cultural exchanges, and support student exchange programs. Recent letters to the Pasadena City Council by Laura Terry, Vice Chair of the China sub-committee and Michael Warner, former Vice President of PSCC make similar claims that the recent elections were influenced in large part by an influx of new members recruited by the new administration. These new members had never attended a previous PSCC meeting, participated in the organizations events, or traveled to any Pasadena Sister Cities.
The new administration of the Pasadena Sister Cities Committee is formed by close affiliates. Lena Louise Kennedy is President and Elizabeth Ellis, her sister, is Secretary. Lena Louise Kennedy’s longtime acquaintances, Martin Gordon and Joann Forte, are Vice President and Treasurer. After listening to public comment concerns, the Pasadena City Council requested the new administration turn in financial records for review.
> You can hear comments starting at 23 minutes and 55 seconds at this link.
Good reporting.