MEDIA ADVISORY

Mayor: Jennifer P. Dougherty

CONTACT: Nancy Poss, Public Information Officer, 301-360-3842
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 31, 2004

MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEET WITH PARTICIPANT OF THE INTERNATIONAL VISIT PROGRAM

Frederick, Md. --- On Thursday, April 1st City of Frederick Mayor Jennifer P. Dougherty and two members of the Board of Aldermen will meet with a member of the Chinese government, Ms. Fan Yu. Yu is currently participating in the International Visit Program through The U.S. Department of State.

During her study tour of the United States, Yu will be visiting Washington, D.C., and several cities in Maryland including Frederick.

Mayor Dougherty will meet with Yu from 10 - 11:30 a.m., followed by Aldermen Marcia Hall and Donna Ramsburg.

Yu, the Director Deputy Division of Rural Work Department of Basic Level Government and Community Development, has several goals for her program. She hopes to learn more about the following issues:
examining how United States citizens participate in the political process;
addressing how voters learn about the issues;
voter mobilization;
interplay between elected city/local officials and city/local administration;
the role of special citizen advocacy groups and lobbyists in setting political agendas and policies, including how women political leaders are nurtured and promoted; and
how election campaigns are financed and the relationship between campaign finance, special interests, and political appointee systems in the U.S.

Yu is a key national player in the administration of China's local elections and in implementing reforms in rural administration and governance. Yu was a visiting scholar in the United States in the mid-90s and is an active advocate of elections, democratization, and political reform.