By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington mayor Tari Renner said he hopes his recent trip to Cuba can be a first step in reviving the city’s partnership with Caibarien, a resort city in the island nation.
PODCAST: Listen to Scott”s interview with Renner on WJBC.
“It shouldn’t be too terribly difficult for us to rekindle that relationship,” Renner said. “I know the people from Heartland (Community College), Illinois State, Illinois Wesleyan were involved in this 13 years ago. They would like to have some of these exchange relationships.”
Renner told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin he sees the potential for improved government relations between the two countries and expanded trade, though he says much of Cuba’s farming is ‘beyond primitive.’
“Essentially having two oxen tied together and a plow being pulled by the oxen,” Renner noted. “One of the people said ‘Gosh, that’s like the Middle Ages,” and I said I think that’s even a couple thousand years before Jesus.”
Renner said he talked to a Cuban cigar factory owner who told him he would open a shop in Bloomington if the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba is fully lifted.
Bloomington and Normal both have sister city relationships with cities in Cuba even though the embargo has been in place since the 1960s. Normal has a sister city partnership with Remedios which is near Carbarien.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
