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BY MAHADEV DESAI
City of Lilburn extended a hearty welcome to the visiting
Ahmedabad, Gujarat Mayor Amit Shah, his wife Sudhaben Shah,
Chair of the Standing Committee,Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation(AMC), Madhuben Patel, Deputy Commissioner,(AMC)
Capt.Dilip Mahajan , Convener,Indian Council of Young
Political Leaders, Sanjeev Mehta and staff, at the City Hall
in Lilburn, GA. on Friday, March 14.
City of Lilburn extended a hearty welcome to the visiting
Ahmedabad, Gujarat Mayor Amit Shah, his wife Sudhaben Shah,
Chair of the Standing Committee Madhuben Shah,and Deputy
Commissioner Capt.Mahajan and staff, at the City Hall in
Lilburn, GA. on Friday, March 14.
Upon arrival, Mayor Shah and accompanying delegation were
courteously greeted with Indian sweets by the City of
Lilburn Mayor Diana Preston. Mayor Preston said that she
hopes that the friendship between the two cities, Lilburn
and Ahmedabad will be a “sweet one.” In a brief speech, soft
spoken Mayor Preston said that when she heard of the
possible sister-city connection between Atlanta and
Ahmedabad, she thought of inviting Mayor Shah to forge a
bond of partnership and friendship between Lilburn and
Gujarat. She said that City of Lilburn was proud of its
Indian community which has commendable resilience,
intelligence and entrepreneurship. Lilburn is known for its
diversity and rich traditions. Such visits would help in
understanding of cultures, exchange of ideas and in
promoting economic development, education and technology for
the mutual benefit. She lauded the opening of the BAPS
Swaminarayan Mandir in her city, which stands as a standing
symbol of India’s rich heritage and culture and the city’s
continual efforts in welcoming diversity and change. She
went on to read the Proclamation, which was to be presented
on the following day’s ceremony at the BAPS Swaminarayan
Mandir. She recognized Chief John Davidson - Chief of Police
- city of Lilburn; Beth Nash - Economic Development Manager
- City of Lilburn; Victoria dufresne - city of Lilburn
staff; Thor Johnson - President - Lilburn Business
Association; Patti-Jo Shapiro - Director of PR for Lilburn
Business Association and Lilburn women's group, to name a
few. Mayor Amit Shah presented a token gift to Mayor Preston
who reciprocated by presenting the Ahmedabad guests with
sweets.
Mayor Preston and her husband Larry have lived in Lilburn
since 1975. She was elected Mayor in November 2007. Diana
was a charter member of the Lilburn Planning Commission and
a past member of the Lilburn Merit Board. She served on the
Lilburn City Council from 1985-1986 and 1991 through 2007;
her council responsibilities included streets and garbage,
planning and zoning and for the last several years parks,
recreation and community activities. After the rededication
of City Park, Diana worked with the Lilburn Park Committee
coordinating several spring and summer park events,
including the very popular Lilburn Idol events. Diana is a
visionary and a passionate educator. Her goal is to enhance
the quality of life in Lilburn, making it a community where
residents live, shop, work and play in safe and secure
neighborhoods. In addition to City Council activities, the
Lilburn Woman's Club, serves on the Board of Directors for
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. Diana recently retired from
Gwinnett County Public Schools with 30 years of service.
Currently, she is employed as a part-time assistant
principal at Berkmar High School.
Among those present were the current and past presidents of
Gujarati Samaj, Mr. Navin Patel, Mr. Jitu Patel and Mr.
Vinod Patel. The President and President-Elect of the
Georgia Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (GIACC), Dr. Narsi
Narasimhan and Mr. Ritesh Desai. The post-event reception
was hosted by the GIACC and sponsored by Eshco Global
Investments, LLC.
The following day, Mayor Preston presented a Key to the City
of Lilburn to Mayor Shah and a proclamation re-emphasizing
her dedication to the friendship between the City of Lilburn
and the City of Ahmedabad. Mayor Shah responded by thanking
Mayor Preston for inviting him and the delegates, and
assured her that he would be happy and proud to develop a
lasting and fruitful partnership between the twin cities,
Ahmedabad and Lilburn.
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