By Lance Cpl. Scott Schmidt
Regimental Combat Team 1
HABBANIYAH, Iraq - A throng of Habbaniyah government officials, police and citizens gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the grand opening of the Habbaniyah government center, Oct. 25, 2008.
The government center has been four months in the making and is now complete, standing as a symbol of a representative government taking hold in the area. Now both the mayor of Habbaniyah and the city council work together, under the same roof, to govern the district.
"The collaboration among different local governments is critical," explained Kevin Anderson, a representative from the Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team – Ramadi. "The government center promotes stability and fosters a theme of progress in the community."
The government center houses the necessary facilities needed for legitimate governance of the district. Anderson explained the effect of these facilities on the community is two-fold. The government center creates a spirit of cooperation between the mayor and city council and "ensures the transparency of the government process by creating a system of checks and balances."
In a sign of unity and continued cooperation, both mayor, Hussein Ali Hussein and the head of the city council, Ali Dawood, cut the ceremonial ribbon simultaneously. After the ribbon cutting ceremony, the mayor met with the city council and other officials to discuss the direction in which Habbaniyah is headed. The new unified relationship between the mayor and city council is one that will foster only good things to come, commented the mayor.
"We all are looking forward to working together to govern Habbaniyah," the mayor told the group. "This is a good thing, to be able to work together for the community"
The positive attitude within the confines of the local government has been encouraging to the area's advancement, said Anderson.
"Habbaniyah's spirit of team work and willingness to work together is a model of governance for other cities to follow," he added.