Update – 4:45 p.m. – Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and other county officials will travel Saturday to Cuba as part of a five-day trip to develop cultural and business opportunities in the country on behalf of the county.
Leggett will be joined by County Council members Nancy Navarro and Roger Berliner on the trip as well as by Claudia Canales, Leggett’s administrative assistant.
The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is hosting the trip. Local leaders also heading to Cuba include Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and Maurice Jones, the Virginia secretary of commerce and trade, as well as a bevy of regional business officials.
In addition to developing business leads, officials plan to highlight the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area’s “strengths in transportation, tourism, health and education,” according to the chamber.
A spokeswoman for the chamber said an itinerary for the trip would be released after a press conference Thursday.
“I look forward to exploring ways that Montgomery County residents and businesses can connect with Cuba and our regional partners to advance our mutual interests,” Leggett said in a statement released by the chamber.
Patrick Lacefield, Leggett’s spokesman, said in an email that the county will pay $8,700 to send Leggett and Canales. Berliner’s chief of staff Cindy Gibson said Berliner’s travel costs totaling $4,500 are being paid by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Berliner serves as the chairman of the organization, which is funded in part by contributions from participating local governments. Navarro's chief of staff Adam Fogel said she will be using personal funds to pay for the trip, although she is attending in her official capacity as a council member and a board member of the Council of Governments.
The trip comes as the U.S. normalizes relations with Cuba after decades of severed diplomatic relations between the two countries. On Tuesday, the two countries signed an agreement to authorize daily U.S. commercial flights to Cuba. The White House announced Thursday that President Obama will travel to Cuba in March.
Editor's note: This story was updated to include information about how County Council member Nancy Navarro is paying for the trip. She will be using personal funds. This information was provided to Bethesda Beat when it was requested Thursday but not added to the story until Friday after the article was published due to an oversight on the part of the reporter.
