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Council endorses local nonprofit MAGIC to pursue sister-city ties with Middleton, Ireland
Summary
Council voted to designate the McAlester Association for Global Interconnections (MAGIC) to administer a sister-city relationship; organizers said Middleton, Ireland, has already passed a local step and that the effort builds on historic Choctaw–Irish ties.
A citizen-led group that calls itself the McAlester Association for Global Interconnections, or MAGIC, won council approval to serve as the city's designated organization to pursue sister‑city relationships.
Organizer Catherine O'Haglin told the council the idea grew from community conversations and that MAGIC has already received letters of support from multiple local partners, including the McAlester Public Library, McAlester Public Schools, Eastern Oklahoma State College and the Choctaw Nation. She said initial contact with Middleton, Ireland, had been positive; "they've already taken the first step," O'Haglin said, and a local group in Ireland had passed a corresponding measure.
O'Haglin framed MAGIC as a community-led, city-supported nonprofit that would coordinate cultural exchanges, school partnerships and visitor exchanges without relying on city general-fund support. Council voted to approve the resolution designating MAGIC as the administering organization.
Ending: Council approved the resolution and councilors encouraged a regional approach that could include surrounding communities.
