John Marks and Russian Mayor Urge LeMieux to Back START Treaty

On Tuesday, Tallahassee Mayor John Marks and Mayor Vladimir Evlanov of Krasnodar, the Russian town that is Tallahassees sister city, wrote to outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, urging him to vote for the START Treaty currently before Congress.

I am pleased to join my friend and colleague, Mayor Vladimir Evlanov of Krasnodar, in a joint expression of support for the New START Treaty, said Marks. The treatys fate affects not just the citizens of Tallahassee and Krasnodar, but the entire global community. Any delay in its ratification places an unnecessary risk on our safety.

Like Mayor Marks, I am a strong advocate of the New START Treaty and consider it an essential part of our countries mutual goal of reducing the threat of nuclear warfare said Evlanov. The treaty will foster a stronger relationship between Russia and the United States and will make the world a safer place.

The treaty, which was signed in April, has been the subject of some attack from Republicans in Congress but some conservatives are coming around on it -- most recently former presidential candidate and noted pundit Pat Buchanan.