League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area
 November 2015

In This Issue
Lots of Ways to Learn with the League: Local Programs 
The League of Women Voters -- La Crosse Area (LALWV) provides educational programs for the public.  All meetings are free.  An asterisk (*) denotes meetings that have an optional luncheon available for $13.00,  If you plan on attending the luncheon, RSVP to Dee Peacock at [email protected] or call her at 788-5160, at least on week in advance.
 
Date:  November 8 (4:30-6:30 p.m.)   -- The First Congregational United Church of Christ, the League of Women Voters & the AAUW are co-hosting a special screening of the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) film, Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot.  This is a true story of the 1965 Selmna-to-Montgomery voting rights march.  In addition to celebrating the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the League of LALWV will share information on the current voter registration projects and concerns in the hope of encouraging greater participation in local, state, and national elections.
 
*Date:  November 10, 2015 (12:00 - 1:00 p.m.) -- Sheila Harmes, coordinator of Whitewater Watershed Organization, will be the featured speaker at the Radisson Hotel in the Mississippi Room.  Harmes will speak about the water quality of the Upper Mississippi and its tributaries in our area, with emphasis on the effect of changing farm management techniques.
 
Date: November 17, 2015 (5:00-6:30 p.m.)  -- Constitutional Amendment Consensus Questions will be studied by members of the LALWV.  This study is in three parts.  The questions in Part I are to develop guidelines for evaluating constitutional amendment proposals.  Part II asks about aspects of an Article V Constitutional Convention that may be important in conducting such a convention.  Part III asks two overall balancing questions between process and position.  Any League member is invited to attend.  This meeting will be held in the auditorium at the La Crosse Main Street Library.
 
*  Date:  December 8, 2015 (12:00-1:00 p.m.) - Jay Heck,executive director of Common Cause, will be the featured speaker at the Radisson Hotel. Heck will review the role of Common Cause and discuss the impact money has in the political process.

League Book Club
WHEN: December 2, 2015, at 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Java Vino 1505 Losey Blvd. S. La Crosse, WI 54601
BOOK: "The Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg".

This is a new book - to be released the end of October. It is available from Amazon in book form or Kindle for $12+. I'm sure other book stores will also have it soon. 
 
Hope to see you there!
Maureen Kinney (608) 784-5678 [email protected]
LWV - Upper Mississippi River Region Inter League Organization 

First Annual Meeting of the LWV/Upper Mississippi River Region Inter League Organization "UMRR"Saturday, October 24, 2015, Dubuque, Iowa 

After much behind the scenes work, four state Leagues along the upper Mississippi Driftless region have come together to form an inter-League organization to work on the health of the Upper Mississippi, with the hope that this work will impact the whole river. Here is a brief description of the new Board and what they hope to accomplish. We plan to connect the evolving UMRR website to ours very soon, with more detail.

Here is a head's up! That 2nd annual meeting will probably be in La Crosse. The next annual meeting will be in April 2017, with a great deal of work being done by the Board and local groups until then. Also, there is another Driftless Conference (similar to what we had last year) in La Crosse February 2 and 3, 2016, so we will be interacting with some of the major players then, too.

The early focus of the group will be on contaminants to the River. The efforts will evolve, but will include public education and perhaps monitoring of streams. We hope that the Watershed Game that we have been introduced to will have an impact from adults to young students, geared to each level. We hope that the term "watershed" will be understood by more people.

As you will notice, each state has a delegate. We now have bylaws and are ready to function as an official organization. This has been after a lot of research and groundwork. La Crosse has been active in this, and we are delighted to have reached this milestone. The efforts and achievements of a more experienced Lake Michigan ILO for Lake Michigan have helped inspire and guide us.

Wisconsin has as its delegate, Gretchen Benjamin. Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois each have a delegate. The new president of this group is Gretchen Sabel of Anoka, Minnesota, who will serve for 2 years. Her credentials in water issues and environmental work are impressive.

Mary Ann Nelson is Vice Chair, for a one year term. She is from Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa, with connections to teaching and is an MLD (League membership leader for Iowa).

Kathy Pearson, our new secretary, for a one year term, is a native Chicagoan, and has lived in Galena for a long time. She's a social worker and has much experience as a secretary for church and civic groups.

Ellen Rosborough is our new Treasurer for a two year term. She has served on the Wisconsin state board for 10 years, is a La Crosse member and has worked in setting up Vote411 and other techy aspects of our local and state league. She will move to Dane County, but will not forget her La Crosse connection. She majored in chemistry and biology and became a computer programmer.

Sue Wilson is a Director from Dubuque, Iowa and is her local League's secretary. (2 year term)

Sheri Latash, Director from Illinois. She is Sustainable Food and Water issue specialist on the LWVIL Issues Committee and much more. (2 year term)

Beth Baker-Knuttila Director, from Park Rapids Minnesota, (2 year term) 

G retchen Benjamin from La Crosse Wisconsin (2 year term) 

Bonnie Cox, Director of Communications (2 year term) Galena, Illinois. O ne of the forces behind getting this organized since June 2014.

Janet Durham, Iowa Nominating Committee Chair ( 1 year term) Dubuque, Iowa

Nancy Hill attended as La Crosse Area League representative


Voter Services Committee Report
Between August and the end of October the Voter Services Committee members have been active. Information regarding voter ID, how to register to vote, and the opportunity to actually register have been provided at a City Human Rights Commission listening session, at a Volunteer Fair at UW-L,  and at a Wellness Fair at WTC.  Committee members have looked into how voter-compliant Student ID Cards are at the three local higher education institutions.  A number of LWV members have become Special Registration Deputies and have registered voters.  More opportunities to inform others about voting requirements and opportunities to register voters are in the works.  Stay tuned.  Anyone reading this who would like to join in the voter services activities or become part of the committee, please contact any Board member or Nancy Danou at  [email protected] or 608-788-8500.  We have been meeting monthly at the end of the work day.  
 

Statewide Infrastructure Programs
We in La Crosse did not have an opportunity locally to attend the league programs on infrastructure that were held in other locations in the state.  If you are interested, the Madison one is up on YouTube.  You can find it at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsYKbuFyxE4  If that does not work, I found it by searching for Wisconsin league of women voters rebuild America's infrastructure and economy. 
New Member Bio
Dr. Suzanne Toce
 
For the past 2 1/2 years, I have been retired after close to 40 years caring for high-risk newborns in the intensive care nursery.  I was particularly involved in pediatric ethics and palliative care.  I was doing all this while having 2 boys and a husband.  Now in retirement, I have the same husband and 2 "boys", and have added 2 daughters-in-law and three grandchildren.  As our sons are on both coasts, we travel a lot.  I have also traveled internationally both for relaxation and with Gundersen's Global Partners in Nicaragua teaching lay midwives to care for babies in the first minutes after birth.  When in town, you'll likely find me at the Generous Earth Pottery studio having fun playing in the mud - something that I finally have time to do.  I am just starting out as a hospice volunteer and a volunteer facilitator for Respecting Choices advance-care planning conversations.  I joined the League of Women Voters to be a more informed citizen and help others engage in the political process.
Issues Briefing
2015 LWV Wisconsin State Issues Briefing
 
The mission of the LWV Wisconsin is to advocate for active and informed participation in government.  On Saturday, October 10th eight La Crosse LWV members traveled to Middleton to learn more about League leadership opportunities.
1)  UW Madison professor, Barry Burden, serves as director of the new Elections Research Center ( https://elections.wisc.edu/). Dr. Burden shared findings on election laws and voter turnout. Recent research indicates that notifying people about ID requirements raises turnout.  He also suggested that reference to "Voter ID" is confusing and implies that voters need a special "ID" to vote.  In voter education, discuss "ID's for voting that will be accepted at Wisconsin voting polls".
2)  The LWV joins the non-partisan Common Cause in collaborating to advocate for a responsive government and engaged public. With Common Cause, the LWV has been a voice in the recent weeks opposing the proposals to dismantle the non-partisan GAB and the deregulation of campaign finance law in Wisconsin. The proposed campaign finance bill eliminates Special Registration Deputies and the opportunity for LWV volunteers to register voters in the community.  http://www.commoncausewisconsin.org/
3)  Longtime Wisconsin environment leader, Tia Nelson, described her professional journey as an environment conservation and protection advocate.  She noted that a significant threat to environment policy is the impact of money in politics.  Our efforts to address global warming should educate the public, empower citizens, and reform money in politics.

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