October 2016 Newsletter
MANAGEMENT TEAM LETTER

Hello League Members,

Fall is definitely here with shorter days and cooler nights, yellow school buses appearing in our neighborhoods and the election dominating our news.
 
As November 8th draws closer, the Falls Church League continues its vigorous voter outreach and registration agenda.   The non-partisan, comprehensive VOTE411 Voters Guide is now available and all Falls Church City races and ballot issues are included. Check it out on the VOTE411.org website. 

On National Voter Registration Day, Voter Service members, Amy Hjerstedt and Martha Cooper, held a full-service voter registration event in the lobby of the West Broad Apartment building.  Their presence on site was appreciated by those dropping by.  On Tuesday, October 11th, Voter Service volunteers, along with our two George Mason High School interns, will help register eligible students and staff at the high school.  If you are interested in participating in this event or helping at polling stations on Election Day, please contact our Voter Service co-chairs - listed in the sidebar with active links to their email accounts.  

On October 16th, The League of Women Voters Falls Church and VIPIS   (Village Preservation and Improvement Society) will host a forum on the pros and cons of the Falls Church Library Bond Referendum.  This Referendum will be on the November ballot.  Join us for a lively "Oxford style" debate with lots of audience participation and  input.  This non-partisan forum, and our earlier forum on the "Right to Work" Constitutional amendment, is the League's effort to help voters understand the November ballot issues. 

Hope you can join and enjoy our October events.

The Management Team


LWVFC / VPIS HOST OCTOBER  16 FORUM
ON LIBRARY BOND REFERENDUM
 
The League of Women Voters of Falls Church and the Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) are co-hosting a forum examining the November referendum on issuing bonds to support improvements to the Falls Church library. The forum will be held Sunday October 16 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Falls Church Community Center, 223 Little Falls Street.
 
The city has been exploring ways to expand and upgrade the Mary Riley Styles Public Library since 2012. On the November 8 ballot, Falls Church voters will be asked whether the city government should be authorized to issue up to $8.7 million worth of bonds to fund the construction, renovation, expansion or replacement of the library in one or more locations.
 
The program will conducted as an "Oxford Style" debate, with votes taken on the issue at the beginning and end of the program and audience discussion in between.  The event is part of a series of non-partisan forums that the League is sponsoring this fall to help voters understand the questions that will be on this fall's ballot. An earlier event explored a proposed constitutional amendment regarding right-to-work laws.

For more information on the library referendum, the proposed constitutional amendments and the candidates seeking election this fall,  go to the League's comprehensive non-partisan online voters' guide at www.vote411.org.



VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 
MONDAY, OCT 17

Vote 411

LEAGUE'S NON-PARTISAN ONLINE VOTER GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE

Monday October 17 is the deadline to register to vote in the November 8 election or for voters to update their registration information.

Voters can register or make changes in their information online through links on the League's non-partisan elections website, www.vote411.org , or through the website of the Virginia Department of Elections at www.elections.virginia.gov

Voters can also obtain registration applications at City Hall and the Mary Riley Styles Public Library, and can register in person at the Registrar's office at City Hall, 300 Park Avenue.

Non-partisan comprehensive information about this year's election is also available at www.vote411.org . After a user enters their address, they can retrieve information about their polling place and the choices that will be on the ballot. (This address data is not retained by the League.) 

In the City of Falls Church, voters will consider candidates for president and Congress, as well as two proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution and a referendum on a proposed $8.7 million bond for the Falls Church library. The League site includes answers to a series of questions posed to the candidates and information about both sides of the ballot questions.  





"UNDER THE GUN" SCREENING AND EXPERT PANEL

On Thursday, October 27, our League is co-sponsoring, along with the League of Women Voters Fairfax and the Fairfax County Council of PTAs, a film, UNDER THE GUN, produced and narrated by Katie Couric. The film explores our epidemic of gun violence, what is being done at the State and local level and what is keeping the two sides of this debate from finding common ground.

The film starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Alden Theater,  McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Avenue,  McLean.  The program is free and open to the public but reservations are required. A panel discussion will follow.  

To register and for more information,  go to the Fairfax League website-- www. lwv-fairfax.org.

In This Issue:

 

2016-2017 LWVFC Board and Off-Board Members 

 

Management Team

 Martha Cooper

Wendy Frieman

Linda Garvelink

Judy Parente

 

 

Programs Co-Chairs

Robert Crowe

 Johannah Barry

 

Local Affairs Chair

Wendy Frieman

 

Secretary

 Jody Acosta

 

Treasurer

Ruth Rodgers

 

Voter Service Co-Chairs 

Membership Co-Chairs

 

Liaison to NCA 

Ellen Gross

 

Administrative Team

Ellen Salsbury

Edith Holmes Snyder

Edith Snyder 

Special Projects

Madalyn Cafruny

Genie Flahie

Bunny Jarrett

Marty Meserve

Jane Scully

 

 

Communications

 

Webmaster

 TBD

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

LOCAL ISSUES FORUM: REFERENDUM ON LIBRARY RENOVATION
Sunday, Oct. 16
3 - 4:30 p.m.
Falls Church Community Center

UNDER THE GUN
FILM SCREENING & EXPERT PANEL DISCUSSION
Thursday, Oct. 27
7 p.m.
Alden Theater 
McLean Community Center
1234 Ingleside Avenue
McLean, VA
*Reservation Required*

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, Nov. 8
 VOLUNTEER NEEDED AS LIAISON TO LWV NATIONAL CAPITAL AREA

Ellen Gross has been LWVFC's liaison to the LWV National Capital Area for a number of years.  Thank you Ellen for your excellent service - we wish you well.

We are looking for a volunteer to fill the remaining portion of Ellen's term thru June 30, 2017.  This is a voting Board of Directors position for both LWVFC and LWVNCA.

LWVNCA meets 6 - 8 times a year on the first Friday of the month in the LWVUS offices located at 1730 M Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington DC.  You are reimbursed for parking or Metro and related expenses.  There are occasional conference calls.  Prior to each meeting, liaisons file a brief report on our local activities. In addition, each board member is asked to help occasionally with various activities and tasks.  All LWVNCA board members are voting delegates to the Annual Convention in May.

If you are interested in this important assignment, please contact Linda Garvelink at 703-853-0766 (mobile).  


Kitty Richardson and Barbara Lipsky were our Voter Service Volunteers at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School's Information Fair in September.

UPDATED LWVFC VIDEO ARCHIVE AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE

You can always view (or share) our programs from the videos housed on our website:


Either use the link above or, from the Home Page, select "Positions, News, Videos" from the left side menu, then select "Past Program Videos."   

About Us

The League of Women Voters Falls Church is a non-partisan organization that serves the citizens of Falls Church City through encouraging informed and active participation in government, working to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influencing public policy through education and advocacy.

A Voice for Citizens and a Force for Change in the United States.