Monthly Member E-News - March 27, 2017 
CONTENTS OF THIS E-NEWS
MEMBER NEWS
 
Spring 2017 Voter deadline - April 1
Membership continues to grow 
LWVGC Annual Meeting - June 3. 
CTU election fundraiser
Cleveland Chapter recruitment event

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES 

What you can do NOW for redistricting reform - DONATE
Redistricting reform speakers' training - May 13
Public policy forum helpers

UPCOMING EVENTS

Northeast Ohio Public Policy Forums:
The Foster Care System - April 18 
Cleveland East Side Development - May 9 
Fracking and the Impact of Utica Shale on Ohio - May 16

Other events:
Westside Chapters Discuss Redistricting - April 5 
LWV of Ohio Convention - May 5 - 7 
IMPACT: A Practical Guide to Political Action - May 10

LWVGC MEMBER NEWS 
Spring 2017 Voter deadline - April 1

Please submit articles to Wendy Deuring by April 1 for the Spring 2017 Voter. Look for the Voter in your mailbox around the first week in May.
Membership continues to grow

Our membership now exceeds 400 members. A spring/summer bump after the Jan. 31 renewal deadline is not unusual, but this surge is unusual for the number of new members we are welcoming to the Greater Cleveland League. More than 80 new members have joined since Aug. 1.
 
We are especially eager to see new members at the Annual Meeting on June 3. If you are new, newly active, or a returning member, please come to meet other members and learn about the activities of the Greater Cleveland League. Anyone joining before April 19, 2017 will be eligible to vote. Those joining after that date are still welcome to attend as non-voting members. See more information on Annual Meeting below.

LWVGC Annual Meeting - June 3

Making Democracy Work by Fighting for Fair Districts 

Annual Meeting is a business meeting, but also a social event, with lunch and a speaker to follow the business. This is an excellent opportunity to meet other League members, learn about League activities, and come to understand the organization, principles, and culture that form the basis of League's mission and action. 

As stated above, voting members are those joining before April 15 of this year, but non-voting members are welcome to attend. Also, all members are free to bring guests. Registration forms will be included in the Spring 2017 Voter. A special e-news "Call to Annual Meeting" is coming soon with more information and instructions on how to register online or by mail. Agenda materials to be presented and voted on at the meeting will be posted on the website. 

Saturday, June 3, 9:15 a.m. 
Sign-in - 9:15 a.m., meeting begins - 9:30 a.m. 
Catered lunch - 12 noon, speaker - 12:30 pm 
Canal Way Center 
4524 East 49th Street, Cleveland, OH 44125 

The speaker will be Rep. Stephanie Howse (D), Ohio House District 11, who will talk about "Ohio Voting Rights, Women's Health, and Education I ssues."

CTU election fundraiser 

Thank you one and all who volunteered Thursday, March 16 to count ballots for the Cleveland Teachers Union election. We had close to 50 volunteers who counted (and recounted) over 25,000 individual votes using tick marks! We truly appreciated everyone's patience, attention to detail, and positive spirits. Hope to see you all next year for this annual fundraiser that clears around $5,500 for our League and its chapters.
Cleveland Chapter recruitment event 

LWVGC's Cleveland Chapter will offer "Food, Wine and Powering Up" at a membership recruitment event on April 24 at the Market Garden Brewery.  With the theme "Democracy Is Not a Spectator Sport," the featured speaker will be former state senator Nina Turner. Attendees will be encouraged not only to join the chapter, but also to become active right away by signing up to observe city and county government meetings, organize candidate forums, work on the redistricting effort, and take on leadership roles within the chapter. For more information, contact Nancy Dietrich by email or by phone at 216-371-9379.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Please respond to the emails listed. Do not hit reply. 
Redistricting reform - what you can do NOW: DONATE

All of us are eager to see this effort started but the daunting reality is that the campaign needs money just to get off of the ground. Information on Balletopedia tells us that signature collection alone is likely to cost two to three million dollars. The outpouring of support for this effort has been stunning with literally thousands chomping at the bit to start collecting signatures. If you are one of those eager for action, help satisfy your passion by boosting the effort with your donation. If everyone who has expressed interest in this cause gives even a small donation, it could work wonders. 

You can donate online by credit card on the LWV of Ohio website. Click on the first "Donate" button (for the 501c4). On the credit card form, click on the "+" immediately under the amount and type in "Fair Districts Ohio." 

You can also donate by check made out to LWV of Ohio, with "Fair Districts Ohio" in the memo line. Send your check to: 
League of Women Voters of Ohio 
17 South High Street, Suite 650 
Columbus, OH 43215

Redistricting reform - train to be a speaker - May 13

Saturday, May 13, LWVGC will be hosting two speakers' bureau training sessions for the Ohio Congressional redistricting reform effort: one on the east side in the morning and one on the west side in the afternoon. Anyone interested in the issue can attend either session. Come if you wish to be a speaker for the redistricting effort or if you simply want to learn more. This training will also be valuable for anyone collecting petition signatures, as they will no doubt have to answer many questions. Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio will lead the sessions. Click on the links below to register.

Saturday, May 13, 9:30 a.m. 
First Unitarian Church of Cleveland 
21600 Shaker Blvd, Shaker Heights, OH 44122 
To register for the east side session click here

Saturday, May 13, 1:30 p.m. 
Rocky River Public Library 
1600 Hampton Road, Rocky River, OH 44116 
To register for the west side session click here


New volunteer opportunity - help with policy forums

The League does public policy forums about once a month in collaboration with Case Western Reserve University, cleveland.com, and several area library systems. These forums include a panel of local experts and a prominent moderator. Upcoming forums are listed on the LWVGC website along with links to videos of past forums. LWVGC Board Member Mike Baron, who does most of the work for these events, would like to bring more worker bees into the project. Volunteer assistance could be light, such as greet attendees, man a sign-in table, and assist with collecting written questions during the Q &A , or a deeper involvement in creating ideas and producing future forums. Contact: Mike Baron 

This volunteer possibility will be added to the growing list of engagement opportunities on the LWVGC website Volunteer Opportunities page. Visit that page for even more information on ways to become involved with League activities.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Northeast Ohio Public Policy Forums:
 
All forums are free and open to the public.

The Foster Care System in Northeast Ohio - April 18
 
Phillip Morris, columnist, Plain Dealer, will moderate. 
Panelists include: 
Prof. David Crampton, Ph.D., Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University 
Edward L. Gilbert, author, attorney, and foster care advocate
Kate Lodge, vice president, Strategic Initiatives; executive director, A Place 4 Me, YWCA Greater Cleveland 
Betsie Norris, executive director, Adoption Network Cleveland
 
Tuesday, April 18, 6:30 - 8 p.m. 
Lakewood Public Library 
15425 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, OH 44107 
Registration is recommended for this forum: click here.
 
Cleveland East Side Development: Prospects for Reinvention - May 9
 
Terry Schwartz, director, Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, Kent State University, will moderate. 
Panelists include: 
Joyce Braverman, director of development, City of Shaker Heights (tentative) 
Mansfield Frazier, journalist, business owner, and Hough resident 
Wayne Mortensen, director of design, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress 
Rick Semersky, developer/CEO, VIP Restoration, Inc.
 
Tuesday, May 9, 7 - 8:30 p.m. 
Heights Libraries, Main Branch 
2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, OH 4411
Registration is recommended for this forum:  click here.

Fracking and the Impact of the Utica Shale on Ohio - May 16
 
Dan Shingler , Crain's Cleveland Business, will moderate. Panelists include: 
Michael Chadsey, Ohio Oil and Gas Association 
Trent Dougherty, Ohio Environmental Council
Edward "Ned" Hill, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University

Tuesday, May 16, 7 - 8:30 p.m. 
Solon Community Center 
35000 Portz Parkway, Solon, OH, 44139 
Registration is recommended for this forum: click here.

NEO Public Policy Forums are co-sponsored by the Plain Dealer/cleveland.com, Case Western Reserve University Siegal Lifelong Learning Program, the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, Solon Community Center, and the library systems of Cleveland Heights-University Heights, Lakewood, and Cuyahoga County. 
Corporate sponsor is First Interstate Properties, Ltd.
 

Videos of past forums are available on the LWVGC YouTube channel and linked from the public policy forum page on the LWVGC website.

Westside Chapters D iscuss R edistricting - April 5 

Mary van Nortwick, LWVO co-president, will present the latest information on the redistricting reform effort in Ohio. 

Wednesday, April 5, 10 a.m. 
North Olmsted Branch CCPL 
27403 Lorain Road, North Olmsted, OH 44070 
Free and open to the public 

Presented by the Westlake-North Olmsted and Fairview Park chapters.  

LWVO Convention 2017 - May 5 - 7

The 2017 LWV of Ohio Convention, hosted by the Akron League, will take place in Cuyahoga Falls. For more information on convention business and schedule click here.

Friday, May 5 - Sunday, May 7 
Sheraton Suites Akron Cuyahoga Falls 
1989 Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 

For registration and hotel reservations click here.  Registration closes on Friday, April 28. The deadline for reserving rooms in the hotel room block is Monday, April 17. After that date, room reservations are subject to availability.

LWVGC will be entitled to nine delegates. If you would like to represent LWVGC as a delegate, please contact Marcia Goldberg or Susan Murnane soon, as the deadlines above are approaching. You do not have to be a delegate to attend. Delegates will be partially reimbursed for their expenses.   
IMPACT: A Practical Guide to Political Action - May 10  

This event will feature speakers from local, county, state, and national political arenas on how citizen voices can be heard, as well as an open house of grassroots organizations needing volunteers. 

This program is still being developed, but so far the following panelists will participate: 
Local: Julianna Senturia, member, Shaker Heights City Council
County: Shontel Brown, representative for District 9, Cuyahoga County City Council 
State: Amy Hanauer, executive director, Ohio Policy Matters 

Stay tuned for more information. The Shaker Heights Chapter invites all to attend with the hope that the program may present a model for similar events throughout the county. 

Wednesday, May 10, 7 - 9 p.m. 
Shaker Heights High School Auditorium 
15911 Aldersyde Drive, Shaker Heights, OH 44120 

Organized by the Shaker Heights Chapter and co-sponsored by IMPACT (a group of Shaker Heights families).

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter