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Co-President's Message
by Fran Kapinos and Judy Lotas
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We hope you all had a fun filled Memorial Day weekend and are now looking forward to hosting family and friends during the summer!
Please plan on attending our
Annual Meeting at Pamlico Jack's on June 6
for a delicious buffet lunch, enjoying each other's company, congratulating our new and continuing board members, and hearing from Chairman of Dare County Commissioners, Robert Woodard, with updates on issues affecting residents in our community. If you haven't registered yourself (and a guest) by now, please contact Nancy at [email protected] . Cost of the lunch is $20 per person.
Our
Annual Board Planning Retreat is scheduled for Tuesday, June 18 from 9:30-3:00
, at the Outer Banks Visitors Center in Manteo, (on the left before crossing the new bridge to Mann's Harbor). This is open to any interested member. The more we brainstorm and share our experiences related to important issues affecting Voting Services, Redistricting Reform, ERA Ratification, Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, Social Policy, Health Care, Education, Immigration, etc., the greater will be our effect on our state and community. Please contact Fran at [email protected] if you can attend so that we can order lunch (complimentary) in advance.
LWV is celebrating its 100th Year Anniversary! We need your input on a committee to plan activities for 2020 in celebration of our organization and women granted the right to vote. Also need a chair or co-chair of this committee. If you are willing to help, please let Fran know. Some chapters have already planned activities, which will serve as starting points for us.
Six of our members attended the State Convention in Chapel Hill the weekend of May 17. They came back enthused, motivated, educated, and willing to share ideas. Congratulations to James Cofield the new LWVNC Treasurer, and Craig Merrill, a new Director. Both were elected at the convention. We are so proud of you!
I have attached a PDF of the Convention Program and ask our fabulous Editor, John Towler, to include it as a link on the side of this newsletter, for you to peruse when you have the time, if you are interested. Pages 26 - 41 describe the Proposed Programs in NC, Policy Positions on a variety of issues, summaries of local league successes, and Action Team accomplishments (LATs). Happy Reading! I learned a lot, even though I was not able to attend the convention.
Click HERE to follow a link to the Convention Program PDF.
Please include on your calendar of events: Thursday, Sept. 5, Welcome Back Dinner at Duck Woods Country Club, 5:30
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Reflections on the LWVNC 2019 Convention
by multiple contributors
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It was a privilege to represent our organization at the biannual meeting.
That there was a " full agenda" is right! The Friday and Saturday
sessions were held at the UNC School of Government on "our" beautiful UNC campus where we participated in the simulation Judy Lotas described and learned about the work of the School of Government . Speakers, panels, and small group sessions gave us a statewide view of our organization's advocacy and grassroots work. To reiterate, Craig, Judy, and James were on the floor in various roles and Nancy's work on the nominating committee gave the organization an outstanding slate of officers and directors for the coming years.
A very special Public Schools 1'st presentation and film put a spotlight on the ACE's education movement. Come to our annual meeting to learn more about ACE's.
Please consider going to convention in 2021 in Pinehurst and/or the smaller Council in 2020. It's such a great way to learn about LWVNC and LWVUS. Just ask!
by Marion Midgett
The LWV-NC State Convention
The LWV-NC State Convention was held on May 17 - 19 in Chapel Hill hosted by the ODC (Orange, Durham Chatham Counties) League in conjunction with the UNC School of Government. Your Dare League was well represented by six delegates - Nancy Birindelli, James Cofield, Audrey Esposito, Judy Lotas, Craig Merrill, and Marion Midgett. The convention contained a very full agenda which included sessions on ERA, redistricting (including an update on the case that was litigated before the Supreme Court about redistricting in NC - a final opinion will be rendered in June), voting rights, and others. One of the more enjoyable topics was a mock legislative session which was led by Norma Houston to navigate how confusing the process can be to have a bill be passed and become a law.
As a member of the Nominating Committee, I was honored to place our own James Cofield into nomination from the floor for the office of treasurer - elected unanimously! Craig Merrill will also be serving on the State Board. So Dare will be well represented for the next two years. Judy and Craig were presented with awards to acknowledge their activities across the state in League endeavors.
By Nancy Birindelli
The convention delegates voted...
The convention delegates voted on a number of important items. First, the bylaws were modified to better support the League's two financial structures: the tax deductible 501(c)(3) foundation LWVNC, Inc.; and, the newly named LWVNC Advocacy, a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The purpose of LWVNC, Inc. is to "promote political responsibility through informed and active participation in government." The LWVNC Advocacy will work "to influence public policy for proposed or current legislation related to positions adopted by LWVNC or LWVUS." Importantly, both organizations will be nonpartisan and shall neither support nor oppose any political party or candidate.
Second, the delegates approved the issues that will be emphasized for the next two years; namely,
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Redistricting reform
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Voter protection
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ERA ratification
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Voter services
In addition to the above, local leagues are encouraged to continue to support issues that are important to them.
By Craig Merrill
Judy Lotas and Craig Merrill with awards for leading League Action Teams
The Mock Legislative session...
The Mock Legislative session was instructive, expertly done, and kind of scary. To demonstrate how bills get turned into laws, we, the audience, were divided in two. Half of us were the Senate, half of us the House. The woman with the gavel was Norma R. Houston, JD. We learned that of approximately 2000 bills introduced in a session, only 85% might see the light of day for discussion and voting.
The speed of the proceedings was impressive, with Madame Speaker shouting out commands and rapping the table with the energy of an auctioneer. Our 'bill' was one seeking to make Barbecue the NC State Food. Amendments argued for its being the Hush Puppy, and 'point of clarification, is that one word or two words?' The whole drama made me wonder how anything ever gets done with all the counter arguments and passionate speeches and time spent in elaborate posturing. I hope it's not really
like this but I bet it sometimes gets close.
The entire weekend was fascinating, inspirational and eye-opening. I am very glad I went. Go!
By Judy Lotas
A first-rate job in planning a very good convention...
The Orange County, Durham County, and Chatham County League (ODC) did a first-rate job in planning and executing a very good convention. It was well attended, informative, and well worth the time and effort the attendees contributed to making the convention the success that it was. The UNC School of Government in Chapel Hill was an excellent venue for the convention. A few of the speakers were resident scholars at the School of Government which I am sure made it easier for them to make important contributes to the program.
I think that it is especially good to listen to and to connect with "like-minded" folk. Needless to say, the convention provided an excellent opportunity to do just that. Without repeating what has already been said, the speakers were informed and did a very good job in getting their messages across. Dare County was well represented at the convention. Importantly, several of our members, notably Judy Lotas and Craig Merrill made important contributions to the program. Nancy Birindelli was a member of the League's Nominating Committee and showed her handiwork both in the Committee's deliberations and on the floor of the convention.
I would be remiss if I didn't say that the spirit of the convention, the air of the convention, gave a sense of purpose to the work that a lot of us do in our communities. Making connections with others who are working on similar goals, hearing their successes and re-starts (notice I did not say failures), is informative. Most important, you get to collaborate on paths to attaining the same goals. We were all breathing "good" air, the spirit of the convention was good, and we all left Chapel Hill sufficiently motivated to continue to do our good work.
During the next biennial, the League will celebrate its 100th
anniversary. Its work represents a remarkable century of accomplishment and we can all work with the North Carolina League, our local Leagues, and individually to advance the agenda of the League of Women Voters.
by James Cofield
A valuable component...
A valuable component of our LWVNC State Convention is listening, learning, and discussing what other leagues are doing in relation to the Issues of Emphasis, along with MLD (membership, leadership, development), recruitment, and other areas of concern. In addition to the General Session topics, Concurrent sessions or small caucus groups provide and excellent opportunity to get together with delegates and members of other leagues for exchanging ideas.
One caucus on the upcoming 100th Anniversary of LWV provided myriad ideas that could be utilized in celebrating our organization. As an example, Wake County had a hand out with twenty various activities, in various stages of development. Wake has already established an Anniversary Committee and is willing to share information with other leagues.
The Convention provides a wealth of information and provides motivation to delegates and members for continuing the task of Defending Democracy.
by Audrey Esposito
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Reminder - Membership Renewal
If you haven't renewed your membership yet, now is the time to do so! We need you!
$55 individual, $80 family
Checks payable to:
LWV Dare, PO Box 689, Kitty Hawk, 27949
You can pay online through PayPal
HERE. Follow the link to the page then scroll to the bottom.
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Election Update
by
Lorelei Anthony DiBernardo
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ELECTION NEWS!!!
A Special Congressional District 3 Primary Election
was held on April 30
th
to fill the seat left by the late Rep. Walter Jones. Primary Elections were originally designed to allow the people to select the candidates for an elected seat, rather than party leaders. The Dare County turnout of 9.5% for this election was disappointing. Throughout Congressional District 3 (Beaufort, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Greene, Hyde, Lenoir, Jones, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Perquimans, part of Pitt, & Tyrrell counties) the turnout was 14.5%.
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On Thursday, May 16, members of LWV and ERA-NC strung clotheslines across Halifax Mall between the two Legislature buildings and hung up petitions and resolutions that have been collected in support of ratification of ERA. We have 160 pages of signed petitions and 67 resolutions from counties, cities, towns and organizations. We wanted to show them off so legislators could see them so off to Raleigh we went.
Just one more state needed....go, NC!
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