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May 12, 2018
In This Issue:
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May 16, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mass State House,
Women's Advocacy Day. Join the MA Commission on the Status of Women. Register
here: see Women's Issues.
May 20, 7 p.m.,
Candidates Forum on Climate and Energy, Unitarian Universalist Society, 121 N Pleasant.
See below for more information.
May 21, 3 p.m.,
Book Discussion of
Tent of Miracles (
Tenda dos Milagres) by Jorge Amado, at Phyllis Lehrer's, 197 Pondview Dr. (Rescheduled because of bad weather.)
May 22, 7 p.m., "
The Successes and Challenges facing the Connecticut River Watershed" talk by Andy Fisk of the Connecticut River Conservancy, Jones Library.
May 31, 6: 30 p.m., Annual Mee
ting, Woodbury Room, Jones Library.
June 18, 3 p.m.
, Book Discussion of
Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, at the Jones Library.
June 28-June 30, LWV National Convention, Chicago.
June 30-July 15, Book Collection at Fort River Elementary School.
See below for more information.
July 27-29 and
August 3-4. Book Sale at Fort River Elementary School Gym.
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To subscribe to the e-bulletin,
visit lwvamherst.org, click on the blue tab "Sign up for Email Updates" and fill out the brief form found there.
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GET READY FOR THE LWVA 2018 BOOK SALE!
The LWVA Book Sale will be held on July 27-29 and August 3-4 at Ft. River Elementary School gymnasium.
Get your books ready for donation and deliver them to the Ft. River Elementary School gym from June 30-July 15! Please remember we would like books that are in good condition....not musty, torn, marked on, or underlined. No VHS tapes please, but DVDs and vinyl records are fine. And please do not donate partial sets of reference books. If you have textbooks in very good condition and if they are current (not older than 5 years) those are OK too.
Please volunteer to help us sort and get the books ready for sale and also to
help with cashiering during the sale. We will let you know when the Sign-up Genius goes online, so you can sign up for a shift. Please come as often as you can. It is fun and you will have first dibs on great books! Lastly,
consider becoming a Session Chair. These shifts will be during the sorting period (June 30- July. 26) and you will be in charge of the volunteers during your shift. There will be an orientation so that all Session Chairs will be thoroughly trained. And there is always back-up if you need help (Cynthia and Jerry).
Thanks and let's have a GREAT SALE!
Cynthia and Jerry Brubaker
2018 Book Sale Co-chairs
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Proposed New Study Group on Charter Form of Government
At the March Board Meeting, the Board discussed a proposal for a group to study the charter form of government and the role the LWVA can play in the future. Possible topics of study include how the new government will work and how citizens can become involved.
Potential outcomes might include recommendations arrived at through the study group consensus model, and a revival of the LWVA observer corps.
Who can join? You! We are hoping people with different viewpoints will join. If you are interested, please reach out to Martha Hanner, by
email or phone (413-253-0814.) The Board anticipates further discussion of this study group at the Annual Meeting on May 31.
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Amherst League Positions on Spring Warrant Articles
The League of Women Voters of Amherst is supporting five articles on the Spring 2018 Town Meeting agenda.
Three articles - 27, 35 and 36 - will help to increase affordable housing in the community by releasing town land for affordable housing development and amending the zoning ordinances. Two others deal with energy and environment issues. Article 29 replaces the existing zero-net-energy bylaw with a more carefully worded version, and Article 39 is a resolution to place the town on record in support of the Paris Agreement and adopt its greenhouse gas goals.
To read the League's statements, consult LWV Amherst website
here.
The League of Women Voters is a non partisan but nonetheless political organization. We never support or oppose candidates or parties, but we do advocate for legislative and executive actions that are supported by our positions, developed through study and consensus.
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Candidates Forum on Climate and Energy, Sunday, May 20
The Leagues of Women Voters of Amherst, Franklin County, and Northampton will join with Climate Action Now to sponsor Candidate Forums on climate and energy issues. The Amherst Forum will be held on Sunday, May 20, from 7-9 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 121 North Pleasant St. Candidates seeking to represent Amherst from the 3rd Hampshire District in the State House will answer questions from a panel. The three panelists will represent the Hampshire Gazette, the Amherst LWV, and Climate Action Now (CAN.) Suzanne Patenaude will serve as moderator.
For readers from other districts: the Northampton Forum, for candidates from the 1st Hampshire District, will be June 5, 7-9 p.m. at JFK Middle School; the Franklin County Forum, for candidates from the 1st Franklin District, will be May 23, 7-9 p.m. at Frontier Regional School, 113 N. Main St, South Deerfield.
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"The Successes and Challenges Facing the Connecticut River Watershed," Lecture, May 22
The Amherst League of Women Voters sponsors a presentation by Andrew Fisk, Connecticut River Conservancy Executive Director, about the successes and challenges that face New England's great river, the Connecticut, and its 11,000 square mile watershed. There is much to celebrate, but important and urgent problems remain to be solved. There are solutions at hand, but they require that the public take their ownership and stewardship responsibilities to heart and work hard to protect what we have gained and not fail our next generations.
Since 1952, the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC: formerly the Connecticut River Watershed Council) has worked to protect our rivers from source to sea so everyone can enjoy them. Our rivers belong to all of us. The CRC writes: "We are their voice. This means we find environmental problems and fix them, across all four river states. We run community river cleanups. We remove deadbeat dams. We plant trees. We protect and restore wildlife. We speak up on behalf of your rivers." For more information on the CRC, find them on the web
here and on Facebook
here.
Come join us in the Woodbury Room of the Jones Library at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22 for this free lecture, open to all.
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LWVMA Conference
"Beyond the March: Women Leading the Way in Massachusetts"
The Amherst League was represented by five members: Rebecca Fricke,
Elizabeth Davis,
Liz Larson, Susan Millinger and Debra Ross at the conference, held at Clark University in Worcester on April 28.
Ordinarily a weekend event held every other year, alternating with the National League convention, the State League decided to add a one-day conference this year.
Three speakers and a panel of local elected officials challenged,
informed and inspired League members. Leading off was Barbara Berenson, author of Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers. She presented a fascinating history of the suffrage movement with emphasis on the role of Massachusetts, including the importance to the movement of the first National Woman's Rights Convention, held in Worcester in 1850. Ms. Berenson is currently a Senior Attorney at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
A panel consisting of the Mayors of Newton and Framingham and a City Councilor in Worcester, moderated by the former mayor of Fitchburg, gave illuminating and straight forward insights into the topic of "All Politics Is Local: Making Democracy Work in Cities."
Congresswoman Niki Tsongas from the Massachusetts 3rd Congressional District, widow of the late Paul Tsongas, shared her reflections and wide experience about the ways in which things work in Washington DC and the importance of electing more women to public office.
The final speaker was Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of the current best-seller,
How Democracies Die.
He distinguished the way democracies used to die, killed by military coups, from the contemporary cause, election to office of demagogues who gradually move into authoritarian mode. Ziblatt argues that the best way to prevent this development is to return to the norms of mutual tolerance and forbearance on the part of legislators, the parties, and the public. Mr. Ziblatt and co-author, Steven Levitsky, are professors of government at Harvard University.
-with thanks to Elizabeth Davis for writing this report at the last minute.
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| Rebecca and Liz at Worcester |
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Elizabeth & Debra at Worcester |
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Letter of Thanks from Jackie Wolf
The Board thought the members would like to read Jackie's gracious note to us of April 16, 2018. Jackie wrote:
Dear Good Friends,
I want to thank you for the generous contribution to the Sojourner Truth Scholarship Fund in my name. I'm sure these funds will help recognize the work for social justice in the Valley.
This is also an opportunity for me to thank everyone on the Board and in the League for the important civic work you do. From voter registration to advocating for social issues-- the steadfast dedication of the League of Women Voters of Amherst is TOPS. Keep it up.
All the best,
Jackie
The LWV of Amherst will miss Jackie's manifold contributions to our work, and we wish her well in her new home.
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How to Run for the New Town Council
"To gain a place on the ballot, a candidate for District Councilor must obtain the signatures of 25 voters all of which shall be from the district in which the nomination is sought and a candidate for Councilor-at-Large must obtain the signatures of 50 voters."
Nomination papers are now available in the Town Clerk's office: they are due back there on June 29.
Click here for a fuller description of the process and the schedule.
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Civic Opportunities: Service on Town of Amherst Boards, Committees, and Commissions
Continuing our series on existing vacancies (15 as of May 1) in the boards, committees, and commissions of the Town of Amherst, here are two more. For the complete list click
here. To obtain an application form (Citizen Activity Form) look up 'Town of Amherst Citizen Activity Form' in your search engine. League member Adrienne Terrizzi welcomes calls for information about this form, the application process or the particular committee of interest. Call 253-5039 or
amterrizzi@gmail.com
Public Art Commission (2 vacancies)
Fosters a greater community awareness of the interaction with public art, and through public art, promotes cultural diversity and an improved quality of life for Amherst's citizens. Responsibilities include developing guidelines for public art; proposing to the Select Board an annual budget; seeking funding sources for public art; encouraging integration of art in public and private development; interacting with all Town Boards; serving as a resource in educating developers, officials, and committees about possibilities for public art; and developing policies for publicly owned works in Amherst.
Public Shade Tree Committee (1 vacancy)
Preserves, protects and promotes town shade trees. Street trees provide beauty, shade, breathable air, pure ground water, stable soil, and habitat for wildlife. Therefore, our committee works in conjunction with the town tree warden to get trees properly selected, planted, and cared for throughout town. We also work to ensure that trees get taken into account in town policies and planning. Our hope is to make Amherst a greener and lovelier town.
The Committee advises and makes recommendations to the Tree Warden and the Select Board on matters involving public shade trees, including, but not limited to: the replacement of dead or dying trees, the species recommended for replacements, the planting of additional trees, and the level of funding necessary to carry out these and other recommendations. Additionally, we educate the public about the importance and benefits of town shade trees.
-compiled by Elizabeth Davis
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Help LWVMA Take Action
The May 2018 Mass. League Action Newsletter contains a list bills on topic of importance to the LWV, bills that need and deserve our support. They include H4320, the Automatic Voter Registration bill; S2375, the Civics Education bill; S2325, which would reform the Foundation Budget formula used to allocate state aid to school district, reforms which would bring more state aid to local schools; and S3704, the Healthy Youth Act, supporting appropriate sex education in schools. Contact your legislators, urging their support for these and/or other measures listed in the LWVMA newsletter.
You should have received the
Mass League Action Newsletter in your email. If you missed it, you can read it by
clicking here.The mid-May newsletter should be available soon.
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Interested in Helping LWVMA Draft the 2018 State Voters' Guide?
LWVMA is looking for volunteers to develop questions both for the candidates and about the ballot questions. Contact Judy Zaunbrecher or Kris Eastman
by May 31 to volunteer. The questions will be developed in June; the Voters' Guide will be available July 20.
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LWVUS Petition against Census Question on Citizenship Status
In its entirety, the petition says:
Including a citizenship question on the Census undermines the rights of eligible voters and threatens a process vital to our democracy.
I stand with the League of Women Voters and call on Congress to take action and correct this issue before it's too late
If you are interested, sign it here.
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LWVUS Site Vote 411.org for Info on Elections
Enter your address
at this site to find your polling place, build your ballot with our
online voters' guide, and much more! With the LWVUS voters' guide you can see the races on your ballot, compare candidates' positions side-by-side, print out a "ballot" indicating your preferences as a reminder, and take it with you to the polls on Election Day.
Check out our resources for military and overseas voters!
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This monthly message is for anyone interested in the League, not just members. If you know someone who might be interested, forward this message and invite them to subscribe themselves, using the link below.
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