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Welcome back from vacation. We are eagerly looking
forward to the fall session of the LWV PROGRAM. Our Annual Opening
Luncheon to be held at the Sumner School will be the start of our Fall
Program. The speakers are Federal City Council Vice President Robert
Liberatore and' Kenneth Sparks, Executive Vice President of the Federal
City Council. They will discuss the activities and involvement of the
Federal City Council in District of Columbia affairs.
The LWVDC web site for Democracy Net (DNet has, been
set up has have those of many of the State Leagues), and our D.C.
candidates for the September. 10 primary are beginning to input their data
and responses to issue questions. Candidate forums and a Voters Guide for
the November election are developing. Our mission is still VOTER
EDUCATION.
We attended the BOEE Petitions Appeals Hearings and the
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Mayor William's. The BOEE is
to be commended for the objective, above board manner in which the
proceedings here handled. —E.
Patricia Hallman, President
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BROWN BAG DIALOGUE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
11:30 AM BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH
1730 M ST., NW, SUITE 1000
TOPIC
GLOBAL WARMING REVISITED
See below
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Annual Luncheon
Thursday, Sept., 19th , 2002
11-30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Sumner School
Guest Speakers: Robert G. Liberatore, Vice President,
Federal City Council
Kenneth R. Sparks, Executive Vice President, Federal City Council
See below for more information
and reservation form.
INTRODUCE THE LEAGUE - BRING A FRIEND
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Welcome New Members: Ayanna Mackins and Neil
Richardson.
Contributions: We gratefully thank and acknowledge
contributions from: Lillian Howard, Norma T. Melendez, Anne Meredith
Smoke, Susan U. Spaulding, Eleanor Trowbridge and the estate of Ann Stults
(past President 1985-87).
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My experience in elections started at a poll in
Chicago, where I was a poll watcher for the Independent Voters of
Illinois. At age 19, I was not old enough, to vote (then), and the
Democratic precinct boss challenged my right to be in the poll. I brazenly
complained to the precinct presiding judge that the man who challenged my
right to be there was unauthorized to be at the polling place, and
certainly unauthorized to go into the voting booths with each voter who
came in. The judge kicked, him out; however, that judge then began to go
into the booths with the voters to "help " them with the
machines.
That precinct never reported its totals until the wee
hours of the morning, until the Chicago machine knew how many votes they
needed, even though the voting machine tally was available as soon as the
polls closed.
My stint as a watcher was ended when a mature woman
came and announced that she was on the afternoon shift, that she was from
the League of Women Voters, and that she wanted a report from me of any
irregularities I had observed. Some of the irregularities reported in the
papers the next day sounded much like the ones I had found. — Grace
Malakoff
[Editor's Note: If you have a story to tell of your
early League experiences, please send to the League office for appearance
in a future DC Voter.]
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BROWN BAG DIALOGUE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
11:30 AM BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH
1730 M ST., NW, SUITE 1000
Global Warming Revisited is the topic of the Brown Bag
luncheon on Friday, September 13. Our speaker, Professor Steve Fetter, is
currently Associate Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute
at the University of Maryland, where he is also Professor of Public
Policy. He will discuss the issue of whether global warming is occurring
and if so, the cause and the steps. needed to control or reverse it. This
is an opportunity to hear a point of view that differs from the argument
that was presented at a Great Decisions meeting involving League members
last spring. — Sheila Keeny, Vice President for National Program &
Anna Marsh, Brown Bag Dialogue Coordinator
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Back to the basics in transportation - would you take a
minute to report to my e-mail (lwvp@aol.com)
or to the League office, how' you deal with getting to the public library,
and which branch. How did you make your last trip? Were you put off from
taking future trips or did the ease of the trip invite more? — Grace
Malakoff
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A training session on how to do a debate and be a good
moderator will be conducted by Connie Houston, former President of LWVFA
(League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area) and LWVVA (League of Women
Voters of Virginia) on Saturday, September 21, 10 AM - 3 PM Packard
Center, 4026 Hummer Rd., Annandale, VA. The $8.00 cost includes lunch and
paperwork. LWVFA is organizing this workshop in conjunction with the
Loudoun County LWV, and the session is open to League members from all
Leagues in the National Capital Area. Please register by September 14.
Send your check (made payable to LWV Loudoun County) to: Betsy Mayr, LWVLC
Treasurer, 1109 Nickels Place, SW, Leesburg, VA 20175. Note: registration
fees increase $5.00 if received after September 14, 2002.
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Individuals interested in applying for a poll worker
position should contact the Board of Elections by calling 727-0823.
Individuals with hearing impairments can call the Board's TDD at 639-8916.
Citizens can also apply online at the Board's web site at www.dcboee.org.
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Pat Hallman, Elinor Hart, and I have been monitoring
the hearings at the Board of Elections and Ethics (BoEE) (July 23-24) and
the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (August 6). These were
opportunities to learn in substantial detail both the facts of the
challenge to the petitions of Mayor Williams for a place on the September
primary election and the election laws that address the challenge. Most of
those pertinent details have had press coverage.
The public officials who conducted the hearings deserve
much credit for
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allowing all interested parties as much opportunity
as they needed to present their cases. The BoEE offered to meet all
weekend to allow the Mayor to present witnesses to rebut the
challenges to his petitions, but he elected to call none in the extra
time offered.
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conducting a clearly structured process for
reviewing a mountain of material, consisting of several challenges to
the 10,000 names of twenty or so to a page
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stating the reasons for their decision, including
their interpretation of. the role of the Board as a bulwark to ensure
fair elections.
Our election processes are intended to make running for
office easy enough to invite citizens of modest means to attempt it, but
not to encourage frivolous candidates. We in the League will continue to
look into the election experience this year, with the hope that the BoEE
can acquire more resources for making elections more meaningful. — Grace
Malakoff
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DEMOCRACY NET ON-LINE VOTERS GUIDE
The DC League again is offering the free online forum
for candidates to debate the issues of importance in the District. The
League of Women Voters Education Fund's DNet is the premier interactive
online voter guide with nonpartisan, statespecific election information.
Candidates for the September 10 Primary election have been invited by the
DC League to participate in this interactive media.
To view DNet, log onto the Internet and enter www.dnet.org/dc.
Enter your zip code to read and compare candidate statements, suggest
issues you care about, and learn about the election process in your
community. DNet provides a free online forum for candidates at all levels
to debate the issues of importance in your community.
As in the 2000 election, WRC-TV (NBC4) will be linking
DNet from their web site voter guide to provide election information.
LEAGUE WORKERS NEEDED - VARIOUS ACTIVITIES
League members are needed to help at various candidate
forums throughout the city. You can be a part of the "forum
crew" or work one event. Contact Elinor Hart for more information.
For the General Election, the Voter Services Committee
is checking on. the feasibility of producing a printed Voter Guide at an
affordable price. If determined feasible, we will need helpers to
distribute the guide to libraries, churches, businesses as well as other
locations within the district approximately the week of October 21.
Possibly teams of two to do this for couple of hours, half a day, or a
full day. Contact Judy Smith to volunteer.
LEAGUE WORKERS NEEDED - WORK AT HOME
To give candidate forums a wider audience, the DC
League will be posting transcripts of forums on the COMMON DENOMINATOR
website. If you can help review and correct one or more of these
transcripts, call Elinor Hart: If you have a computer with Microsoft Word
and e-mail, you can do at home.
D-NET offers a unique opportunity to provide
information about ANC candidates. If you would like to do this for your
Advisory Neighborhood Commission or help in an overall way, contact Elinor
Hart. If you have a computer and an Internet connection, this is another
way you can help from home. — Elinor Hart (387-2966) & Judy Smith
(882-3021), Voter Services Co-chair. & Sheila Willet (347-3020), DNet
Manager
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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES NEW TIME, FOCUS FOR 2002-2003
We're having a party and you're invited!
The International Relations Committee (IR) will kick
off the upcoming year with a tea party at the home of immediate past
chair, Sheila Keeny. The party will be held on September 15 from 3 to 5
p.m. The address is 3600 Albemarle St. N.W.
The co-chairs of IR, Anne Porowski and Susan Rao, hope
that all past and present members of the committee, as well as other
interested League members, will attend to greet old friends and meet new
ones, and to hear about plans for the upcoming year.
For several years, IR has held daytime meetings, but
this year the co-chairs have decided to change the meeting time and place
in order to enable all interested League members, including those with
full-time jobs, to attend. The IR committee will meet on the 4th Tuesday
of each month, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The meeting place will vary, and will
be announced in each month's DC Voter.
The plan is to invite a speaker to each meeting to
discuss an area of interest to committee members, with extensive
discussion and Q&A following each presentation. Half the programs will
focus on topics concerning Africa.
If you have questions or suggestions about the
Committee's plans, please come to the tea party on September 15th. We hope
to. see you on the 15th and at our upcoming meetings on the 0 Tuesday of
each month! .
If you need directions, call Sheila Keeny at 9661692.
Sheila's house is halfway between two metro. stations, Van Ness-UDC and
TenleytownAU, with plenty of on-street parking. There are stairs from the
street to Sheila's door. — Susan Rao (636-1688) & Anne Porowski,
(364-0557), Co-chairs
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In a letter to Representative Constance Morella dated July 25, 2002,
and signed by Kay Maxwell, President of the National League of Women
Voters (LWVUS) re-affirmed its support for "the same rights of full
voting representation in Congress for citizens of the District of Columbia
as ... other citizens of the United States."
The letter, to be included in the record of the July hearings held by
Rep. Morella, ended with the following paragraph:
"The League of Women Voters can support a variety of remedies to
achieve voting rights, and we would welcome the opportunity to work with
you and other congressional leaders to craft effective legislation. But
most of all, we support congressional action to remedy the situation.
Two hundred years has already been too long for the citizens of the
District to wait."
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During the coming program year the Healthcare Committee will continue
to meet generally the fourth Tuesday of each month, at 1:00 p.m., in the
DC League Office. Please join us on Tuesday, September 24, to discuss
priorities for issues to be emphasized in the coming months. Some issues
to consider are:
- More emphasis on Clinic Care: If culturally sensitive clinics result
in segregated clinics, is that a plus or a minus? A plus only if they
continue to focus on their original goals of easy access, quality
treatment, and effective disease prevention and management.
- CareFirst Conversion: The discovery phase has started — testimony,
hearings and other legalisms. We continue to monitor the process and
participate through the CareFirst Watch.
- Healthcare Education: What are the schools teaching pupils about
good health practices? — Natalie Howard (882-8762), Chair
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Fall Luncheon 11:30 a.m.
Thursday, Sept. 19th 2002
Two speakers from Federal City Council
The Federal City Council is a non-profit, non-partisan organization
dedicated to the improvement of the Nation's Capital. Established in 1954
and modeled on Pittsburgh's Allegheny Conference on Community Development,
the Council is composed of and financed by 170 of the region's top
business, professional, educational, and civic leaders.
Mr. Robert Liberatore, Vice President of the Federal City Council, will
speak on issues regarding the relationship between the Federal Government
and the District.
Mr. Kenneth Sparks, Executive Director of the Federal City Council,
will speak on the Council's purpose, activities and its relationship with
the District.
LOCATION
Charles Sumner School Museum
Great Hall - Third Floor (elevator available)
1201 17th Street, NW, (Corner of 17th St. & M St.)
PROGRAM
11:30 a.m. Opening Reception
12 noon Lunch
12:30 p.m. Guest Speakers followed by a Q & A period.
LUNCHEON Served
A garden salad
Hawaiian Chicken with pineapples and a sweet and sour sauce, rice pilaf
and vegetable medley
Rolls, butter and desert.
Iced tea or a tropical fruit blend, coffee, decaffeinated and tea.
Please print out this reservation form, complete and return for receipt
by Monday, September 16th, with your check (made payable to. LWVDC) to
LWVDC Fall Luncheon, 733 15th Street; NW, Suite 432, Washington, DC
20005-6020
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CALENDAR — SEPTEMBER 2002
| SUN |
MON |
TUE |
WED |
THU |
FRI |
SAT |
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 10:00 AM
LWVDC Board |
5 |
6 10 AM NCA
Board |
7 |
| 8 |
9 |
10 7 AM-8
PM Primary Election
VOTE |
11 10 AM
Education Comm. |
12 |
13 11:30 AM
Brown Bag Dialogue |
14 |
| 15 3-5 p.m.
Int. Rel. Comm. |
16 |
17 |
18 |
19 11:30
a.m. Fall Luncheon |
20 |
21 10
a.m.-3 p.m. NCA Debate Moderator Training |
| 22 |
23 |
24 1:00
p.m. Healthcare Comm. |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
| 29 |
30 |
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