Spring Edition
In this issue:
Chair Notes
I’ve heard from many members that they have received their Covid 19 vaccinations. Though vigilance is still important, it’s a relief to be able to safely expand family circles, and there is some light at the end of the tunnel. We will continue to hold our regular meetings and public forums via Zoom for the foreseeable future. Our first Annual Meeting as a Unit will be in June and may be an in-person outdoor event. It would be wonderful to gather together in person to celebrate what we have achieved in the last year! Planning is underway and more information will follow.
Spring is approaching and as the flowers are popping up, so are LWVCE Unit activities. Committee are meeting and planning forums and events to promote our nonpartisan mission—Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy. We are in the process of writing up our application to become a Member-At Large (MAL). Be sure to check your email (and promotions tab) so you don't miss out on activities and events. There are also links to the events on our Facebook page and our website.
Do you have ideas on how to inform the public about voter suppression or how to register to vote? How to support voting rights? To promote environmental stewardship? Do you want to help plan our first Annual Meeting? If you see anything you would like to get involved in, please a committee chair, or one of the leader team. We need YOU! Thank you!
Robin
LWV Local News
Name Change
As most of you know, our Charlevoix-Emmet Unit is currently in the process of applying for Member at Large (MAL) status, putting us on the road to becoming a fully independent League, and marks a formal separation from our Leelanau League mentors. As the leader team considered what that means going forward for our Unit, a suggestion was made to use this time of transition as an opportunity to expand our service area in northern Michigan. We currently have members from Cheboygan County, however, there have not been official League activities within their county. The transition from a Unit to a MAL is a logical time to address that situation. Adding Cheboygan County to our service area makes it necessary to change our name to be inclusive of the larger area. After much thought and discussion, the name, LWV Northern Lower Michigan (LWVNLM), gathered enthusiasm and consensus. It gives those unfamiliar with Michigan geography an idea of where we are located and of our service area. You’ll see the name change occur over the spring. This is an exciting and inclusive step as we grow as a regional League!
Environmental and Natural Resources
Committee Update
Committee Update
The environmental committee is working on three main issues: Promoting carbon pricing to combat climate change; herbicide and pesticide use in our communities; and local renewable energy.
Carbon Pricing Legislation
Our committee sponsored a forum on carbon pricing in January. The speaker gave us plenty of reasons to support decreasing carbon emissions and our reliance on fossil fuels. In this new Congress there will be legislation that will include Carbon Pricing as a tool to decrease emissions. Our committee will be examining these bills and hope to educate ourselves and the public on the merits and drawbacks of the bills that are introduced. Help us to research and examine new and past bills, educate our members and our community about carbon pricing.
Curbing Municipal Use of Pesticides
Are you interested in learning more about your local community’s use of herbicides and pesticides? If so, and you would like to help with this new project of the environmental committee, please contact Ann Scott, committee co- chair. She will put you in communication with Nancy Dwan, who plans, with the help of others, to create a Pesticide Usage Survey that will be sent to officials in our towns and townships. The goal is to learn to what extent pesticides are currently being used in our municipalities, and to ultimately encourage reduced usage of harmful chemicals, through education, and possible adoption of Integrated Pest Management Policies.
Clean Energy in our Community
ENR committee co-chair Marcia Meyer has been gathering information about clean energy projects in our community. Here are just a few projects and commitments that are in the works:
Michigan- Carbon neutral in electricity, transportation, and buildings by 2050.
Petoskey- 100% clean carbon free energy by 2035. Installing solar on City Council Building and looking at cooperating with local areas for a larger solar array.
Goundworks- is working on a possible group solar buy, projects to help 4 local communities work collaboratively, and promotes Solarize- an online fundraising platform designed to help schools and nonprofits purchase solar and other renewable energy infrastructure.
Leadership Little Traverse of 2019 - created Petoskey’s first solar array at NCMC.
East Jordan students- are raising $70.000 to install solar panels on the high school’s roof.
Petoskey and DTE both have voluntary Green Pricing programs- Sign up today!
If you have an interest in any of these issues, we would welcome input at any level of involvement you would like to have. Contact Ann Scott alscott2050@gmail.com or Marcia Meyer marciakmeyer@gmail.com and let us know your interest. Join our committee and help to explore, educate, and advocate for improving and preserving our environment and natural resources!
Voter Services Commitee Update
The Voter Services Committee “makes election information available to the public and encourages citizen participation in government”. How does this translate into action? Read on and find a place to plug in! The work of this committee includes many of the core functions of the League of Women Voters, such as informing the public about issues effecting voting rights, disseminating nonpartisan voting information and registering new voters. There is much to be done and we need more volunteers – either for short term actions or projects, or more long-term activities. If you have any questions or are interested in helping in any of these focus areas, please contact Committee Chair Dibby Smith at dibbys@aol.com.
Observer Corps
Our Observer Corps program is now operational! The LWV Observer Corps actively champions openness and accountability in government. We now have seven Unit members attending Zoom meetings of local public governmental bodies. We have observers for both Emmet and Charlevoix County Commissions, the cities of Petoskey and Harbor Springs, and for Bear Creek Township. Corps members report about any issue that might be of interest to our league members. For example, Petoskey is conducting a study on possible PFaS contamination. Harbor Springs is putting solar panels on the Fire Department building and has approved the purchase of a hybrid police car. Thank you to Ethel Larsen, Sue VanDeventer, Nancy Dwan, Carole Shane, Sally Smith, Susan Hannah, and Carolyn Penniman for committing to this project. If you are interested in joining the Observer Corp please contact Penny Crim at paigeacrim@charter.net. We would love to be able to observe in more cities and townships. It is a once a month commitment and can be shared with a partner.
Clerk Project: We are well into our long term project to reach out to all of the local clerks in our service area to get to know them and to assist them in any way possible. To date, we have focused on Charlevoix and Petoskey. If you are interested in working on this project in Cheboygan, please contact Sue VanDeventer at susan.vandeventer@gmail.com.
Legislator Interviews
At the start of every new legislative session (2-year terms), the LWVMI requests the local Leagues conduct interviews with new and returning State Representative(s) and State Senator(s). The interviews are conducted with specific questions to see how a legislator aligns with LWVMI positions and to help us establish a relationship with a legislator. The purpose is to have a conversation to 1) help the local League build its relationship with its legislators and 2) provide feedback to the LWVMI Board and Advocacy Committee. Since we share the 107th District, the LWV Eastern Upper Peninsula and our Unit will be conducting the interview with State Representative John DaMoose. We will also interview #7th District Senator, Wayne Schmidt. Thank you, LWVNLM member Lisa Blanchard, for volunteering to conduct these interviews!
Michigan Independent Citizens
Redistricting Commission (MICRC)
Redistricting Commission (MICRC)
In 2018, voters approved a constitutional amendment establishing criteria for the creation of the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC). This commission assures voters that redistricting is transparent and non-partisan. One requirement is that districts reflect the state's diverse populations by considering "Communities of Interest" (COI). The League is reaching out to groups to offer assistance in the assessment of whether the group would be considered to be a COI and offer training on how to most effectively offer testimony at a public hearing.
The general public and COI will be invited to submit testimony concerning the maps at the public hearings. Over 100 local League team members are taking training in how to identify and support COI in their communities. LWVNLM member Eileen Mikus is representing our Unit on the COI committee in the Northern Michigan area. Committee members have sent letters to identified area COI to alert them to the upcoming MICRC public hearing that will be held at Treetops Resort in Gaylord on May 4th.
COI are a group of people who share a common bond which could be economic, ethnic, cultural, or environmental. Examples of possible COI are cherry farmers, school districts, lake shore residents, Native American Tribes, and neighborhoods. The COI must be contiguous and members must live in a compact area that could be included in a specific legislative or congressional district. If the members of the COI don’t want to be split up among several legislative or congressional districts, they will have an opportunity to make that request by testifying at the public hearings. The identified groups in our area include the LTBB of Odawa Indians, the CharEm ISD, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, Little Traverse Conservancy, and Friendship Centers of Emmet County.
See what the MICRC is doing: Calendar
Meetings are streamed.
Past meetings can be watched on Youtube.
Go to RedistrictingMichigan.org to see what's happening.
Subscribe to stay updated.
LWVNLM Book Read Event
Our first annual Unit Book Read will take place Wednesday 4/21 at 7 Zoom via zoom. We are reading, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Mathew Desmond. Lisa Blanchard, bibliophile extraordinaire, will be our guide for this session. A link will be sent to all members prior to the event.
Annual Fundraising Campaign, Financially Speaking
Our Unit will conduct an annual fund appeal in April-May. Letters will be sent to members and others in the community. Last year, we raised $845 to help provide voter services information and education surrounding the 2020 election. This year, our goal is an ambitious $3000. We want to continue to provide voter registration drives, advocate for easy access to voting for eligible voters, and expand our ability to educate the public on issues essential to defending democracy. Our on-line presence and ability to hold webinars and remote meetings cost money. Your donation helps to continue these good works. Be looking for our annual appeal letter and please consider giving to help empower voters and defend democracy!
Why don’t the LWV dues cover our local activities, you ask? The major portion of dues goes to our State and National sister Leagues. That money is well spent! For example, throughout 2020, LWVUS was part of over 60 state and federal lawsuits across more than 35 states to ensure voters had safe access to the ballot in the 2020 election, and to fight voter suppression and advance voting rights. It is estimated that the LWVUS protected approximately 20 million voters through our election-related litigation.
Summer Celebrations - Petoskey Suffragists
The Petoskey July 4th 2021 parade is currently being planned. If it is a definite go, our Unit will be a parade participate, marching in suffragist costume to honor our Petoskey suffragists and to celebrate the 101st anniversary of women’s right to vote. Project coordinator, Sally Smith, will keep us informed of parade plans.
Mark your calendar for August 26th and come together in an outdoor celebration of our local Suffragists. As you walk the Petoskey waterfront, take an intentional stroll by the dedication of the memorial plaque and tree in honor of the Petoskey Suffragists at the Little Traverse Historical Museum. This memorial project, led by Anne Srigley, is significant as it gives our Suffragist sisters from our areas past a permanent place of recognition for all to see. One of the descendants of Margaret Hankey Curtis, Wendy Steele, will be the speaker and some city officials and other significant community people involved in the planning will be invited.
Worth Watching…
Our mentors, the LWV Leelanau County, has an active and dedicated Equal Rights Advocacy Committee. The group is known for their innovative programming and this year, their program to celebrate Women’s History Month was no exception! The program celebrated three women in the Leelanau area: Amelia Schaub- Michigan First Elected Prosecutor; Alma Rose (Rosie) Vasquez – Childhood Migrant and Laborer and State of MI employee; and Linda Woods – Odawa Elder. The presentation by Rosie on experiences of racism in Northern Michigan was especially profound and moving, and worth the time to hear.
To view, click here Celebrate Womens History Month 2021 .
LWVLC Annual Meeting
Mark your calendars for May 6th, 5pm. We are part of the membership of LWVLC and it’s important for us to attend this meeting to achieve a quorum, vote on bylaws, budgets, and learn from the process. This is a virtual meeting and more information will be coming.
Upcoming Public Forums
We have three joint Public Forum webinar projects in the works with the LWV Eastern Upper Peninsula:
Dark Money in Michigan Politics – Wednesday 4/14 at 7 pm. Executive Director of Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN), Simon D. Schuster, will present information on dark money throughout Michigan that influences the political and policy process.
County Level Gerrymandering – May date/time TBD. Did you know counties can be “packed, “sorted”, and “clustered”, aka, gerrymandered? Election law expert and past chair of the Michigan Democratic Party will present information on how county level redistricting is important.
Healthcare in Northern MI and Single Payer Solutions - May or June, date TBD. Eli Rubin, President of the advocacy group, Michigan for Single Payer Healthcare. He will speak on health care in Northern MI and single payer solutions. FYI -The League of Women Voters national position on healthcare (pdf file).
Actively Serving in our League
We have reached the point where we are preparing to vote on a slate of officers and set up a formal Board of Directors. We need YOU to make this happen. Please consider stepping up to serve in our new League to help us grow so we can fulfill the LWV mission of defending democracy and empowering voters in our own communities. Assistance, support, and lots of grace are offered to all who want to help move our League forward!
Help Wanted – At least 2-3 members to serve on the membership committee. Responsibilities include welcoming new members and developing strategies to promote and retain membership.
Help Wanted – At least 2 members to serve on board of directors of the LWVLNM for a 2 year term. Responsibilities include attending 8 board meetings and one annual planning meeting and helping shape local league direction.
Help Wanted – First Vice President for our first slate of officers starting in July 2021. Responsibilities include attending 8 board meetings and one annual planning meeting and helping shape local league direction.
Help Wanted- At least 2 members to serve on nominating committee. Responsibilities include recruiting members to serve in leadership positions.
Please email info@levcharem.org if you would like to serve and for more information
Membership News
Our LWVLNM Unit has 82 members!
The LWV Michigan membership numbers have reached an all-time high of over 2600. Membership continues to grow and nearly doubled in the last 5 years. Michigan has 24 independent Leagues, 3 Member-At-Large State Units, and 6 Geographical Units. The League is needed now more than ever to carry the message of our mission Empowering Voters and Defending Democracy to our communities.
Welcome to our most recent new LWVLNM members!
Holly Angileri
Linda Castiglione
LWV State News
Virtual State LWVMI Convention, All Welcome to Attend!
Save the Date for LWVMI Virtual Convention: May 21 and 22. The theme for LWVMI’s 2021 biennial convention is “Defending Democracy.” It will run from 6:30 pm on Friday, May 21st, through 5:00 pm on Saturday, May 22nd. Plans for the convention include plenaries, workshops, awards, panel discussions and even a silent auction: all the features you would see at an in-person convention. Please consider attending a day or just a session! The registration fee is a mere $35 since it is virtual. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the League, Combatting Disinformation, and Observer Corps are some of the workshops that will be available at the convention. See details and register by here by May 10th.
LWV National News
Securing and Protecting Voting Rights
The For the People Act H.R.1, will fundamentally strengthen our democratic system by creating automatic voter registration across the country, restoring the Voting Rights Act, modernizing our voter registration system, establishing clear criteria and transparency to prevent gerrymandering, and making campaign contributions transparent. As an organization dedicated to empowering voters and defending democracy, the League of Women Voters is one of the original supporters of the For the People Act. Learn more about H.R.1 here. There are obstacles to making the bill law. The Senate filibuster and the opposition of all republican senators are significant challenges to overcome. Without this bill, legislatures in 43 states can carry out their plans to further restrict voting and make access more difficult for American citizens, including Michigan. The LWVUS will be sending out action alerts on this bill as it progresses.
Member Appreciation
Susan Hannah retired (“finally graduated” as she says) in December 2012 after a more than 50-year career in higher education as a student, faculty member and administrator. She and her husband Bob moved permanently to the 1936 Hannah family cabin in Good Hart after years of spending many happy summers there with their four children and now ten grandchildren. Susan grew up in Winston-Salem, NC and graduated from Agnes Scott College (still a women’s college!) near Atlanta in 1964. She met her husband Bob in graduate school at Harvard University where they both earned MAT degrees in social science in 1965. They moved back to Bob’s hometown of East Lansing to complete PhD’s at MSU, Bob in History (‘68) and Susan in Political Science (’72). After Bob’s military service, they moved to Kalamazoo where she taught political science and served in a variety of academic administrative positions at Western Michigan University, retiring in 1998. Susan finished her higher education career as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Indiana University Purdue University (now PFW) in Fort Wayne, IN. Her academic research and publication focus on local government, nonprofit organizations, and federal policy in higher education.
Susan’s association with the League of Women voters began the first summer she moved to Kalamazoo in 1970. As she proudly notes, “the women I met there are still, 50 years later, my closest friends.” She remembers that at the time the local League was involved in an Amicus brief in support of a lawsuit to end school segregation in Kalamazoo Public Schools. She was immediately put on a committee researching the fire safety status of the predominately Black schools in the city. As expected, the committee found that the Black schools were seldom checked and when they were, nothing came of the many citations the schools received. The lawsuit was successful.
Susan went on to serve on the Boards of the Kalamazoo LWV and the Kalamazoo Area Nature Center, and on the Local Chapter of the Red Cross in Fort Wayne. In the early 1990’s she received training as a mediator, first at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, and then at one of the first Michigan Community Mediation Centers in Battle Creek. Susan is still active as a mediator, now with the Northern Community Mediation in Petoskey. Since retirement, Susan has volunteered at the Gold Mine (Women’s Resource Center) and served on the Boards of Harbor Inc. and the King House Association (KHA) which is dedicated to preserving the last Odawa log house in Middle Village/Good Hart. Susan thinks of her university work and volunteer activities as her way to advance the values of equality, diversity, and democracy that she shares with LWV.
Nancy Dwan lives in Petoskey with her husband and youngest daughter. After graduating from Petoskey High School, Nancy attended Lake Superior State University and Michigan State University, earning a degree in Microbiology/Molecular Biology. While working as a research assistant at Michigan State University, Nancy learned that Minneapolis was a vibrant center of activism of all sorts. Despite not having a job, a car, or a place to live, she moved there to become a presenter and educator with Organizing Against Pornography and the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, and to eventually form and lead Community Crime Prevention groups in two neighborhoods where she lived.
Nancy soon landed a job at Molecular Genetics, an agricultural biotechnology company, and found a place to live in the heart of the city. Five years later, the company relocated, so Nancy shifted gears and made an unconventional decision to become an electrician. She attended Dunwoody Industrial Institute in Minneapolis as the only woman in the Electrical Construction and Maintenance program, giving the school-wide commencement address upon graduation. Being active with a local Women in the Trades advocacy group helped Nancy navigate the challenges of working in the male-dominated field.
Meanwhile, three daughters were born at home and the decision was made to home educate them. In order to be able to be home with the children and to continue employment, Nancy sought work in the evening and at night. These jobs included delivery work, tutoring, editing, and over the past 20 years work as a manager and supervisor in the specialty food sector. Currently, Nancy is a full-time caregiver for her 89-year-old mother, who lives with her family.
An interest in health and the environment led Nancy to become an educator and consultant in the field of clean drinking water. She has continued this for the past 25 years, having written articles, presented at conferences, and taught in community education settings. In 1998, Nancy and her family relocated back to Petoskey, where Nancy joined a fledgling local organization called Citizens for Alternatives to Toxins. She and a small group of concerned citizens became a resource for residents choosing to reduce their chemical footprints. Nancy culminated her six years with the group by co-creating an Integrated Pest Management policy that was presented to the Petoskey City Council, mayor, and city manager. Despite having significant support from a diverse array of local allies, the city declined to embrace a policy that would encourage a less toxic approach to city property management. However, Nancy has recently revitalized this endeavor as part of her involvement on the League of Women Voter’s Environmental Committee.
Nancy’s family grew with the arrival of a son and another daughter who were born at home and who were home educated like their older sisters. Nancy coordinated the Northern Michigan Homeschool Network, and formed and continues to lead the Petoskey Area Homeschool Group. Nancy and her family have been active with Temple B’nai Israel in Petoskey since 1999, where Nancy taught Sunday school for six years. As the coordinator of a grant-funded initiative called Growing Jewish Families, she created and implemented programs for preschoolers, teens, and women. In addition, Nancy founded and chairs the Temple’s Safety and Security Team.
Nancy was a member of the board of directors of the Petoskey Library as it transitioned from a city library to a district library. In recent years, Nancy has volunteered as a repair technician for the Petoskey District Library’s popular Fix It Café.
For exercise and fun, Nancy is an enthusiast for many sports, including broomball, soccer, speed skating, cross country skiing, and, most recently, karate. Having enjoyed a book club she started in Minneapolis, Nancy formed a book club in Petoskey, which she has facilitated for more than 20 years.
Serving on the Voter Services Committee, the Observer Corps, and the Environmental Committee of the League of Women Voters of Northern Lower Michigan, Nancy has found a home for her dedication to democracy, people, and the environment.
Calendar
April 14, 7pm – Public Forum: Dark Money in Politics
April 21, 7pm – Annual Book Read Event
May 6th, 5pm – LWVLC Annual Meeting
May 20-21 – LWV Michigan State Convention
May date/time TBD – Public Forum: County Level Gerrymandering
May or June date/time TBD – Public Forum: Healthcare in Northern Michigan and Single Payer Solutions
June 6th 5:30 pm – (tentative) Bear River Pavilion - LWVNML first Annual Meeting – socially distanced and outside, we will vote on a slate of officer, vote on bylaws and a budget, cheer our accomplishments and socialize before we take a 2 month summer break.
For more information:
Email info@lwvcharem.org
Call LWVNLM chair Robin Jordan at 231-881-4482
Follow LWVNLM on Facebook
Visit our website