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Date: 6/25/2024
Subject: Heights Chapter E-News - One year ends and another begins
From: Wendy Deuring



Heights Chapter E-News 
One Year Ends and Another Begins

Events:
  • June 27-30 - LWV National Convention in Washington DC - a GREAT experience!
  • July 1-4th - Bay Days Fundraiser - to sign up for a shift go to www.lwvgreatercleveland.org / Chapters / Bay Village - top calendar of events
  • July 2nd - Stuff envelopes for mailing to new citizens, 4:30-5:30 at Ditte's.  Let me or Ditte know if you are interested.
  • July 21st (Sunday) 1-4:00 - Post cards in the Park - Forest Hills Park, Pavilion #1
  • Random opportunities for voter outreach and voter registration - Let us know where you want to go and we can get you the materials

Our Annual Meeting - an excellent ending and beginning
 
The Annual Meeting last Tuesday was a quality gathering, starting with the major rainstorms that helped to reduce the temperature and clear the air. We were able to meet out on Maryann's wonderful screened-in porch with breezes and fans for a very pleasant evening.  The quality pizza was enhanced by quality salads and desserts and sides.  We do seem to do a quality job of sharing quality foods from our kitchens.
 
Nancy Levin, Director of the CH-UH Public Libraries was our guest speaker, talking to us about the process of book ban requests, and talked about some proposed Ohio legislation that would bring external controls and penalties to library administrators.   The library board passed a resolution last year in support of the freedom to read, and advocates having conversations with people who are requesting an item to be banned to find the reason behind the request and  seek a resolution.  Remarkably, she came for dinner and stayed for part of the business meeting!  Nancy Levin is a member of League with the Shaker Chapter.
 
Betsy Tracy talked about the findings thus far from our chapter's survey (which is included further down in this newsletter if you have not yet submitted your information.  We've heard from 20% of our members.)  She, Janice, Judith and Khaliah are planning programs for new (and newly active) members to better explain the ways of League.   Betsy also talked about LWV Ohio's effort to send postcards to everyone in Ohio whose ballot petition information does not match their voter registration information.  Betsy has postcards, address labels and suggested postcard texts and, just from the annual meeting gathering she has distributed 310 postcards!  Our Chapter's goal was 600 but we just might do more.  You are welcome to join the Postcards in the Park Party on July 21st if you want to write postcards with a group (and get some refreshments, and yard signs. Scroll down for details.
 
The budget and nominating committee proposals were approved as proposed.
Our Leadership Committee for 2024-2025 includes the following new members:
Voter Services Co-Chair - Janice Foster (moving from Membership and Leadership Development
Treasurer -  Brenda Bagby
Recording Secretary Co-Chair - Robin Koslin
Nominating Committee - Ellen Eoff
Nominating Committee - Kathryn Ellis
Nominating Committee Chair - Eef Kolkman
 
And with major thanks to the following members who are stepping down from Leadership:
Rosemarie Fairman who helped lead Voter Services, Khaliah Fisher who was our Treasurer, and Char Morris who was our co-secretary; and to
Eefje Kolkman who led the nominating committee, and to Carol Spackey and Blanche Valancy  who diligently contacted all of our members to see who might want to be more involved in their League.
 
See below for links to the Nominating Committee and Budget Reports, and to the bottom of the email for the complete list of our Chapter Leadership Team.
2024-25 CHUH Nominating Committee Report
lwvchuh 2024-25 budget pdf

New Life Member: Marilyn McLaughlin

 

Marilyn McLaughlin joined the Cleveland Heights University Heights League of Women Voters in 1974 when her oldest child was two years old.  The League met at 9:15 Wednesday mornings and provided baby sitting so Marilyn signed up in order to have conversations with other adults about real issues. (The same program was also then presented on Thursday evenings.)

 

A mere 9 years later Marilyn was president, and served for an extra year because a new president could not be found.  She still remembers calling Donalene who was in Rome during her husband’s sabbatical to secure Donalene’s agreement to be the next President. Marilyn received the Beatrice Halle Award in 1993, and helped to start the Dorothy Raymond Award which worked with the Political Awareness Club at Heights High.

 

Other League activities included observing the county commissioner meetings, Bylaws review, editing Know your League, and helping with several position studies including the Interbasin Transfer of Great Lakes Water, Agriculture, and Immigration Reform.  Her international efforts through League included helping to build democracy in former Soviet satellite countries, and helping with our two guests from Zimbabwe in 1998-99. In her work life Marilyn taught ESL classes (English as a Second Language.)

 

Thank you Marilyn for all you have done and for your ongoing involvement and enthusiasm.

Marilyn McLaughlin at this year's LWVGC Annual Meeting.  See above for the details of her 50 years as a League member.
Janice Foster and Jill Tatem staffing this year's Memorial Day Parade table, registering voters and collecting signatures for the Redistricting Campaign. Because I finally figured out (again) how to attach a photo.  It may be late, but it's still great!

Citizens, Not Politicians Update
 
All Petition Books have been turned in now so that verifications and tabulations can be completed before the Secretary of State deadline at the beginning of July. We don't have complete data yet but I can say with certainty that signatures were collected in ALL 88 counties of Ohio, there is strong confidence that we met the minimum requirement of 5% in at least 44 of the counties, and believe there will be enough to meet the 10% statewide total.  (And if we have fallen a bit short there is still the 2-week "cure period" in which we can collect more signatures.)
 
Perhaps the best statistic of all is that of all of the counties in which our group - Fair Districts (made up of League of Women Voters, Common Cause and ACLU) collected signatures, we collected THE MOST signatures in Cuyahoga County - I believe they said we collected 12% (of the total votes cast in the 2022 Gubernatorial Election.)  It's a bit wonky, but ballot petitions require 5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election in 44 counties, and 10% of all the votes cast in the state in that election.  So just our group, which was not the only group collecting signatures in Cuyahoga County, collected 12% of the votes cast.
 
If I lost you with all the numbers and percentages, just know that Cuyahoga County has, once again, punched above it's weight.  We done good.
 

On Monday, July 1, the Citizens Not Politicians (CNP) campaign will deliver truckloads of petition booklets from all 88 counties to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office–the next step in getting an amendment on the ballot to finally end gerrymandering in Ohio!

You are invited to a rally at the Statehouse immediately following the booklet drop off to celebrate this milestone and achievement.

Where: Ohio Statehouse Atrium, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, 43215
When: Monday, July 1, 12-1pm (arrive early to have time to get through security)
Who: Ohioans from every county and corner of the state.
What to wear: Your LWV, Fair Districts, Fair Maps, and Ban Gerrymandering t-shirts and buttons.
Where to park: We recommend parking under the Statehouse or at the Columbus Commons.



Postcard Party in the Park
 
Speaking of the Redistricting Campaign, we are sending out postcards to registered voters whose petition information does not match their voter registration information, asking them to check their voter registration so that their signatures will not be rejected.  OR if all those postcards have already gone out, we will send postcards with information about the redistricting issue on their ballot and urging them to vote in November.
 
Either way, it will be a nice time in a park with refreshments, and a supply of yard signs, and time spent making a difference.
(see the lovely graphic below for the details)

Won't you take a few minutes to complete our Survey?

Note: This is separate from LWVGC's survey.  Doing both would be swell ;-)

 

[We've heard from about 20% of you, but we would especially like to hear from those of you who are generally not active.]

 

Janice Foster, one of our newer members, noted how difficult it can be to understand the League of Women Voters as an organization, with our different levels and our defined processes, and as our Membership Leadership Development co-chair she decided we needed to develop a better way.  She, Elizabeth Tracy and Judith Beeler looked at the challenges and possibilities. 

 
Step One in the process is the following survey.  It's just 5 questions so not long to fill out, and will hopefully lead to a better understanding of you, our members, and also help you to find ways to be involved in the ways that interest you.  Won't you please take a few minutes to complete this?  We are asking for your responses by June 1st (which is THIS SATURDAY), but just go ahead and fill it out now while it's here in front of you if you haven't already.

A Citizen's Guide to Democracy - An Idea to Share

 

On President's Day we gathered with members of the community in the Heights Main Library to watch the PBS video A Citizen's Guide to Preserving Democracy, based on the book "The Bill of Obligations:  the Ten Habits of Good Citizens" by Richard Haass.  After watching the video we broke out into small groups to discuss the 10 obligations of citizens and which might need greater attention now.  The discussions were lively and people seemed to find new motivation.  For the record, those 10 obligations are: Remain civil;  stay open to compromise and put community first; teach civics; value norms; reject violence; be informed; get involved; and promote the common good. 

 
We urge people to take this idea to other groups - to community clubs, organizations, workplaces - here and around the country, to bring these topics to the forefront.  The video (52 minutes long) is available online for free and Richard Haass' book "The Bill of Obligations: the Ten Habits of Good Citizens" is in libraries.
 
Major thanks go to Rose Fairman, Blanche Valancy, Janice Foster, Joan Spoerl, Paula Goodwin, Jill Tatem, Carol Spackey and Eefje Kolkman for helping out, and most especially thanks to Betsy Tracy who saw the video and thought - wouldn't this make a good program?  And she was right!!!  Who else has a good idea?  Let us know.

Pride Logo

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: some links to programs and articles that might be of interest
 
- Our own forum on Voter Guides and Candidate Forums:   https://youtu.be/X6ZK1PlQ1AE
 
 
- "American Democracy is cracking. These ideas could help repair it". Originally in the Washington Post and reprinted in the Plain Dealer on 1/28/24  Democracy is Cracking .


Democracy Quotes to Inspire You
 
Democracy and freedom are the best revolution. They can give every individual more power to control their lives. And we can work together to create a just, sustainable world.  Bill Blackman
 

The only title in our democracy superior to that of President is the title of citizen.  Louis Brandeis  1937



CHUH Chapter Leadership 
 
We are delighted to report the following list of officers for the 2023/2024 year::
Chapter Chair: Wendy Deuring  (2024-2026)
Voter Service Co-Chairs: Betsy Tracy (2023-2025) and Janice Foster (2024-2025)
Membership Development Co-Chairs: Joan Spoerl (2024-2026)
Treasurer: Brenda Bagby (2024-2026)
Recording Co-Secretaries: Kathy Petrey (2023-2025) and Robin Koslen (2024-2026)
2025 Nominating Committee: Eefje Kolkman, Chair; Ellen Eoff and Kathryn Ellis


 
For the Cleveland Heights City Council, the University Heights City Council, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education and the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Library Board of Trustees. Watching government promotes good government: