Democracy is not a spectator
sport. Get involved join the Westwood/Walpole League of
Women Voters
Democracy is not a spectator
sport! Get involved.
Come to Westwood Candidate
Forum -read Bulletin for
details
|
 LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF
WESTWOOD/WALPOLE |
THE BULLETIN Volume 69, Issue
8
|
APRIL
2009
| |
Dear
Katherine ,
The
Bulletin has been re-formatted. I hope you
approve. Please check it out
carefully. I am looking for your
input. This is your newsletter, and it
should meet your needs and expectations. All
comments are welcome.
Sincerely,
Jane
Nash
Bulletin
Editor
Westwood/Walpole
LWV
| |
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WESTWOOD/WALPOLE
STEERING COMMITTEE
|
The steering committee
administers the business of the local
league. It exists to serve its members by holding
meetings and events which inform its members and
those of its local community about important
political issues. It promotes and
lobbies on those issues upon which it has
positions.
Member involvement and support
is critical to sustain the vitality and strength
of any league. No steering committee or league
board can function long without member involvement
in and committment to the local league.
Get
involved and learn more about what is happening in
your league by attending a steering committee
meeting. Your attendance and input is
always welcome!
Interested in attending a
steering committee meeting; please contact Marcia
Hirshberg at
hberg40@comcast.net.
Westwood/Walpole
Steering Committee
Pictured from
left to right
Virginia Fettig, Patty
Stewart, Greg Agnew, Marcia Hirshberg, Phoebe
Joseph, Jane Nash, Judy
Barrington.
not
pictured:
Nancy Farrisback
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NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE
COMPACT RECAP
|
Fourteen
League members attended this important
consensus meeting on March 10 at the home of Jane
Walsh to discuss the pros and cons of the National
Popular Vote Compact (NPVC). The
meeting began with a short social time during
which members enjoyed various salads, home made
breads, rolls, and cookies.
Thank
you, Jane Walsh for again being our hostess for a
League event.
The Committee is to be
commended for offering a well balanced program and
for creating an atmosphere where everyone felt at
ease to express their views. Well
done!!!
Nan Crossland opened the
meeting with general comments on the format of a
consensus meeting. Jill Onderdonk talked
about the background of the study while Sarah
Onderdonk explained the pro side and Carrie
Crossland the opposition point of view.
Chris Privertera acted as moderator and Jane
Nash as recorder.
The NPVC offers a method
of achieving the result of election of the
President by popular vote without amending the
Constitution to eliminate the Electoral
College. Instead this method uses the
mechanism of the Electoral College to ensure that
the candidate who receives the most popular vote
is elected President of the United States.
Under the proposed legislation to enact the NPVC,
all the state's electoral votes would be awarded
to the presidential candidate who receives the
most popular votes in all 50 states and the
District of Columbia. The bill would take
effect only when enacted, in identical form, by
states possessing a mojority of the electoral
votes--that is, enough electoral votes to elect a
President (270 of 538)
The group came to
consensus. The discussion was very
stimulating with everyone partcipating. New
member Iona Levin and Carrie Crossland shared lots
of information strongly supporting the "con"
view. Nancy Farris obviously had studied the
material very closely and offered much supporting
material for the "pro" side.
The consensus
will now go before the Steering Committee.
"The Board judges whether there is substantial
agreement among the membership as a whole and, if
the answer is yes, affirms the consensus." (president's handbook)Then, the
consensus will be sent to LWVUS by electronic
form.
This is a National study so there
will be no formal consensus until all
participating leagues have completed the
electronic consensus form. Then the LWVUS
Board will develop a position.
Stay
tuned!!
Nan Crossland, Jill Onderdonk,
Chris Previtera thank all those who attended and
shared their opinions.
Grassroots agreement
on positions is one of the League's greatest
strengths. Preparing for and taking consensus is
hard work, but worthwhile. The resulting position
will allow the organization to educate the public
and affect national policy for years to come, just
as we have been doing in other areas for 88 years
- it is part of the organization's
history.
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|
| Meeting With
Representative McMurtry |
 On Sunday, March 29, the
Westwood/Walpole League sponsored a meeting at the
Council on Aging in Westwood at which
Representative Paul McMurtry met with concerned
citizens.
Representative McMurtry started the
meeting with a short talk on the importance of
transparency and involved, informed voters to a
viable working government. He also emphasized that
his main focus is in servicing his constituents by
being open and available. Rep. McMurtry then
showed a power point presentation on "How "Bills
Become Law."
When the meeting was
opened to Q&A, McMurtry heard the
concerns from several citizens. McMurtry
assured all that he would be in contact with them
and that each one would be alerted to dates/times
of essential hearings so they could attend and
speak. The issues of concern were: adequate
funding for vaccinations of children, lack of
local input regarding a law allowing billboards on
T-station land, the lack of official support for
senior housing in Westwood.
He was
urged to support legislation that would prevent
more affordable housing to revert to Market Rent,
to support SD1456 An Act Relative to Drug
Mandatory Minimum Sentences which would allow
nonviolent drug offenders the same access to
parole as violent criminals, finally, to support
HD2942 which would allow the diversion of low
level offenders to treatment facilities
rather than jail.
|
| --SAVE THIS DATE
Greening Your Lifestyle Energy
Fair
|
 Subject:
Greening Your Lifestyle Energy Fair; Little
Changes, Big Returns
Date: Sunday, May 31,
2009
Time: Noon til
5:30pm
Place: Temple Beth David, 7
Clapboardtree Street, Westwood
The
Westwood/Walpole League of Women Voters Green
Energy Committee and Temple Beth David invite you
to learn more about greening your lifestyle and
helping to heal the environment
Everyone
can agree with committee member, Michelle Perry
when she says, "We can all make the little changes
that bring big returns to help heal our
environment."
With that goal in mind, the
committee has invited numerous vendors with
products and ideas to help us all green our
lifestyles, a speaker to energize us for success,
and workshops to give us the tools to make it all
work.
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|
| MEMBERSHIP
|
It's been awhile
since we've listed all the new members in the
bulletin, so here goes the new group we've added
in the last several months. Please welcome them to
our ranks and say hello when you see them at
events and in the community!
Deb
Ellis
Steve Greffenius
Amy and Lyle
Coghlin
Gail and Jim
Fox
Marion
Just
Amy Keith
Pat
Krusko
Iona Levin
Chester
Parasco
Anita Silvey
We are now at 96 members
strong and ever closer to that elusive 100 number.
We need help in reaching that number. Where to
look for those members? Here are some
ideas:
Health
club
Walking group
Play
group
Car pool
Book
group
Church group
Investment
club Golf
foursome
Tennis
Club
Newcomers
Dinner
group
Rotary
Club
Lions
Add your own idea here_______
I met
Anita walking my Scottie Buddy in Lowell woods
while she was walking her 2 Bearnaise Mountain
dogs (hear that Karen?). She edits and writes
children's books. She lives on Whitewood Road and
has an interesting position on the development at
Westwood station. Ask her about
it!
If you want me to come speak to
your group, just ask. I can speak on membership or
any priority legislative
agenda.
Let's get to 100! Maybe
beyond.......
Marcia
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top
|
SUPPORT YOUR LEAGUE &
HELP IT GROW!!
|
HELP OUR LEAGUE GROW
Our League is 96 members strong as of April
2009 and growing.
Marcia
has made an extraordinary effort to bring in new
members.
As the membership chair of both
our local league and the LWVM, she knows the
importance of numbers to keep our League viable at
the local as well as state and national levels.
Remember we lobby, and it is important
that we represent a large number of men and
women.
But
there is just so much Marcia can do without your
help!
You
can help spread the word and increase our
membership by:
- Telling your friends and
neighbors about the League.
- Handing out our Membership
Brochure
- Inviting people to League
meetings
AND BY---
Purchasing items that advertise our League
like our shirts & mugs.
Shirts are
$10 each or two for $5.00
Mugs are $5.00
each
Interested in
purchasing a shirt or mug! Contact Greg Agnew at
Agnew.g.j@comcast.net
|
| WOMAN'S HISTORY MONTH
|
1. Click here for the Presidential
Proclamation
2. Click here
for some interesting facts and figures assembled
by the U.S. Census Bureau for Women's History
Month.
3. Click
here for the League's page at the
National Women's History Museum site
4. Click
here for its CyberMuseum exhibit
This press
release was sent to the Westwood and Walpole
papers
Westwood, MA - During March
2009, Women's History Month, the League of Women
Voters of Westwood celebrates the achievements of
women in the past and highlights the successes of
today's women, making a difference in our
community and across the nation.
"From our organization's founder,
Carrie Chapman Catt, a leader in the international
suffrage movement born 150 years ago, to today's
female leaders, including numerous members of
Congress, League members impact our democracy -
and our lives," said LWVUS President Mary
Wilson. "It is why we are one of America's
most trusted
organizations."
Last
year, the League helped focus attention on women
candidates, officeholders and voters through a
three-part series, The Changing Faces of Power:
Women in Politics. The series explored the
hard-fought journey of women
through the U.S.
political system.
The LWVUS has created a
special page at www.lwv.org to celebrate Women's
History Month. In addition, we have produced a
press template for you to use this month in
reaching out to your local media to champion the
role of the League and women in your
community.
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MARK YOUR
CALENDARS!
|
April
06-Essay Contest Awards, Fanueil
Hall, Boston
19-Westwood Candidate
Forum, 1st Parish Hall, Westwood, 3-p.m.
25-Walpole Hazardous Waste
Day
May
16-Walpole Day our league will
participate, Walpole, noon to 6 p.m.
25-Westwood Memorial Day Parade League members
will participate
29-30 -LWVM Convention,
Newton Marriott.
For more information read the Bulletin and go to
LWVMA.org
and lwvwestwoodwalpole.org websites
31-Greening
your lifestyle energy fair at Temple Beth David
from noon to 5:30pm
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|
This
is your newsletter. Your comments and suggestions
are always most welcome. Keep in
touch!!
Sincerely,
Jane
Nash
Bulletin
Editor
Westwood/Walpole LWV
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