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November  2015
13
  

  

  
The Voter
The League of Women Voters of Wilmette
 Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport 



Save the Date:


Consensus Meeting on

Money in Politics
 
Dec.  9th 10 a.m, Takiff Center,

Glencoe


LWV Wilmette Holiday Party

Dec. 10th, 7-9 p.m. Wilmette

Historical Museum

 

President's Message
 

Another Consensus Meeting?
Really?
Yes, really, on Money in Politics -- December 9th, 10 am, Takiff Center, Glencoe.

What is a Consensus Meeting anyway?
What if I don’t know anything about the subject and haven’t done any reading about it?

For me, Consensus Meetings are the most intellectually stimulating and fundamentally important work we do at the League of Women Voters. (Please stop and reread that sentence.)

A Consensus Meeting is:

! A chance to have a stimulating intellectual conversation with incredibly bright people (my fellow LWV Wilmette members);

! A crash-course on an issue that is important to our democracy and our community (one that I probably knew next to nothing about before coming to the meeting) presented by members who have studied the issue and present all aspects to me without bias for me to make up my own mind;

! An opportunity to express my opinion, and grapple with an issue with my peers, learning from the give-and-take of the conversation, using that give-and-take to arrive at agreement on how we feel as a group about the issue (Consensus);

! Telling the LWV (whether national, state or local) what its’ position should be on the issue.

ALL LWV policies are based on this process. Without study there can be no advocacy.

I urge you to join your fellow members on December 9th to hear the report on Money in Politiics prepared by multiple North Shore LWVs, including our own.

This is a vitally important topic impacting how our democracy currently works and provides us an opportunity not only to understand the issues involved but direct LWVUS to act to change what we do not like.

Right after the presentation LWV Wilmette will meet to determine – by consensus -- our position on the questions presented. The presentation is open to the public but our subsequent consensus meeting is for members only.

The event starts at 10 am at the Takiff Center, 999 Green Bay Road, Glencoe.
Parking is limited so we urge you to carpool.
Parking is in front and in back of the Center, as well as just north of the Center on Old Elm Lane.

(Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch as the discussion could last until 2 pm.) Questions? Contact me.
In the meantime, have a Happy Thanksgiving. 


Gail Thomason presidentlwvwilmette@gmail.com 

 
 
 
 
HOT TOPICS

 

Legislative Districts
 

Effort Underway to Establish an Independent Method of Redistricting in Illinois 
 
On October 1st, LWV Wilmette joined Leagues across the state and a number of other non-partisan organizations to once again attempt to change how legislative districts are drawn in Illinois. Our goal is to submit 500 signatures on petitions that call for The Board of Elections to put a non-binding, Independent Map Amendment on the 2016 ballot.  This effort is currently drawing to a close but it is not too late to submit your petitions!  You have until Dec 10th to submit either partially or fully completed petitions to Kate Gjaja at 325 Central Avenue.   Please help us to reach our goal and take the time to circulate a petition today. 


Have a question or need a petition?  Please contact Kate Gjaja at treasurerlwvwilmette@gmail.com  or download a petition at http://www.mapamendment.org/index.html

Constitutional Amendment Consensus Report

The LWV Wilmette met on Wednesday Nov. 4th for a consensus meeting on the issues of a constitutional amendment and a constitutional convention. After a thoughtful discussion on the issues, the following report was accepted by the League on this national league Issue.

The report is attached here.


STATE OF THE VILLAGE

On Thursday, October 15, LWV members and members of the larger Wilmette community came together to hear from Village leaders at the biennial State of the Village dinner. After a buffet dinner catered by The Noodle in Wilmette, each of the six Presidents of the elected government boards in Wilmette spoke for five to seven minutes on the topic of the top three priorities for their Board for the coming two years and the best way for community members to be involved with their Board. Read all the details here.

Also please note that a full video is available on Village website under Video links, Special Programs.

 

FROM THE LWVCC (League of Women Voters of Cook County): 
 

SUMMARY OF OCTOBER 13, 2015 BOARD MEETING

1) Update of progress on Independent Maps petition circulations: +300,000 signatures have been verified. We should continue to gather signatures aiming for the 600,000 goal. On Nov. 11 at 7:00 pm in Oak Park, there will be an event sponsored by the Illinois Ballot Integrity Project.

2) Voter Service: the county league is meeting with WTTW to discuss producing a video voter guide for the upcoming election. This would most probably be based on the WTTW website. Representatives of the county league are in negotiations with the Chicago Tonight producer. This would be an opportunity to place candidates for the MWRD before the electorate. These races are often overlooked and citizens are unacquainted with the candidates. 

Read more here.

 

Membership News
 

Since our new fiscal year began on July 1, we have three new members to welcome.Welcome New Members Ellen Hummel, Coco Harris and Heather Schonberg to the League of Wilmette!  We happy you joined!   

 
REMINDER: MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR

2015-2016 WERE DUE ON JULY 1ST
 
 

Join or renew your membership using this link to an online form.

 
 

Volunteer Opportunities

 


 
 
LWVW Observer Corps

Observer Corps
 
What is the Observer Corps?  It’s League Members listening and recording the events or facts of a local government board or committee meeting.  Observers report back to the League by providing objective summaries.
 
To learn more, as well as see helpful guidelines and reporting forms, go to the Observer page on our league website:  Observer Corps
 
To find an available local government meeting to sign up for and observe: Sign Up Genius
 
New meetings are added throughout the month, particularly Wilmette Park committee meetings; e.g., Lakefront Committee and Finance Planning & Policy Committee. 
 
So check the Sign-Up Genius often!
 
If you have any questions, please contact Therese Steinken: observerlwvwilmette@gmail.com

 

League of Women Voters of Wilmette Student & Government Leaders Program 2015-2016

The League is always planning ahead, and we are already working on the 2015-16 Student & Government Leaders Program. This program, which has a long and distinguished history in Wilmette, provides eighth graders at Wilmette Junior High, Marie Murphy, and St. Joseph School with the opportunity to have first hand involvement in local government.  The eighth graders work with the Village Board, the District 39 and 37 Boards, or the Park District, depending on their school. Students go to meetings, interview officials about their roles and responsibilities, research local issues, and ultimately, hold their own Mock Board Meetings.

 
The Kickoff date, at Wilmette Junior High School, is on Thursday, January 7 at 7:00 PM.  The program goes until the end of February. We will need League volunteers to help at the Kickoff and the workshops at the schools.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Emily Hayden at emhayden1@gmail.com or Joan Lasonde at joan.lasonde@gmail.com
 
We look forward to sharing more information about the Student & Government Leaders program in the coming months.
 
Emily Hayden and Joan Lasonde
CoChairs, Student & Government Leaders 
LWV-Wilmette Student & Government Leaders 


Wanted:
Event space for special events!
 
Do you know a location where we can have group meetings, day or evening?  Because of the library renovations, we occasionally need to find alternative, inexpensive or rent-free meeting space for larger meetings such as Consensus Meetings or special events.  Besides the public schools, park district, Wilmette Historical Museum and Sheridan Shores (which we use for Board meetings), do you know of any alternative spaces, such as a church, synagogue or other space?  Be creative! 
Please contact
Allyson Haut  aehaut@earthlink.net
Beth Nyhan  bethnyhan@gmail.com
 

Upcoming Events

 
 
Save The Date!

Our holiday party will be here in no time!  We’ll be celebrating our League and the holiday season at the Wilmette Historical Museum on Thursday, December 10th.
 
Allyson Haut
Beth Nyhan

LWV/WPL Book Discussion Program

Returning in February:
LWV/Wilmette Public Library's Book Discussion Program
 
After months of construction, the Library will be ready to welcome back the League’s well-received book discussion on February 24th, 11-12:30 in the small conference room.
 
Check your mailbox for more details soon!
 


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League of Women Voters of Wilmette
 
Our Website is: lwvwilmette.org

P.O. Box 432
Wilmette, Illinois 60091