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Welcome to the big Pre-Annual Meeting issue of the Voter! We are fast concluding our League season and you'll see a richly detailed newsletter to capture all the great activity and an introduction to your new board candidates. In preparation for the meeting, I invite you to spend time on this issue, and maybe even read it a few times. You'll find some good news and the reports to help you make your decisions. You're getting a lot of activity with your membership now, and our League is becoming much more visible and influential by the day. So, please plan to come to the Annual Dinner on Thursday, May 9th, to socialize, share your opinions, and put the League on a stronger path than its ever been before.
Sincerely,
Jamey Dobbs, President
The Feeble-Mindedness of Woman Raises Nearly $5,000 for the League
League members and friends enjoyed a wonderful evening out at the Hilton Knoxville on March 15th with "The Feeble-Mindedness of Woman" presented by Flying Anvil Theatre. Thanks in part to our sponsors the Hilton Knoxville, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, and 1 Source Printing, we entertained over 300 attendees and earned about $5,000 for the League's educational activities. We would like to especially thank Playwright Staci Swedeen, Director Jayne Morgan, and the actors Angela Morris, Joe Casterline, Tonya Stoutt Brown, Chic Stinson and Donald Thorne.
Prior to the play, the League honored longtime member, president, and former Knox County Commissioner Bee DeSelm (pictured above with her son Rich). In 1976, Bee and Mary Lou Horner were the first two women ever elected to the Knox County Commission (then called the Knox County Court). Bee served for 22 years, focusing strongly on education.
In addition to her work on the Commission, Bee has been an active participant in many community and political groups including the Community Alternatives to Prison Board, the Knoxville Police Community Advisory Committee, and the University of Tennessee Women’s Club, serving as president in 2002-03. She has mentored students at Maynardville Elementary through Project Grad. Bee has always been a strong voice for ethics in politics, working tirelessly with fellow Republicans, Democrats, and independents to ensure that Knox County officials were held to high standards. She was among the plaintiffs in suits against the County Commission for violating the Knox County Charter and the Open Meetings Act.
League Annual Dinner and Meeting
Featured Speaker: Law Professor and Former Supreme Court Justice Penny White
Thursday, May 9th
5:30 Wine Reception, 6:30 Dinner and Talk,
7:30 Meeting
East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St.
Our Annual Dinner is the highlight of the year, and we invite you to join us downtown for a delightful reunion with friends and our invited guests. As is our tradition, we'll start off the evening with a chance to enjoy a glass of wine or sparkling juice and time to catch up with friends. You'll be treated to a delectable dinner and a speaker before beginning our annual meeting to elect new leaders and set our future direction.
We are pleased to announce that our speaker for the evening will be Penny White, nationally prominent law professor and Director for the University of Tennessee College of Law, Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution. Before joining the UT faculty, Penny served as a Circuit Court Judge, a judge on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and a Justice on the Tennessee Supreme Court. Professor White's talk is titled: A Concerned Citizen's Role in Securing Fair and Impartial Courts.
Tickets are available on the LWVKKC website or by sending a check to the League's P.O. Box address (see below). Tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, May 1st. Tickets will not be available at the door. Member tickets are $30, non-members are $40, and a $6 wine ticket is for two glasses of wine. The menu for the night is tossed green salad, apricot glazed chicken, green beans, loaded mashed potatoes, fresh apple cobbler, coffee and tea. A vegetarian pasta option is available. Please choose the vegetarian option when you buy your tickets. Our guests are free to leave after the dinner program.
End-of-Year League Business
Please read the following prior to the Annual Dinner on May 9th. We will vote to approve the budget and new Board of Directors, in addition to a presentation on our Voter Participation Study. Click on each of the links below for information.
League of Women Voters State Convention:
"Reaching Out, Making Change"
Saturday, May 4th to Sunday, May 5th
Saturday 1 - 5:30 p.m., Sunday 8:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Hilton Knoxville, 501 West Church Ave.
Special Extras! Women's History Tour, Downtown Happy Hour, Waterfront Dinner, Great Keynote Speaker!
The League’s State Spring Convention is coming to Knoxville this year! Knoxville members, we want to show off our League’s great team spirit, especially Saturday afternoon, May 4, 1:00-5:30! We’re offering great workshops and networking, an amazing keynote speaker at Saturday night’s dinner at Calhoun’s, and a special Sunday morning keynote talk. Saturday night we'll hear from Oak Ridge's Robert Kennedy III highlighting local government's groundbreaking work to address climate change. On Sunday morning, we'll hear from UT professor Dr. Jon Shefner describe how unlimited corporate spending and influence are entering state politics and the impact of ready-made legislation from groups like ALEC. See details online at the State League website. The dinner is open to guests with a reservation, and the public is also invited to the Sunday talk
On Saturday, you’ll meet your colleagues from around the state and we'll take part in setting our State League’s direction for the coming year. From 2:30-5:30 pm we offer superb learning experiences and workshops: * An Insider's Look at Citizen Academy, * Best in State: Local Leagues Share Their Best Projects; * Hands-On With Facebook and Social Media: A Fun Friendly Way to Learn the Power of Facebook, with lots of personal coaching (bring your laptop or tablet, or we'll provide one).
Saturday night, everyone is invited to the League Happy Hour on Market Square, followed by dinner at Calhoun’s on the River with a fantastic keynote speaker, Robert Kennedy III. As the founder and president of technology company TetraTech, Robert has diverse knowledge in climate change, alternative energy, robotics, international affairs, disease modeling, and space engineering. As co-author of the Oak Ridge Climate Action Plan, he will speak to the exciting trends in local city leadership on environmental protection and sustainability. Feel free to invite your friends!
Our Convention takes place at the lovely Hilton Knoxville Hotel downtown. Registration is an unbeatable $30 for both days. The dinner buffet is $25. Look for details at the Convention tab online at the LWV-TN website: www.lwv-tn.org. Your personal invitation and detailed schedule of the League Spring Convention and dinner will arrive by email later this week. Hope to see you May 4-5!
Second Annual Citizens Academy a Success!
After the first two successful sessions of our Citizens Academy, we concluded on March 9th with our final session. During this session, participants met at in the large assembly room of the City – County building to put their new knowledge on local government and advocacy into practice.
They were asked to take on a problem to solve and given different roles which they had to play for the simulation. Participants took on the roles of business owners, leaders of neighborhood and special interest groups, legislators, and even Mayor. They were asked to plan and strategize to take part in a public meeting which concluded our program. Participants were coached by Commissioner Amy Broyles, Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, and Councilwoman Brenda Palmer.
A reception followed our session where participants were able to network and socialize. We were joined by Councilman Mark Campen.
The League would like to thank Outdoor Knoxville, the East Tennessee History Center, and the many officials, experts, and volunteers who gave their time to help make our second Citizens Academy a huge success!
May 1st Public Hearing on the City's Draft Sign Ordinance
An eight-member task force convened by the City Council has been meeting for more than a year to develop a new sign ordinance for the City of Knoxville. A draft ordinance is in the works. This ordinance mainly deals with on-premise business signs; as of a decade ago, new billboards were banned in the city.
At this point, the task force members appear to be split on a key issue: the maximum allowable heights for "pole" signs outside businesses. You can give the task force members feedback on the draft ordinance at a May 1 public hearing (place and time to be determined). Stay tuned! Visit the web page of the task force at http://www.cityofknoxville.org/citycouncil/sign/
League Honors Women in Science
 The League's celebration of Women's History Month drew from this year's theme of Women in Science, in preparation for the play about biochemist Gerty Cori, the first American woman Nobel Prize winner in science. Playwright Staci Swedeen who authored the play about Dr. Cori, posed questions and moderated a panel of four prominent research scientists from the University of Tennessee in a conversation about their early experiences and inspiration to pursue science. We are grateful to our panelists: Dr. Teresa Lee, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a neurobiologist, Dr. Suzanne Lenhart, an applied mathemetician, Dr. Karla Matteson, a biochemical genetist, and Dr. Cynthia Peterson, Asst. Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and a biochemist. They spoke of the excitement of discovery found in their work, and the sense of entrepreneurship, even as they adjust to the more increasingly difficult fundraising aspects. The panelists agreed on the importance of encouraging young women in high school and college to pursue their interests and to assure them of a bright future in a science profession.
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