MAY 2008

Climate Change:
Global Concerns and Local Actions

By Connie Ferguson and
Paula Manley

Please put this date on your calendar now, and invite your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to attend.

Climate change is one of the League’s high-priority issues. Early last year, LWVUS appointed a Climate Change Task Force consisting of League experts from around the country. They wrote the cover story for the October 2007 issue of the National Voter. There also are several articles on www.lwv.org. On the action side, LWVUS has issued position statements regarding several bills in Congress.

As part of this overall emphasis, LWVKA will host a community meeting entitled "Climate Change: Global Concerns and Local Actions" on Thursday, May 15, 7:00 p.m., at the Kalamazoo Public Library’s Van Deusen Room. The forum will address challenges we face locally, nationally and around the world, will consider how U.S. practices affect climate change in other countries. LWVKA is one of 12 Leagues nationwide presenting climate change forums as recipients of funds from the League of Women Voters Education Fund and Oxfam of America.

Confirmed panelists to date are Kurt Cobb, a freelance writer with expertise on energy and the environment, Sr. Virginia Jones, Transformations Spirituality Center, and David Karowe, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University. Paula Manley will serve as moderator.

We are inviting other groups who share our interest in environmental issues to co-sponsor the event. Confirmed co-sponsors include the Green Sanctuary Committee of People’s Church and the Kalamazoo County Master Gardeners.

Please put this date on your calendar now, and invite your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors to attend. We want to involve as many people as possible in the discussion so they can help spread the word to others in the community. You will receive a postcard about 10 days before the event with a more complete list of speakers and co-sponsors.

If you have suggestions or questions, please contact Paula Manley, Phyllis Thayer or Connie Ferguson. Join us in this timely and interesting discussion.

Challenges to Local Governments

By Barbara Huber

Energy issues are important agenda items

As part of LWVKA’s efforts related to the LWVMI study on the role of local governments, we hosted a February forum at the Kalamazoo Public Library. Approximately 30 interested persons joined the panel of local elected officials, a KVCC local government instructor and moderator Betty Ongley for the presentation. Rick Brill of Kalamazoo Valley Community College briefly described Michigan’s county/township structure of local government. Supervisor Ron Commissaris and Clerk Linda Kerr stressed the good land-use planning decisions and resident satisfaction history of Texas Township. David Buskirk, Chairman of the County Board of Commissioners, told of plans to build a new airport terminal with little or no funds from county residents.

All elected officials agreed that there are merits to having nonpartisan elections at both levels of government but felt it was unlikely that lawmakers would change the constitution to permit this. They also believed that candidates for offices of treasurer, drain commissioner and sheriff for the county and clerk and treasurer for the township should have specific requirements in order to run for office. There was agreement that changing these positions from elected to appointed could result in a slate of applicants with the requisite experience for the job.

There are many examples of both contractual agreements and voluntary cooperation between cities, townships and the county especially for police and fire protection and sewer and water services. This also was reported in the township surveys and is primarily an effort to control the high costs of providing these services. Public safety services are necessarily limited in townships. However, many residents want more service and continued residential development points to the need for additional facilities.

Texas Township officials were proud of the services provided with a tax levy of .8583 mills. Most townships levied between .8143 and .8880 mills and, as Texas Township reported, they also rely on fees, state revenue sharing and interest to round out their budget. The citizens in five townships approved extra millage for public safety.

Road maintenance presents another challenge for local governments. Gasoline taxes are collected by the state and dispersed to the Michigan Department of Transportation and local road commissions. The Kalamazoo County Road Commission (KCRC) is responsible for primary roads while local governments are responsible for local roads in their jurisdictions. Road funds pass to townships through KCRC and are based on each township’s population and number of miles of local roads. Townships must match the funds received and, unfortunately, there are usually more roads needing attention than funds available.

There will always be challenges in providing services to citizens. The leaders in Kalamazoo’s local governments expressed their determination to deal with them in an efficient and effective manner.

Public Advocacy for Voter Protection Project

By Terry Hluchyj

The League of Women Voters, through the Education Fund, has created the Public Advocacy for Voter Protection Project. The project aims to continue and expand its critical state-based advocacy to prevent the disenfranchisement of eligible citizens, particularly underserved populations.

To support this effort, the League of Women Voters at the national level is focusing on five specific issues, including:

1. Oppose ID and documentary proof of citizenship
2. Improve administration of statewide database systems
3. Guard against undue restrictions on voter registration
4. Improve polling place management
5. Improve poll worker training and strengthening poll workers

For more information, visit www.lwv.org.

The League of Women Voters US Board has announced its position on immigration reform policy. Our League, along with nearly 850 local leagues, studied and responded to a survey to reach member consensus. This newly adopted position will guide advocacy response to federal legislation on this issue.

The LWVUS position on immigration states:
The League of Women Voters believes that immigration policies should promote reunification of immediate families; meet the economic, business and employment needs of the United States; and be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises. Provision should also be made for qualified persons to enter the U.S. on student visas. All persons should receive fair treatment under the law.

For more information visit, www.lwv.org.

High School Voter Education Project:
Aimed at Students in Grades 9 through 12

By Camilla Davis

This project provides League members with a way to share their interest in the political process and the responsibilities of citizenship with today’s youth.

The League of Women Voters of the Kalamazoo Area is partnering with the City of Kalamazoo’s clerk’s office, the Kalamazoo Gazette, and the Kalamazoo Public Schools to introduce all KPS students in grades nine through twelve to the voting process.

The first part of the project is an information session for students which includes a brief history of the League, reasons to vote, a description of the voting process, voter registration (all students who will be 18 by election day will be able to register), and a list of resources for information on candidates and proposals. The Gazette will provide a supplement called Electing the President, which was developed by LWVUS in cooperation with Newspapers in Education, an organization that encourages the use of newspapers in schools. The voter education segment will be completed by October 1 to meet the voter registration deadline of October 6. League members will present the information and assist students in filling out registration forms.

The second phase of the project is distribution of the League’s Voter Guide to all students. Teachers will receive information on using the Voter Guide and the Electing the President supplement as curriculum materials in their classrooms during an August orientation session.
The third phase is a mock election, which will be held in late October. Polling places will be set up in the schools and the City of Kalamazoo will provide ballots and voting machines. Students will be trained by the City to be poll workers and they will be supervised by League members and poll workers recruited by the City. Results will be tallied electronically and reported the next day to the schools and news media.

This project provides League members with a way to share their interest in the political process and the responsibilities of citizenship with today’s youth. We will need volunteers to make the project a success, so watch future Bulletins for more information about specific tasks and dates.

Sue Nelmes and Camilla Davis began the project by meeting with Dr. Michael Rice, KPS superintendent, to ask his support. Camilla, Connie Ferguson and K.C. Miller have met with LWVKA partners to develop the project and coordinate efforts.

FBI ACTION PERCEIVED AS INTIMIDATION

League of Women Voters of Berrien & Cass Counties Where Contacted by the FBI after an Open Governement Panel on March 14 2006

The League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) and Common Cause expressed concern today over a recent incident involving the League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties (LWVBCC) in Michigan, Common Cause and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

"At a time when Americans are relying on the FBI to protect against terrorism, it seems strange that precious resources would be spent contacting citizen advocacy groups to question their work educating the public about open government. Such behavior smacks of intimidation," said Kay J. Maxwell, LWVUS President.

"The FBI's actions in this instance seemed intended to have a chilling effect on the right of Americans to freely express themselves," said Chellie Pingree, President of Common Cause.

On March 14, The LWVBCC sponsored a public meeting on openness in government. Common Cause President Pingree was among four members of a panel that included representatives of the media, academic, and legal communities. The forum was part of the League's activities during national Sunshine Week, March 12-18, 2006. Leagues across the country sponsored similar community forums to stimulate public discussion about why open government is important to everyone and why it is under challenge today.

After the panel, an FBI agent contacted the local League president, Susan Gilbert, to challenge comments that Pingree made at the LWV panel that were reported in a local newspaper on March 17.

According to Gilbert, FBI agent Al DiBrito said that "this Pingree woman" was "way off base" in her comments about the USA Patriot Act, and that the League should have invited someone from the federal government to be on the panel and to respond. DiBrito told Gilbert a U.S. Attorney from the Grand Rapids office would contact her to give her the real story on the USA Patriot Act.

The local LWV and Common Cause raised their concerns in a letter sent Tuesday to FBI Director Robert Mueller. "Citizens can be intimidated when an FBI agent calls and questions their activities," said Maxwell. "Why should a citizen meeting on open government merit the attention of the FBI?" said Pingree.