League of Women Voters of Larimer County, ColoradoThe
League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that encourages
the informed and active participation of citizens in government and
influences public policy through education and advocacy. To
find the facts, to study them, and to use them in politics and
government have been the historic goals of the League of Women Voters
since its founding in 1920. The same goals have prompted the League of
Women Voters of Larimer County to prepare this internet guide for the
citizens of Larimer County, so that they may have the means for action
within the framework of our present system. Included is nonpartisan
information related to voting, schools, courts, and all levels of
government affecting county residents. The pages on this site direct
citizens to other informative publications as well as to specific
agencies and officials. Join Us! You Can Make a Difference You
can make a difference! Now is the time to join your local League of
Women Voters and start making a difference in your community! League
membership is open to all women and men of eligible voting age.
It's also a great opportunity to meet and work with dedicated,
passionate people on issues close to your own heart. New and prospective members are
invited to attend one of the new member coffees held throughout the year
to meet some of our current members, learn more about the League
structure, and find out how to get involved. Anyone interested in
joining the League is also encouraged to attend our monthly general
meetings; see the calendar. Contact Us At:
E-mail us at: info@lwv-larimercounty.org
Visit the LWV-US web site by clicking here
Visit the LWV-Colorado web site by clicking here Email LWV-Colorado at: info@lwvcolorado.org League of Women Voters of Larimer County Leaders for 2011-2012Organizational Support Teams Administrative Team Nancy Crow, Facilitator Financial Development Rosemary Bergstrom Membership Linda Mahan Community Outreach Teams CrossCurrents Janet Gilligan Legislative Action Mary Jo Shafer Observer Corps Janet Fritz Voter Services Sally Broste Issue Teams Affordable Housing Marilyn Heller Civil Liberties Irene Fortune Health Care Linda Mahan International Relations Kay Easley Sustainability Georgia Locker LWV-LARIMER COUNTY TEAMS FOR 2011-2012 The membership holds the responsibility for the vitality of the League. At the spring local convention the members adopt the program for the year, which reflects member interests and the priorities of the LWVUS and LWVCO. With the program priorities established, teams are formed with a minimum of five members. The following teams were confirmed in May of 2008. ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT TEAMS: ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM Contact: Nancy Crow, 970-797-2819 The Administrative Team is composed of nine members, elected for staggered two year terms. The team meets once a month to review and coordinate events, set and apply policy decisions, and handle details important to the overall functioning of the League. Members of the Administrative Team coordinate the overall calendar and are responsible for Back-to-League Night in the fall, program planning in January, and the local convention in May. The Administrative Team members organize fundraising, handle public relations and press releases, write and distribute the League Lines and "Mid-Month Update," serve as contacts for LWVCO and LWVUS, manage League funds, and serve as liaisons to each of the other teams. The Administrative Team appoints ad hoc committees as needed for special studies and reports. FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT Contact: Lynn Young, 970-223-2206, bob_lynn_young@msn.com The team is concerned with the financial well being of the League. Financial support for League activities comes from members and the community-at-large, both individuals and businesses. Some foundation support is solicited for special projects. The Team also helps to create the annual budget. In the upcoming year the Team hopes to continue the community and business campaigns, as well as developing other projects or programs to generate funds for our League. MEMBERSHIP Contact: Linda Mahan, 970-484-2259 The Membership Team coordinates the recruitment, orientation, mentoring and introduction of new members and encourages every member's active participation in the League. It takes responsibility for the annual renewal of members, conducts the member survey, and prepares the updated member roster each fall. The team maintains a database of prospective members and the national and local databases of members. COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAMS: CROSSCURRENTS (Cable TV program) Contact: Janet Gilligan, 970-224-2481 For over twenty years CrossCurrents has retained its mission "to provide a public forum for a balanced and fair discussion of controversial issues facing the community." CrossCurrents brings together panelists with differing points of view to discuss critical issues facing the community, county, region, state or country. CrossCurrents is developed by a dedicated and active Team and produced by the City of Fort Collins in cooperation with the League. The Team develops between six and eight televised programs a year. The programs may also be accessed on the LWVLC website. LEGISLATIVE ACTION Contact: Mary Jo Shafer, mjshafe@msn.com The members of the Legislative Action Team take action via letters, telephone calls, e-mails, faxes, and testimony on local, state, and national issues on which the League has stated positions. They communicate Action Alerts to other League members and encourage their participation; organize the annual Legislative Party with our state legislators; encourage participation in the State League Legislative Day at the state capitol, and organize a program where our League lobbyist gives a summation of League action and Legislative action after the State Legislature adjourns. OBSERVER CORPS Contact: Janet Fritz, 970-221-0073, jjfritz6@gmail.com The Observer Corps is an important part of League activity. League members volunteer to observe the meetings of various boards and commissions of the county or the cities of Ft. Collins, Loveland and Berthoud. Most of these meetings are held on a monthly basis. We encourage members to volunteer to observe the meetings of organizations or commissions which reflect their special interests. The volunteers are in a good position to learn how these various boards operate and which issues are or will become items for local League study and action. VOTER SERVICES Contact: Sally Broste, 970-223-6047, snbroste@gmail.com The Voter Services Team is often the most visible "face" of the League of Women Voters. The team organizes candidate and ballot issue forums; researches, writes and distributes information on local ballot issues; obtains and distributes state League ballot issue pamphlets; prepares and gives speeches on ballot issues and other topics as requested; registers voters; and encourages citizen participation in government. Every other year, the team updates the FACTS for Citizen Action, which gives citizens information they can use to contact governmental officials. ISSUES TEAMS: AFFORDABLE HOUSING Contact: Marilyn Heller, 970-663-0599, mmheller@lamar.colostate.edu The Affordable Housing team strives to educate our membership, community leaders, and the public about affordable housing conditions in Larimer County. Our long term goal is to advocate for public and private solutions to the affordable housing and homelessness problems in our area. CIVIL LIBERTIES Contact: Irene Fortune, 970-613-0966 The Civil Liberties Team monitors government activities at the local, state and national levels for possible erosions of individual liberties as granted by the US Constitution. We strive to educate LWV members and the public about issues that may be identified and encourage action based on League positions. The study of the Colorado and Larimer County court system encouraged the Civil Liberties Team to go further and study the juvenile justice system in Larimer County. HEALTH CARE Contact: Linda Mahan, 970-484-2259 The Health Care Team is devoted to the education and advocacy of the League's position for comprehensive, quality, affordable health care for all. It monitors state and national legislation, studies health reform proposals, and provides members and the community with educational and advocacy programs. They collaborate with other leagues on resources, speakers and programs of interest on the issue. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Contact: Kay Easley, 970-282-0135, easleykw@aol.com The International Relations Team sponsors a monthly Great Decisions discussion on international issues and their impact on our world. We are prepared to act upon items that fall within the national positions under International Relations (e.g. the United Nations, trade and aid, and national defense). From time to time we research areas of international concern to present to the local League membership. The team also collaborates with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a division of CSU's Continuing Education Program, to present a Great Decisions program twice a year. SUSTAINABILITY Contact: Georgia Locker, jslocker@yahoo.com
In 2009-2010 the Sustainability Team put together a program for League members and the community to educate persons on the issue of sustainability. We then held a second meeting to do concurrence on a definition of sustainability for the League of Women Voters of Colorado, based on positions we already support under the three topics of Social Equity, Ecology, and the Economy. As a result of the concurrence all positions the state and local Leagues arrive at in the future will take sustainability into account. During the 2010-2011 year, we interviewed Grants Farm, the Food Coop, The Food Bank of Larimer County, a large food producer, and several grocery chains, putting together an educational program on the topic of food production and distribution as it relates to sustainability, for community and League members. Presenters included team members and a person from CSU. Presently, we have one member of our Team working at the state level to develop a study of the effect of fracking on the environment in Colorado. This group will ready the materials needed for us to undertake a consensus study regarding fracking during the coming year. Others are talking with state officials, including the head of passenger rail at CDOT, to work for multimodal transportation in Northern Colorado in the future. Reasons for this are related to air pollution and automobile congestion which are expected to become major problems. |
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