| LWV of Larimer County Welcomes New Board Leadership
Meet your 2026-27 Board officers for the upcoming League year.
The Board of the League of Women Voters of Larimer County is pleased to announce the officers of the Board for the upcoming League year. We are grateful to these dedicated members for stepping forward to lead our League as we continue our mission of empowering voters and defending democracy.
Our officers include:
- Co-Presidents: Trish Warner and Julie Stackhouse
- Vice President: Eve Bingham, with assistance from Sue Taigman
- Treasurer: Kathy Maher
- Secretary: Tamie Stadnick
Other Board members include Trisha Sellers, Barbara Tomanek, and Victoria Alexander.
Together, our new Board brings a wealth of experience, commitment, and enthusiasm to advancing the League's programs, advocacy efforts, and community engagement throughout Larimer County. | |
LWV Strong!
Unite & Rise teams from Larimer, Boulder and Weld Counties join to host a panel event with county clerks
Wednesday, September 23
Reception: 5:00 - 5:45pm
Discussion: 6:00 - 7:30pm
Longmont Museum
Heeding the Kenyan proverb, “Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable”, the Unite & Rise teams from Larimer, Boulder and Weld Counties have decided to join forces to sponsor a panel event in Longmont on Wednesday, September 23 (NOTE DATE CHANGE).
The panel will feature the clerks from each county in a Q & A format and take place at the Longmont Museum. Prior to the event there will be a reception in the Museum’s atrium for members of each league, as well as the public, to mingle and connect. | | | Our Larimer Unite & Rise team is looking for a few more sticks to join this collective bundle! Please make the collaboration as successful as possible by volunteering to be a helper on one of the following three event teams listed below. We promise the work will be fun, festive and finite (done on the 23rd!). Better yet, you don’t have to lead it, just lend a hand!
- Event Day planning (Contact team lead Pam Franzen (pcfranzen@msn.com)). This team will be responsible for working with Boulder and Weld members to plan, organize and execute the reception prior to the panel.
- Coordinating Ridesharing (Contact team lead Beth DeHaven (bethadehaven@gmail.com)). This team will recruit and organize drivers to the event from Larimer County.
- Marketing/Communication (Contact team lead Janet Schultz (jtorreyschultz@gmail.com)). This team will work in conjunction with Weld and Boulder members to advertise the event through social and print media, poster placement, emailing allies and networks, and spreading the word.
| | GOTV Postcarding!
Sign up for summer postcard parties to help Get Out The Vote in Larimer County
Summertime, and postcard parties are here.
Pens are ready, and addresses are gathered.
Oh, you’re eager to help, and bring along friends.
So, yes, dear Leaguer, sign up now.
| | | Postcard parties are now on the League calendar, running from mid-July to the end of September. Registration required. Unite & Rise has set BIG goals: 4,000 cards to Larimer County registered voters who voted in 2022, but did not vote in 2024. Thanks to the following members who volunteered to host a party:
• Nancy Garcia, Tuesday, July 14, 2-4 pm (Loveland)
• Jane Everham, Wednesday, July 15, 3:30-5:30 pm (central Fort Collins)
• Jeanette Meyer, Friday, August 7, 1- 3 pm (Fort Collins Remax office)
• Jane Hamburger, Saturday, August 15, 10 am - noon (Old Town area)
• Becky Peters, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 1-3 pm (Loveland)
• Ann Keith, Thursday, Sept. 17, 1-3 pm (Terry Lake area)
• Beth DeHaven, Saturday, Sept. 19, 10-11:30 am (Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Fort Collins)
Feel free to attend more than one party AND friends of the League are welcome, but please make sure they also register due to space limitations.
It is a great way to meet other Leaguers, take satisfying collective action and Get Out The Vote!
If you would rather write from home and/or donate a roll of postcard stamps, please contact Janet Schultz (jtorreyschultz@gmail.com).
| Volunteers Needed: Help Spread the Word About Observers Project
Share the Observers Project in your local online communities
Do you belong to local Facebook groups, Nextdoor neighborhoods, or other community social media spaces? We need volunteers to share information about the Observers Project in their local online communities. This is an easy, impactful way to help — no special skills required, just a willingness to post and answer questions. Contact us to get involved!
|  | | Solidarity Happy Hour!
Celebrate National French Fry Day with Leaguers over drinks and fun facts
Friday, July 10
4:30-6 pm
Berthoud Brewery in Loveland
On Friday, July 10, from 4:30-6 pm, celebrate National French Fry Day with Leaguers and kindred spirits at Berthoud Brewery in Loveland. Discuss events of the week and French Fun Facts like:
• This beloved form of the potato likely originated in Belgium, despite its name. Belgians are so irked by the French co-opting the name that they recently petitioned UNESCO to claim French Fries and mayo as their own invention.
• Thomas Jefferson introduced French Fries to America
• The average American consumes 30 pounds of fries a year!
Join us for a beverage, maybe a fry or two and some great conversation at this Solidarity Happy Hour. Register on the League calendar so we can save you a seat. TGIF! |  | How Should Major Polluters Pay?
Tuesday, June 16
6:00-7:30
Council Tree Library in Fort Collins
July is Plastic Free July 2026 and the Fort Collins City Council has thusly proclaimed it! Coordinated by Roxanne Griffin from our Municipal Waste Group, we will share how YOU can take a survey of your plastic use during July and reflect on how pleased you are with the amount of your single use plastic. YOU can carry this international effort to your municipality too.
We were at EcoFest last Saturday where it seemed like all 1200 of the participants stopped by our table to hear about the importance of native bees & native pollinators.
We will be at Trek the Thompson in Loveland on July 12. Stop by for many ideas on how YOU can assist our essential pollinators. | | |
Civil Liberties & Rights Team Update
Team submits privacy and surveillance resolution while planning an August Election Pep Rally
Saturday, June 20
11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Community Room, Harmony Library
Next Civil Liberties & Rights Team Meeting
In May, the Civil Liberties & Rights Team advanced the League’s goal of strengthening civil liberties and influencing local policy by drafting a resolution on privacy and mass surveillance to submit to the national League for consideration at the upcoming National Convention.
While non-binding resolutions are sometimes dismissed as symbolic, they play an important role in the policy adoption process by helping shape the public and institutional agenda. Before policies can become law, they must first become part of the broader public conversation. By submitting this resolution to the national League, we are helping elevate a thoughtful, rights-centered approach to emerging surveillance technologies that places constitutional liberties first. Adoption by the national League would also strengthen the visibility and persuasive power of these recommendations.
The resolution itself builds on the proposal our team previously submitted to the Fort Collins City Council.
We are also deep in the planning process for the upcoming Election Pep Rally in early August. The national League has designated August 8 as a national day of action for elections ( https://www.lwv.org/nationaldayofaction)—the same day we had already planned our event—so we will be aligning our efforts with national goals while continuing to focus on the needs and values of Larimer County. We are especially excited to work closely with community partners, including leaders within the Latino community, to create an inclusive event that celebrates all voters and reaffirms our county’s commitment to voter access and democratic participation.
In addition to our work on privacy, surveillance, and elections, our team hopes to expand our efforts around civics education and immigration issues. To do that, however, we need more volunteers and leaders. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Amy and Jamie at amybrookelewis@gmail.com and jroskie@gmail.com. We would love your help as we continue working to strengthen civil liberties protections in Larimer County.
At the June 20 meeting, we will provide an update on local surveillance issues and continue organizing outreach to Larimer County leaders regarding our Election Access Pledge and the August 8 rally.
We look forward to seeing you there!
| | Plastic Free July Proclamation
Environmental Team honored for securing the Plastic Free July Proclamation
Collaborating with NoCo PerSisters and FoCo Trash Mob, the Environmental Team was one of three recipients of the Plastic Free July Proclamation.
Thank you Jane Hamburger and Pat Burger and the LWV Larimer County Environmental Team! | | | Membership News
Welcome new members!
We're happy to welcome 3 new members this month:
- Barbara Diers Blackman
- Ashley Eining
- Faith Reihing
- Robert Berndt
- Matthew Oberle
- Alexa Vaughan
We look forward to getting to know you!
| | Tech Talk
A new plain-language tech tips column for LWV members
Hello, LWV friends!
Starting with this issue, our newsletter has a new feature called Tech Talk — a regular column with plain-language answers to your everyday technology questions. No jargon, no silly questions, just friendly help. | | | Each issue I'll walk through one topic step by step. Here are a few things I'm planning to cover:
• Copy & paste — one of the most useful skills on any device
• Managing passwords — stronger without losing your mind
• Zoom basics — joining a meeting without the last-minute panic
• How to spot a scam email — protecting yourself from the sneaky stuff
But the best topics will come from you. If something on your phone, tablet, or computer has been confusing or frustrating, I want to hear about it! Send me an email at jaz@jaz.vision and I'll answer it in a future issue — your name stays private, and your question helps everyone.
Not sure how to email me? Ask a friend or family member, or catch me at the next meeting!
The first real tip is coming next issue. I can't wait to get started.
— Jaz, Your LWV Tech Helper
Tech Talk is a regular feature of the LWV Larimer newsletter. Have a question? Email Jaz at jaz@jaz.vision. All questions are kept anonymous. | |
Women Who Made Waves: Marsha P. Johnson
Throughout history, women have challenged the status quo, expanded rights, and strengthened our democracy. This feature honors those who made lasting contributions—and inspire us to continue the work.
Before Pride Month was a parade, it was a rebellion — and Marsha P. Johnson was right there at the center of it.
Born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Marsha P. Johnson was a Black transgender woman, street performer, and fierce activist who became one of the most beloved figures in LGBTQ+ history. She was a joyful, visible presence in Greenwich Village when the community had almost no legal protections and faced constant harassment. | | | On the night of June 28, 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn, Marsha refused to be erased. The uprising that followed launched the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement — and Marsha P. Johnson helped spark it.
The following year, she and her close friend Sylvia Rivera co-founded STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), the first trans-led organization in the United States to provide housing for homeless LGBTQ+ youth. At a time when trans people were often pushed to the margins of their own movement, Marsha centered them.
She continued advocating alongside ACT UP during the AIDS crisis until her death in July 1992. She was 46 years old. Her body was found in the Hudson River days after the Stonewall 23rd anniversary march — a death initially ruled a suicide, later changed to "undetermined." Many in the LGBTQ+ community believe she was murdered. The case has never been solved.
This June 28 marks the 57th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. The League of Women Voters honors Marsha P. Johnson — not just for the history she witnessed, but for the world she helped make possible.
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