March 2015 Cor - The League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad

VO T E R I M PA C T
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VOT E R I M PAC T
LWV OF THE PIEDMONT TRIAD
PO BOX 9721 GREENSBORO, NC 27429
PHONE: 336-274-0202
EMAIL: [email protected]
HTTP://LWVPT.ORG
VOLUME XXVII ISSUE 6 MARCH 2015
ACT NOW!
CALL or WRITE the members of the NC
Senate Redistricting Committee and our own
Guilford Delegation to urge them to vote
against Senate Bill 36 that would change the
way Greensboro elects its City Council.
PUBLIC EDUCATION HAS "HAD a
GREAT FALL. CAN ALL the KING'S
HORSES and ALL the KING'S MEN
PUT IT TOGETHER AGAIN?"
with
Yevonne Brannon, executive director
and chair of Public Schools First NC
and
Here's why the LWVPT opposes this bill:
1) The bill was not created through a transparent process, and it does not appear to reflect the will of the people of Greensboro or
their elected leaders.
2) In our democracy, this far-reaching decision should be considered only after the will
of the citizens has been expressed by referendum.
3) The bill would allow state legislators who
are not accountable to Greensboro's citizens
to determine the composition of our local
government.
4) The bill reduces the number of elected officials who are accountable to each individual
voter from 5 to 2 (a district representative and
the Mayor) and permits the Mayor to vote
only in case of a tie.
5) The bill's elimination of at-large positions
would foster divisiveness and competition
among districts and would remove the incentive for Council members to make decisions
in the best interests of the community at
large."
See more information on page 4 and on our
web site, lwvpt.org.
http://lwvpt.org
Mo Green, superintendent of the Guilford County Public Schools
Lunch with the
League
Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at noon
(doors open at 11:45)
Holy Trinity Church, Haywood Duke
Room
607 N. Greene St.
Greensboro
Lunch (optional) is $11.00. See payment
protocol on page 3.
Make reservations with Sara White
(294-6156 or
[email protected]) by March 11.
Let her know if you want a vegetarian meal.
Biographies of the speakers are on page 6.
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LWVPT March 2015
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MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
STAY IN TOUCH
If your email address changes, please send a
message to [email protected] with your
new address.
The LWVPT’s fiscal year runs from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015:
therefore, members who join now pay half the annual amount, or
$29 for individuals (instead of $58)!
VOTER IMPACT NEWS
For more information, go to the “Join the LWV of the Piedmont
Triad” tab on the home screen.
Voter Impact (PDF format) is currently emailed to
all members and elected officials with email addresses. If you have an email address and you are not
receiving the VI via email, please check your spam
folder. Be certain to add the
[email protected] to your list of acceptable
email addresses. If you would like to comment on
format, please send email to the same address. Remember to check the web page once a week or
more for new information and for archived copies
of Voter Impact. The web page address runs at the
bottom of VI pages.
Board of Directors, LWVPT 2014-2015
Please refer to this page when you need to
contact a board member.
Margaret Salinger, Co-President (2014-15)
[email protected]
Anna Fesmire, Co-President (2014-16)
[email protected]
Cheryl Viglione, Vice-President, Interim Health
Care RT Chair
[email protected]
Eileen Silber, Secretary
[email protected]
Lynn Grigni, Treasurer
[email protected]
Teresa Sue Bratton, Director
[email protected]
Walter Salinger, Director - Fair Elections RT
[email protected]
Alice Patterson, Director
[email protected]
Dot Kearns, Director - Public Education RT
[email protected]
Tracy Nash, Director - Voter Services
[email protected]
Director- Voting Rights Protection RT (Open)
[email protected]
Director— Coordinator Lunch with the League
(open)
[email protected]
http://lwvpt.org
If you have questions, contact Lynn Grigni, [email protected] Telephone (336) 285-6717
A big welcome to new members!
Kay Brandon, Melissa Hassard, Terry Austin, and Andy Stern.
And special thanks to the many members who have worked on projects and committees, both to study issues and to present them to the
public by way of “Lunch With The League”, Voter Impact, Voters
Guide, Voter Registration, and social gatherings.
Judith Hoag, Director
[email protected]
Janice Siebert, Membership Chair
[email protected]
Whitney Vanderwerff, Director - Comprehensive Immigration Reform RT [email protected]
Willie Taylor, State Board Liaison
[email protected]
========== Adjuncts to the Board==============
Ellen Weiner - Publicity
[email protected]
Mary Eubanks - Chair Nominating Committee
[email protected]
Marlene Pratto - Voter Impact, Web
[email protected]
Emily Herman
[email protected]
Sara White - Lunch Reservations
[email protected]
Carolyn Allen - Environmental Round Table
[email protected]
News from the board
The LWVPT accepts with sadness the resignation of Sally
Austin from the board. We appreciate all Sally did to make
Lunch with the League a pleasant meeting time. If you
have lunch questions, please call the League phone number 336-274-0202. The email address remains the same
(see left).
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LWVPT March 2015
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Lunch with the League, March 17
League members and guests will hear talks by Dr. Yevonne Brannon, Executive Director of Public Schools First NC and
Superintendent Maurice (Mo) Green. Dr. Brannon will discuss significant issues before the Legislature that impact Pre-K
and K-12 public schools and higher education, such as :Funding, Teacher Salaries, Charter Schools, Vouchers, Shortage
of Candidates in Teacher Training Programs, and Common Core Curriculum.
Mo Green, Superintendent of Guilford County Schools, will discuss how these issues are affecting our local schools,
students, teachers and families and how we, as citizens, can best support our schools at this time. We anticipate that Superintendent Green will provide the latest news regarding the SAY YES to Education initiative.
There will be time for questions from those attending. (see biographical information on p. 6)
Recycling Styrofoam (Not yet)
We cannot recycle Styrofoam of any shape or type in our brown recycling cans in Greensboro. Some egg cartons and
meat trays are marked with a 6 code and we may think they are recyclable. They are not. Recycling Styrofoam requires a
densifier which Greensboro does not have. Please do not put any Styrofoam packing material, peanuts, or egg cartons in
the brown recycle bin. Other items that cannot be recycled in the brown bins include Starbucks and other paper coffee
cups, hoses, plastic bags, waxed boxes, and electrical cords. (more about recycling on page 9). Greensboro has a 21%
contamination rate in recycling so let’s all work to lower that number.
LWVPT members and guests are asked to prepay for lunch at our Lunch
with the League meetings by mailing a check to LWVPT for $11.00 (see form
below) or paying online with a credit card or via Pay Pal. Those not having
lunch simply preregister as usual by calling or emailing Sara White at 336-2946156 or [email protected] or following the instructions sent
with the email message. These procedures expedite the check-in process and
make certain payment is made for a reserved lunch.
To pay by check, please print out and complete this form and mail to:
The League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad
PO Box 9721
Greensboro, NC 27429
Reservations for: Lunch With the League on March 17, 2015
Name__________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________
City_______________________________ Zip Code____________
Phone (home)___________________________________________
Phone (cell)_____________________________________________
Email address____________________________________________
Number of Reservations @ $11.00 each________________________
Amount enclosed__________________________________________
http://lwvpt.org
336-274-0202
Local Good News
The Immigration Reform
Roundtable includes,
among other partners,
Faith Action International.
The Faith Action International ID program is now
officially accepted by the
local police department and
several city agencies. Some
cities in Alamance County
will soon replicate the Faith
Action ID program.
LWVPT March 2015
Page 4
ACT NOW! On Senate Bill 36 (NC General Assembly)
1— Contact the members of the NC Senate Redistricting Committee where the bill is currently being reviewed!
2 – Tell your Guilford County representatives to stand up for the rights of Greensboro’s citizens by opposing S36!
3 – Write a letter to the editor of the News & Record and advise your friends and neighbors how they can act to oppose
S36.
SEE THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT S36 WOULD DO TO OUR CURRENT
SYSTEM AND TO FIND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE SENATE REDISTRICTING COMMITTEE AND
YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
What S36 would do to Greensboro:
1) Increase the number of districts from 5 to 7 with a representative from each and eliminate the 3 at-large representatives.
Each council member must reside in his/her district. Each voter could vote only for the Mayor and a single district Council
Member.
2) Increase the length of terms from 2 years to 4.
3) Require an affirmative vote of the majority (5 votes) of the Council to enact any ordinance.
4) Prevent the Mayor from voting except in the case of a tie. Thus the one Council member elected by all citizens would be
unable to vote on their behalf!
What Greensboro has now under the current system:
We have a 9 – member Council elected by the citizens every two years. There are currently 5 geographic districts with a representative elected by the citizens of each district. In addition to voting for a representative for your district, you may vote
for 3 at-large council members and the Mayor. In practice, that means that 5 individuals are accountable to all citizens.
INFORMATION FOR CONTACTING N.C. SENATORS ON SENATE BILL 36
(Senate Bill 36 is in the Redistricting Committee in the Senate)
SPONSORS OF S36:
Senator Trudy Wade – [email protected], (919) 733-5856 (Guilford)
Senator Joyce Krawiec – [email protected] (919) 733 -7850 (Forsyth, Yadkin)
N.C. SENATE REDISTRICTING COMMITTEE
Chairman, Senator Bob Rucho (Mecklenburg)
[email protected], (919) 733-5655
Vice Chairman, Senator Andrew C. Brock
(Davis, Iredell, Rowan)
[email protected], (919) 715-0690
NC Senate. Photo from www.ncleg.net.
Vice Chairman, Senator Harry Brown
(Jones, Onslow)
[email protected], (919) 715-3034
Continued on page 5
http://lwvpt.org
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Members of the Senate Redistricting Committee:
Senator Tom Apodaca (Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania)
[email protected], (919) 733-5745
Senator Ben Clark (Cumberland, Hoke)
[email protected], (919) 733-9349
Senator Kathy Harrington (Gaston)
[email protected], (919) 733-5734
Senator Ralph Hise (Madison, Mitchell, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Yancey)
[email protected], (919) 733-3460
Senator Michael V. Lee (New Hanover)
[email protected], (919) 715-2525
Senator Floyd B. McKissick, Jr. (Durham, Granville)
[email protected], (919) 733-4599
Convenient way to access
email addresses
All of this information is on our web
page, http://lwvpt.org under News to
Use. We made this easy for you and
your friends by putting it right on the
home page. Just click and go. Once
there, if you click on any email address,
your mail system should pop up a message form for you to use for writing to
any of the people in these lists. Nice and
easy. Please do express your concern
over Greensboro’s situation. If you do
not live in Greensboro, consider that a
change in a city or town’s government
can be changed by a bill that passes the
General Assembly at any time.
Senator Jane W. Smith (Durham, Granville)
[email protected], (919) 733-5651
Senator Erica Smith-Ingram (Bertie, Chowan, Edgecomb, Hartford, Martin, Nothampton, Tyrell, Washington)
[email protected], (919) 715-3040
Senator Dan Soucek (Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Watauga)
[email protected], (919) 733-5742
GUILFORD COUNTY DELEGATION
Senator Phil Berger – [email protected], (919) 733-5708
Senator Gladys Robinson – [email protected], (919) 715-3042
Senator Trudy Wade – [email protected], (919) 733-5856
Representative John M. Blust – [email protected], (919-733-5781
Representative Cecil Brockman – [email protected], (919) 733- 5825
Representative John Faircloth – [email protected], (919) 733-5877
Representative Jon Hardister – [email protected], (919) 733-5191
Representative Pricey Harrison – [email protected], (919) 733-5771
Representative Ralph Johnson – [email protected], (919) 733-5902
http://lwvpt.org
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LWVPT March 2015
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Speakers for Lunch with the League
Dr. Yevonne Brannon received her
Ph.D. in sociology
from NC State University and was the
Director of the Center for Urban Affairs
and Community Services at NCSU. She
has been recognized
with the Outstanding
Service Extension
Award and the Mary
Frances Hester Service to Extension and
Outreach Award.
Brannon serves as
executive director
and chair, board of
directors, for Public
Schools First NC.
.
Superintendent Mo Green
Dr. Yevonne Brannon
She has over 35 years of experience in applied social science research, especially in designing research protocols, conducting
primary and secondary data collection, and in analyzing and interpreting research findings for public policy issues.
Dr. Brannon has been involved in child and public education
advocacy work through a variety of organizations including PTAs
at her children’s schools where she served as PTA President numerous times. She also served as president of the Wake County
PTA Council. Yevonne received numerous awards for her service
to state and local PTAs and was recognized with the Governor's
Award for Outstanding Service in 1988. Dr. Brannon was inducted into the YWCA Academy of Women and received the
NAACP Child Advocacy Award in 2011. Yevonne was named a
“Champion of Children” by the NC Foundation for Public
School Children last spring.
Dr. Yevonne Brannon is one of the founders of several nonprofit
organizations that advocate for her two passions: an excellent
public education system and a sustainable environment. Some of
these organizations are: WakeUP Wake County, The Great
Schools in Wake Coalition, and Public Schools First NC.
Yevonne has served on the Clean Water Management Trust
Fund, and other environmental groups While she served as a
Wake County Commissioner for four years and while chair or
WakeUP Wake County, she initiated several environment efforts.
Dr. Brannon is married to Bill Clifford, a retired NCSU professor. Their three children graduated from Wake County Public
Schools and NCSU. Two of her three grandchildren, William and
Nolan, are currently attending Wake County public schools and
Alex will join them in August.
http://lwvpt.org
Maurice (Mo) Green is the third superintendent of the
Guilford County school system. Green has headed the
GC schools since mid 2008. During his tenure the district has raised its graduation rate, and increased student
achievement. He raised expectations for students, employees, and parents and restored trust and public support of the school district. Volunteers are increasingly
providing many in-kind contributions to the school system.
The 2016 strategic plan, Achieving Educational Excellence, Personalizing Learning, Educational Excellence is
divided into four areas: Personalized Learning; Character,
Service and Safety; Parent, Family and Community; and
Educator and Organizational Excellence. Many initiatives, including a focus on the whole child, servicelearning and parent and community involvement, have
not changed from the 2012 Strategic plan, but it’s the
goal to make them even stronger during this next phase.
For more information about Superintendent Green, visit
this web site.
www.gcsnc.com/pages/gcsnc/District/Superintendent/
Office_Of_Superintendent.
Green is an alumnus of Duke University with baccalaureate degrees in political science and economics, and a law
degree. He clerked for two prominent judges before
practicing law for six years in a private firm. He joined
the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system (CMS) as general counsel in 2001. Green held several positions in
CMS before coming to Greensboro.
Green has been recognized for his work by several
groups and he holds positions in NC, as well as, national
education-related organizations.
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Happy Hour
The LWVPT held our first Happy Hour on Wednesday, February 25. The turnout was terrific! Thanks to those 20+ brave
souls who ignored the imminent
threat of snow and the frigid
weather to join us at Scuppernong Books. It was a great opportunity to put faces to names,
hear from prospective and current members about their interests and activities, and just talk in
a relaxed setting. Watch our web
site, Wednesday alerts, or Facebook page for the next Happy
Hour!
Thanks to Janice Siebert for organizing and arranging for this happy hour.
Calendar of LWVPT events. Other events listed have italic entries.
•
•
•
•
•
•
March 17, Lunch with the League, see p. 1
April 2, Environmental Roundtable, 4 pm Deep Roots conference room
April 18, Earth Day
April 21, Lunch with the League, Derb Carter, Southern Environmental Law Center
May Annual Meeting TBA
June 5-7, 2015 State League Convention (see below)
The League of Women Voters of North Carolina will meet in convention in Durham at the Marriott at Research
Triangle Park 4700 Guardian Drive Durham, NC 27703 on June 5, 6 and 7, 2015. The LWVPT hopes to have a
sizable delegation.
Only official Board delegates will be able to vote, but all LWVPT members are encouraged to attend and participate in caucuses and workshops. Please let Co-President Anna Fesmire know if you have an interest in attending all or part of the Convention. You may reach her by email at [email protected] or by phone, 336-2886607.
http://lwvpt.org
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LWVPT March 2015
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Dear League Members,
"Interesting and interested people
Doing interesting work and
Having interesting dialog.......
Does this sound like a group that might interest you?"
An experience to remember -demanding, rewarding, challenging, satisfying -- serving on the LWVPT Board of Directors....”
If you or someone you know would like to pursue this opportunity, please call or email
Mary Eubanks, Nominating Committee Chairman, 379379-0090, or any member of the
committee.
Sue Jezorek 272Judy Hoag 282272-6664
282-7382
Janice Siebert 282Jerry Anthony 282282-9702
282-0099
Short history of the Greensboro City Council by former mayor and League member
Carolyn Allen
My husband and I arrived in Greensboro in August of l962. Sometime that fall we registered to vote. One of the
tasks we had to do in order to register was take a literacy test. This was probably dropped as a requirement with the l965
Voting Rights Act.
Over the years since, the number of citizens engaging in the electoral process has grown, but full participation in
the franchise often fell short. Greensboro continued to have a city council with all members elected at-large and the
mayor elected by the council. The vast majority of council members were white males whose perspectives on city needs
hardly covered the views of our citizens.
A few African-Americans who did hold seats included Jimmie Barber [Barber Park] and Vance Chavis [Chavis
Library]. During the l960's and l970's various efforts took place to try and create a Ward or District system.
One such was a referendum organized by a community activist named Sol Jacobs. Sol put together a large coalition of organizations to enable the referendum and persuade voters of the value of a district system. This was a six district, three at-large, and Mayor plan. It did not pass but more than 45% of the electorate approved it.
In 1972 a local bill to help quiet some of the discontent with council structure was passed by the General Assembly to require that the mayor be elected by popular vote. Ironically Mayor Jim Melvin first elected in l969 was elected
mayor by the council of l971. When he ran in l973, he became the first mayor elected by the voters of Greensboro. The
city council election of 1981 produced the first all-white council in 10 years. In the meantime, a committee composed of
leaders [including then Mayor Melvin and council member Cameron Cook] and a mix of faiths and races, built a plan
that would allow each registered voter to vote for five of the nine proposed members: the mayor, three at-large council
members and their district candidates. That was presented to the sitting 1982 council that approved it, thus creating our
current system.
Thank you for your rapid response to a recent request to contact Congresspersons Walker (District 6) and Adams
(District 12) in opposition to HR 5, the Proposed Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. If
passed, according to the Council of Great City Schools and Nora Carr, GCS Chief of Staff, our local public schools
would have lost over a million dollars of badly needed Title 1 Compensatory Funds. For several reasons (many opposing
calls may be one of them) the whole issue of ESEA Reauthorization has been pulled from the Congressional
Calendar. It was good to partner with AAUW and other groups. We know that MANY calls were made and we will let
you know when they will need to be made again.
http://lwvpt.org
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Visit to Re Community Recycling with the Environmental Roundtable
By Marlene Pratto
D
on’t put the lid on the glass jar before tossing in your recycle bin. Yes, both are recyclable but if you put the lid on the jar, the
jar will break with a loud pop when moved at the recycling center. That was one of the noises we experienced first hand on the environmental round table’s (ENV RT) trip to the recycling facility in Greensboro. Ten members and guests of the ENV RT toured the
RE Community recycle center on Patton Avenue, March 3, 2015.
What is the most valuable item in the recycling bin? Aluminum, but there is not very much of that. What brings in the most
money? Paper and, believe it or not, the amount of paper in the brown recycling bins of Greensboro has decreased. People are reading online and not on paper. So be certain to toss in your junk mail, including the envelopes with the see through window.
Surprisingly, Greensboro’s method of single stream recycling is more efficient, safer, and higher in compliance than the separate containers for the various items recycled in some cities.
When we first arrived we heard a talk by Jess who works for the City of Greensboro. She explained the history of recycling
in Greensboro and showed us a color coded map indicating which areas of the city put their bins out the most. Greensboro was the
first single stream automatic recycling program in the US, having started in 1993.
Mary who works for Re Community divided us into two groups and took us through the area where the single stream is processed. Trucks are weighed on arrival (and exit), dump their collections and leave. A fork lift moves the material to a “ditch” where
the material is lifted to the first sorting belt. The people doing the first sort throw out the plastic bags (a real no-no for your recycling
bin; take them to the grocery store), pieces of hoses, large metal pieces that won’t go through the magnet and other materials that are
not currently recyclable. Materials are then separated with containers falling through and paper and light items moving on.
The stream moves on to other workers who stand on both sides of the moving belt. The workers pull remaining non-paper
items off the belt and out of the stream. Paper flows along and goes into an area where it is smashed and bailed. A fork lift moves the
bales and stacks them for later loading into a truck to be taken to the company that buys the paper.
The process is quite interesting and, if enough League members would like to go for a visit, the ENV RT can arrange a trip
for groups of 10-14. Send email to [email protected].
Immigration Reform Roundtable
By Whitney Vanderwerff
W
ith the extraordinary leadership of Heather Scavone, Director of the Humanitarian Immigration Law Clinic and
Assistant Professor of Law at Elon University School of Law, many of our group participated in the February 5 community meeting with the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) Regional Community Relations Officer about executive
action on expansion of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability). The League's Addy Jeffrey and Kathy Hinshaw were instrumental in implementing the well-attended meeting.
The campaign for in-state tuition continues. We learned more about the impact of the DACA Executive Order at
the community forum sponsored by the Human Rights Commission Monday March 2. Among those speaking were Addy
Jeffrey and Ann Marie Dooley; Dr. Robert Landry, the retired school superintendent of Davie County, BB&T Multicultural Board member and current NC Commissioner to the National Educational Commission of the States; and DACA
recipients themselves.
The DACA program does not make undocumented students eligible for federal tuition aid like Pell grants. In
North Carolina, out-of-state tuition at public universities is three to four times higher than in-state tuition. Out-of-state
tuition at UNCG is $21,304 compared to the in-state rate of $6,442. Nineteen states are now allowing undocumented students who attended in-state high schools to pay the same price at public colleges as legal residents of the state. Several
more states including Tennessee are considering such legislation.
Our current work focuses on the economic benefits: allowing undocumented persons to pay in-state tuition results in positive economic net benefits for a state. Maryland's tuition equality policy for undocumented persons is estimated to have generated $66 million in benefits for the state in 2011. Granting deferred action with work permits increases
the amount of payroll taxes collected; work permits create a legal avenue for workers and employers to contribute taxes
and to find jobs that best match their skills, as the Center for American Progress research has demonstrated.
Tuition equality will be a focus of the immigration reform plenary session at the state League convention June 57, Research Triangle Park Marriott.
http://lwvpt.org
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LWVPT March 2015
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League of Women Voters of the Piedmont Triad
PO Box 9721 Greensboro, NC 27429
Phone: 336-274-0202
Email: [email protected]
http://lwvpt.org
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Co-Presidents
Margaret Salinger
Anna Fesmire
Vice-president Cheryl Viglione
Secretary Eileen Silber
Treasurer Lynn Grigni
If you have an announcement for Lunch with the League meetings, bring copies of your announcement on paper, preferably colored paper. Your announcement will be placed on the table to your right as you enter the
room. The registration table is for registration only.
“The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy
through education and advocacy.”
http://lwvpt.org
336-274-0202
LWVPT March 2015