It has been nine months since the LWVNY convention in 2021 when I was elected to be president of the LWVNY. This month for the first time we were able to hold an in person board meeting. We were also able to hold two Regional Training Workshops in person with the remaining two (Scarsdale and Ithaca) scheduled for the first two Saturdays of April. Everyone was so happy to be actually in the same room (something looking back we may have always taken for granted). There was so much to share, so many conversations to be had, so many people with whom to reconnect!

Over the past nine months, I have been so impressed by what the board and our local Leagues are doing and how well we all are working together, but we cannot stand still. We need and can continue to do more. This January I was disappointed to learn that total membership had decreased by 9% from Jan. 31, 2021 to Jan 31, 2022. Since then our membership has increased. As I said earlier, our members are the biggest asset of our Leagues. But getting new members is not all that is important. It is also important to train and get new leaders. Leadership cannot be static, which is why your nominating committees are so important. Membership and leadership is not the work of just the board. It is the work of every member which is why the membership leadership workshop has been scheduled first and the one that everyone will be attending.

The workshops already held have been successful. I want to thank all the people who have already attended and shared their ideas. I am looking forward to the regional workshops and meeting many of you in Scarsdale on April 2 and in Ithaca on April 9. It is not too late for members to still register and attend.

Although meeting in person is wonderful, over the past two years we have learned how beneficial zoom and virtual meetings can be. LWVNYS Council will be held on zoom on June 7. More information will follow.

It's not too late - register now to join us in Scarsdale or Ithaca! We hope that many people will attend to reconnect with old friends and share accomplishments with other Leagues. All locations will have the same workshops that run from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. The cost varies by location based on the cost of the venue for that location. Lunch is included in the registration fee. Registration form is attached or you can register online at: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/HOhq-CqnO8wQHzms7-w8Kg .

April 2, Downstate Area $25

Scarsdale Woman’s Club, 37 Drake Road, Scarsdale

April 9, Ithaca $15 (rescheduled because of snow storm)

Coltivare (Tompkins Co Community College Culinary Center), 235 S Cayuga St, Ithaca

9:30-10:00 coffee and welcome

10:00–11:00 Full workshop for all (It’s All About the Ask: Tactics for Increasing Membership and Cultivating Leadership)

11:15-12:15 Two workshops

12:15-1:00 Lunch

1:15-2:15 Two workshops

2:30-3:30 Two workshops

Empower Voters and Defend Democracy. That’s our mission. To further this mission we need strong, sustainable leagues. And that requires all of us to get involved in attracting prospects, welcoming and mentoring new members, checking in with inactive ones, and identifying leadership candidates. Our best tool is The Ask:

• Ask others to attend a league program,

• Ask others to join,

• Ask members how they want to get involved, and

• Ask engaged Leaguers to take leadership positions

Explore the new Vote411 platform (League's electronic voter guide). This workshop will walk through a step-by-step guide to setting up your local elections and will answer your questions on the new system. Bring a laptop so you can navigate the platform along with us (laptop not required).

We will look at some of the “isms” that hang over our collective past, both as a country and a national organization. Thereafter, attendees will be guided in a conversation on the efforts made in recent months, both on an individual basis and by their local leagues, in overcoming the marginalization that has placed the soul of democracy at increasing risk.

While the pandemic has limited our traditional abilities to get into schools, that doesn't mean we have to stop engaging the youth! Learn how to engage the next generation of voters online, in person, and everything in between even if you can't get into the classroom.

Discover various methods for hosting candidate forums in the digital age. This workshop will discuss best practices for hosting a virtual, hybrid or in-person forum.

Learn about different social media platforms, their quirks, and how to “hack” the algorithm. This workshop will explore the uniqueness of each social media platform and explain how your League can use them to your advantage.

You or your local League is passionate about an issue and wants to advocate and lobby. When is the correct time? How best to advocate? And, how does taking action vary based on local, state or national issues? Come learn more about advocacy.

New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 commits to 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040, and a reduction of at least 85% below 1990-level GHG emissions by 2050. Join experts from Environmental Advocates of New York as they discuss the roadmap for accomplishing this ambitious goal. Q and A to follow. This event is free and open to members of the public! 

Register by clicking here.

LWVNYS Environmental Specialist, Beth Radow, will moderate the panel discussion. Panelists are from Environmental Advocates.

Register by clicking here or visit www.lwvw.org for more information.

Sponsored by Bedford 2030, Beyond Plastics, Climate Reality Project-- Westchester Chapter, Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, ELLA of Teatown Reservation, Green Ossining, Mothers Out Front, New York League of Conservation Voters, League of Women Voters of NYS, Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, Sustainable Westchester, Westchester County 

If you have been unable to attend your local League meeting on the proposed positions on election administration and voting while incarcerated, then join us on Zoom on April 26 and have your voice heard. Only members who have NOT or CANNOT attend their local League meetings on these topics are allowed to participate in this Zoom.

Delegates at the state Convention in June agreed to consider new positions on these topics; a statewide committee was formed to research the topics and develop materials for consideration at local League meetings.

Read the materials available on the state website at: https://lwvny.org/league-studies/#election to come prepared to discuss the two issues:

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrfuGrrjIvGdEGPa3nKgrBcBP2ApI41W0n 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The 2022 Voter Guide Part I is now available and posted on the state website. Find information on how to register and key dates on registration and voting in this new brochure. See it online here. A Spanish version is in the works.

Updated versions of First Vote and Your Right to Vote series of brochures are also now available online here. A Spanish version of First Vote is now at the printers but is available online now.

Paper copies of all are available for sale by emailing Aimee@lwvny.org.

On Saturday, March 14^th the two one-house budgets were released. Unfortunately, we saw some mixed results as it relates to our pre-budget advocacy focus on ethics reform, funding elections, and making voting easier. Our work paid off regarding “Turn on the TAP” as funding to restore TAP for incarcerated individuals was included in both the Senate and Assembly one-house budgets.

This month the League advocated for funding for ethics reform and budget transparency in the New York State budget. In March, the League along with several other good government groups submitted an op ed to the Times Union in an effort to push for JCOPE reform. The op ed was published in the Times Union on March 6^th and in Newsweek on March 8^th. In the weeks prior to the one-house budget release it became apparent that there was not a major focus on ethics reform in either the Senate or Assembly. This letter was submitted as a call to action for both Hochul and the Assembly and Senate to ensure that they prioritize holding public officials accountable by overhauling JCOPE, improving campaign finance scrutiny, bolstering the power of the inspector general, and eliminating the pay-to-play culture.

On March 2^nd, the League submitted a memo to Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie to urge them to reject the Governor’s Fiscal Year 2023 Executive Budget proposals that would give the Executive broad and unilateral powers, and to amend other proposals to better define their uses and oversight. See letter here:

https://lwvny.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Group-letter_Extraordinary-Budget-Powers_03022022.pdf

On March 24^th , the League signed on to a memo with the several watchdog organizations and the Citizens Budget Commission which was sent to Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie. The memo urges them to include basic financial tables once they have reached consensus on the budget in order to allow for more transparency and accessibility. The letter will be posted on our site shortly.

All testimony and actions taken are on the state website at: https://lwvny.org/legislative-action/

Milly Czerwinski, milly@lwvny.org

Want to learn more about county redistricting in your area? Check out our County Redistricting Toolkit at: https://lwvny.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/NY-County-Redistricting-Toolkit.pdf.

Have a question about redistricting or want to get involved in your League’s efforts? Email milly@lwvny.org.

Equal Pay Day 2022 was March 15, but equal pay isn't enough to provide the economic stability needed in today's economy. Fair pay must be added to the mix for women's economic recovery from Covid and to thrive in New York State. View Kathy Stein, President of LWV of St. Lawrence MAL Unit, speak at the virtual rally:

The LWV of Albany is again partnering with the Albany Public Library on a book-discussion program, a series of five online sessions on "The Sum of Us" by Heather McGhee, facilitated by Albany Law School Professor Serena Lake-White, who was outstanding in our Fall program on "The Color of Law."

LWV of Saratoga is starting an Observer Corps again! Saratoga County has lots of Governments and they all deserve to have some sunshine on their meetings. Right now, many League members are concerned about the operations of Saratoga County, and we can learn more by observing county government meetings.

LWV of NYC recently organized a program, Closing Rikers and Banning Solitary Confinement in NYC. Criminal justice experts Rev. Sharon White-Harrigan, Executive Director Women’s Community Justice Association; Darren Mack, Co-Director Urban Justice Center’s Freedom Agenda Project; and Majority Leader City Council Member Keith Powers, Former Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, discussed the current crisis and described steps to be taken to change this.

LWV Utica/Rome was approached by the New Visions program at Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES to host an unpaid intern this semester. One of the students is working with us to make our social media more relevant to a younger demographic. She is also working on holding a voter awareness/education/registration session for her peers at BOCES. We anticipate learning as much from her as she (hopefully) will learn from us! 

In February, the LWV of Rochester presented “Teaching the History of Racist Policy and Resistance in Rochester” with Shane Wiegand and Kesha James, co-leaders of the Antiracist Curriculum Project. If you missed it, it’s worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NQDLaxDgVI. 

LWV of Brookhaven recently organized a meeting to discuss "How data analytics can help improve outcomes for those with opioid disorder." Kayley Abell-Hart spoke about her research at Stony Brook University developing treatments for opioid use disorder, the barriers to treatment and regional differences. 

Supreme Court expansion was the topic at a recent meeting of LWV of Syracuse. "What’s the Deal with Supreme Court Expansion?" was the title of the presentation by Professor Tom Keck,  the Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. His research and teaching focus on the Supreme Court, American Constitutional Development and Freedom of Expression. He is the author of two books: The Most Activist Supreme Court in History and Judicial Politics in Polarized Times.