The Voter

By Janice Garry

Dear Alachua County,

Remember in Mary Poppins when the wind changes and things blow about and then, magically (because that is what the story is all about) she arrives on an umbrella at the doorstep of the Banks’ home? Well, the wind seems to be shifting with COVID, so let’s have some fun! 

The Hippodrome Theater has a new show, Running Mates. It’s a comedy about a husband and wife running for the same political office. Our league is going to give away two free tickets to lucky members. Who are going to be the lucky winners? The first two people who answer the questions below correctly!

Furthermore, we are making Running Mates our first social event of the year. Let’s go see the show on Sunday, October 16 at 2 PM. In the seating chart, perhaps choose a seat in Section A (right "side peak", where tickets are $20 - $50). I just booked seat D11. We all need a good laugh about politics! After the show, if you are so inclined, let’s hop next door to Maude’s Café. Fall should be in the air and we can enjoy outdoor seating and the company of fellow leaguers while having tasty treats. Spouses, partners, and friends are welcome! 

The first two people who send me the correct answers (which can be found in the newsletter) to the following questions will win a free ticket to Running Mates:

1. What open position on the board needs an eager volunteer to step forward?
2. What is the date of the League and Bob Graham Center general election candidate forum?
3. Who is the chair(s) of the Natural Resources Committee? 

On another topic, David Moritz, Director of the North Florida Region of the Florida Rights of Nature Network, Inc., will be joining our board meeting on September 27 at 5:30 PM to inform us of the effort to create a Florida constitutional amendment for the Right to Clean and Healthy Waters. Current laws do not adequately protect Florida’s waters, resulting in lessened spring flow, inadequate water recharging sites, and algae blooms. Therefore, there is an effort to prioritize water quality through the constitution. All league members are invited to attend by Zoom. If you would like to hear about this important topic, send me an email for the Zoom link.

In League,

Janice

[email protected]

We have lost another strong supporter of LWV Alachua County. If you know of a member who has passed, please let us know.

Jean LeMire was a member of the LWV of Alachua County since 2012 and succumbed to cancer on July 30, 2022. Jean served as registrar for League luncheons and events. including the annual meeting and fall luncheons. Jean was always willing to help and performed her tasks skillfully. More details about a life well lived in service to her community can be read in her obituary. We appreciate all she did for LWV and our community. Our condolences go out to her family.

Mark your calendar for the in-person and live-streamed General Election Candidate Forum to be held on October 2 at the Bob Graham Center for Public Service on the University of Florida campus. There will be a reception at noon and the forum begins at 1:00 PM. Watch for more information coming soon.

In this section, we bring you updates from your LWV Alachua County committees. Committees are the best way to get involved in LWV Alachua County and your local community. Feel free to reach out to the Committee Chairs to express interest, join their meetings, and get involved.

Education

Contact: Karen McCann

The Education Committee meets regularly via Zoom on the second Wednesday of the month from 12-1:30 p.m. 

During the August meeting, we heard from the ACPS Director of Curriculum, Kevin Berry. Our questions stemmed from new legislation that went into effect this school year impacting public school curriculum. Here is some of what we learned:

• The Florida Department of Education will give districts direction in January for how the new laws are implemented so teacher training won't be available until then.
• All required reading for students will be listed publicly for parents to see.
• ACPS has always purchased state-approved textbooks and other reading material. Publishers made any changes in the books to satisfy the D.O.E. and get state approval.
• A parent complaint regarding a book will go through a process of first trying to resolve it at the school/district level and if not, referred to a special magistrate determined by the D.O.E.

Local Issues

Contact: Jeff Shapiro

Our September meeting is canceled but we will meet again on October 20 at 5:30 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there!

Contact Jeff Shapiro to join our meetings.

Natural Resources

Contact: Jay Rosenbek or Roberta Gastmeyer

Next Meeting: September 28 @ 5:30 pm

In addition to the GRU gas rebates, we are now also watching development plans in the County. On September 20th at 5 pm, the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) will hold a meeting to review a request for a large-scale development of 4000+ acres. This property, known as the Lee Property, spans both sides of Parker Road west of Haile, and east of the City of Archer. Much of the Lee Property is located in a Strategic Ecosystem called the Hickory Sink. It is a high water-recharge area and there are many environmentally sensitive features and threatened/endangered critters on the land. You can see County staff reports here. There will be another meeting about this development on October 11th. These meetings are your opportunity to share your thoughts on the impact this large development will have on our community and its special ecosystems. We hope you will consider attending these meetings and/or write a letter to the BoCC.

Please contact Roberta or Jay if you want more information or to join our meetings.

Social and Criminal Justice

Contact: Bennett Brummer

The focus of SCJC is on improving the adult and juvenile criminal justice system. We emphasize deflection and diversion from the criminal justice system through prevention and treatment consistent with accountability and justice. 

While the SCJC does not meet regularly, any LWV Alachua County member who would like a committee orientation or would like to initiate a new committee project (and who is willing to do the work to carry that project forward) is also welcome to consult the chair to screen and plan for that project. 

Voter Services

Contact: Gwen Wagner and Diana Boxer

• Our next meeting will be via Zoom on September 19 at 6:30. Diane Dimperio will give a talk on Moore v. Harper, an extremely important Supreme Court case. Use this link to join the meeting. 
• National voter registration day is September 20. LWV will be tabling and registering voters at Santa Fe College from 11-1.  
• VOTE411 is snoozing for a little bit, while we get updated for the General Election. We will again coordinate with LWVFL and “go live” on September 21.
• Support the Gators and our partners at the Bob Graham Center. UF is in competition with the University of Tennessee to see who can get the most users to sign up for their voting platform ufl.turbovote.org. Once at the site, scroll down to sign up for voting reminders. The deadline is midnight on September 23. Go Gators! Go Vote!
• Mark your calendar for the in-person and live-streamed General Election Candidate Forum on October 2. There will be a reception at noon and the forum begins at 1:00 PM. 

We also want to send a big thank you to everyone who came out to the voter registration event at Heartwood Soundstage in conjunction with their Songs for Planet Earth concerts. Pictured below (standing from L to R) are Shirley Haberman, Julie McCollough Patrick, Elaine Francis, Janice Garry, and Gwendolyn Saffo. 

To get involved, please contact Gwen or Diana.