Candidate Forum Update

Aimée Bedard

The League of Women Voters of the Kalamazoo Area in collaboration with our sponsors; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Douglass Community Association, El Concilio, ISAAC, NAACP Metropolitan Kalamazoo Branch, Western Michigan University Student Association, and the YWCA hosted a successful City of Kalamazoo Candidate Forum for Mayor and City Commissioner Candidates on September 16th. Two of the three Mayor candidates and seven of the ten Commissioner candidates participated in the forum answering questions on topics ranging from their qualifications for office, the environment, public safety, and the impacts of funding cuts on the community. Thank you to Dr. Regena Nelson for moderating the forum and to Chris Kuthe for keeping time. Thank you to our Forum Planning Committee and content contributors: Aimee Bedard, Aedin Clements, Barb Dircks, Connie Ferguson, Denise Hartsough, Janet Jones, Chris Kuthe, and Kay Perry. Thank you to our onsite volunteers who made the Forum a success: Aimee Bedard, Aedin Clements, Meg Dupuis, Connie Ferguson, Gloria Foster-Wimbley, Pam Jackson, Diane Venzant, Gail Walter and members of our Sponsor Organizations. 

The City of Kalamazoo Mayor Forum can be viewed HERE

The City of Kalamazoo Commissioner Forum can be viewed HERE

We will update on the City of Parchment’s Candidate Forum which was held Monday, September 29th and the City of Portage Candidate Forum which is being hosted by the League on Wednesday, October 1st at the Portage Zhang Senior Center in our November Voter.

Please note that Parchment Library will be holding a Parchment Candidate Forum Monday, September 29, 2025, at the Parchment Community Library. 

Top right: Luke Kritzman, WMU's Student Body President, and League members prepare for the Forum. Above: Moderator Dr. Regena Nelson and mayoral candidates Chris Glsser and David Anderson.

GOTV Text Banking! 

Denise Hartsough, VP for Program & Advocacy

Let’s text bank to prompt registered voters to cast their ballot! Thousands of registered voters in our area stay home on Election Day and don’t bother to ask for an absentee ballot.

One way to change that is by urging them to sign up for the Permanent Absent Voter list. This new offering allows a voter to receive an AV ballot for every election without having to request it each time.

For a few weeks in October, LWVKA members will be texting that message to area voters who voted in 2020 but not in 2024. On any internet-connected device (computer, tablet, phone) you just click a link to a page where you see a voter’s info and “Send text.”  

If you are interested, please watch for an email blast with details about how to do this, either on your own or at a party!

Vote 411/Voter Guide Updates

Aedín Clements

Our Vote411/ Voter Guide team got all Kalamazoo County’s candidate and ballot information updated in Vote411 and also published in the Voter Guide, all by September 25th, in time for absentee ballots. 

This year’s print guide covers the Kalamazoo City Mayor & Commission, the Portage City Mayor & Council, and the Parchment City Commission, along with the six ballot proposals below.

• Central County Transportation Authority (CCTA)
  Transportation Millage Renewal
• Comstock Public Schools Bond Proposal
• Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools Bond Proposal
• Parchment School District Bond Proposal
• Portage Public Schools Elementary School and 
  District-Wide Improvements Proposal
• Richland Community Library Millage Proposal

As I write, a great group of League volunteers are delivering bundles of Voter Guides throughout the county. Thanks to the following, who volunteered for this: 

Aimee Bedard, Amy Sue Manley, Andrea Allen, Angela Erdman, Ann Wright-Parsons, Barb Dircks, Beth Amidon, Carol Pauly, Chris Kindy, Chris Kuthe, Connie and Steve Ferguson, Deb Noble, Denise Hartsough, Gail Walter, Gloria Foster Wimbley, Heather Kozar, Holly Wingard, Ineke Way, Jackie Wylie, Janet and Keith Jones, Judy Sivak, Jules Isenberg-Wedel, Karen Gustafson, Karl Westra, Kim Bender, Lindy Rose, Lisa Stucky, Madeline Cimini, Maria Gagnon-Markucki, Martha Dahlinger, Mary Todas, Meg Dupuis, Michele Behr, Moira McLeod, Pam Jackson, Pam Timm, Pamela Rups, Paula and Ken Manley, Renee Szostek, Rick Freiman, Sue Nelmes, Terri McDonald, Vivian Abramowitz.

If you volunteered, and your name is not on the list, I apologize. The response was wonderful, and this bodes well for next year, when we expect much heavier bundles and more locations!



Thanks to the Vote411/Voter Guide team, Terry Hluchyj and Jules Isenberg-Wedel for their continued commitment to this very demanding task, and to Tamara Carpenter whose skill with layout is essential to getting a good, legible product to the printer. Lastly, thanks to my family for moving over so that the garage can be used for stacking the guides.

Advocacy: What Kind of Energy?

Rick Freiman, Advocacy & Climate committees (richard.freiman@gmail.com)

Should we care about where our energy comes from? The Michigan League says “Yes, we should” and generally supports Clean Energy legislation. Clean Energy refers to sources of energy that do not put heat trapping gases, like methane and carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. Related gases and particulate matter also cause respiratory and various serious health issues over time.

Of the various ways the League works to support participation in government, one is education and advocacy. The Michigan League LWVMI Environmental Network is made up of League members who have strong interests in environmental issues. Deb and Rick Freiman are both Kalamazoo members of this group and recently met with Michigan Legislators in Lansing to educate and advocate for Clean Energy.

Deb and Rick were part of a six-person team, one of twenty teams, and met with four different legislative offices in the Michigan House of Representatives. These non-partisan teams met with both Republicans and Democrats in both the House and Senate. Deb and Rick’s team met with the offices of Rep. Karl Bohnak (R), Rep. Matt Longjohn (D), Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D), and Rep. Samantha Steckloff (D).

At the meetings teams presented information and asked for support on topics such as improvements to grid reliability and affordability, clean transportation and mobility, and protecting community health through energy policy.

The September 10th Lobby Day was coordinated by Michigan Energy Michigan Jobs, a coalition of over forty organizations, including LWVMI, with a common goal of expanding clean energy and the jobs that come with it. Meetings were under the MEMJ banner.

The Lobby Day followed the 6th annual “Michigan Climate Summit” in Lansing on September 9th which was produced by the Michigan Climate Action Network (MICAN) and led by our own Dr. Denise Keele, MICAN Executive Director. Hundreds attended the Summit which was packed with educational sessions. 

Pictured above is the lobby team meeting with Representative Matt Longjohn and his legislative aide Holly Ann Simon.

LWVMI Updates

Denise Hartsough, VP for Program & Advocacy

No Red Tape!

LWVMI urges you to say “No” when asked to sign a petition for a measure that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register or re-register to vote in state and local elections. We already affirm our citizenship and do not need barriers to voting. Showing a birth certificate alone would not suffice for the 80% of married women who have changed their name.

And, to counter a similar proposal at the federal level, please use the LWVUS “Take Action” feature to let your US Senators know that voters in every state are already required to affirm or verify their citizenship status when registering. The SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act) would create one more barrier to the voting process, as many eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents. The SAVE Act may move in the Senate, so take action today!

~*~*~*~*~

State Budget Analysis—and ALERT!

On September 16, LWVMI hosted a forum on the state budget that addressed what makes up Michigan’s revenue and expenses, how the federal budget bill affects Michigan’s budget, and how likely a shutdown may be.

Panelists were: Robert Schneider, Senior Research Associate at Citizens Research Council of Michigan; Rachel Richards, Director of Fiscal Policy and Government Relations at Michigan League for Public Policy; and Arnold Weinfeld, Associate Director, Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at MSU. Watch the 1 hour forum here.  

ALERT! If you read this and Michigan still does not have a budget, please use the LWVMI Action Alert at lwvmi.org to let your elected officials know we want a budget!

~*~*~*~*~

LWVMI Board: Advocacy Decisions 

• Appointed as LWVMI delegates to LWV Lake MI Region: Ann Swaney (Grand Traverse), Fran Wallace (Manistee), Gail Berner (Holland), Carolyn Green (Livington).
• Adopted a resolution in support of statehood for the District of Columbia.
• Opposed Carbon Capture bills.
• Opposed a bill calling for a statewide ban on Ranked Choice Voting.
• Supported a bill for enhanced support for prisoner reentry.
• Supported a bill for training for law enforcement on de-escalation to limit the use of force.
• Opposed the AxMITax ballot proposal.
• Supported the Money Out of Politics ballot proposal.
• Opposed the Constitutional Convention ballot proposal.
• Opposed ballot proposals that would require documentary proof of citizenship (offered by Americans for Citizen Voting and Protect Voter Rights).

NOTE:  

Leagues and League members are urged to uplift the No Red Tape For MI campaign against DPOC petitions. If any money is spent on this effort, it must be reported for LWVMI to comply with MI Campaign Finance Law. Here is the form for reporting: https://tinyurl.com/ye5rnnkp     

No action in the name of the League should be taken by League members on petitions other than the petitions that would require documentary proof of citizenship. Members may always engage with petition drives as individuals!

LWVUS Update

By Paula Manley

LWVKA Officers and Board Members