The Voter

April/May 2025

President's Remarks

Be sure to mark your calendar for our annual meeting luncheon which will be on Saturday, May 17th. During this important meeting, members will vote on the proposed 2025-26 budget, By-Laws changes, and a slate of new officers and directors. Documents related to these agenda items are included for your review in this edition of The Voter.

Following the business meeting, Retired Judge Hubert Grimes, the first African American County Judge of Volusia County, will be our guest speaker. The board and I hope to see you at this important meeting. See the Events section for details.

In reviewing the proposed budget, I realized the incredible work our League accomplishes with so little. We are fortunate to have a committed membership who support us every year through dues and volunteer service. You will note that our membership dues are split between the local, state, and national Leagues. We receive 20% of those funds which we use to cover general operating costs. We are grateful to so many of our members who make additional donations which allow us to meet our ever-increasing costs and to expand our community outreach.

Budgets should reflect the mission and goals of an organization. As you review the budget proposal, you will note that the largest portion of our budget is allocated to Voter Service, which is the heart and soul of the League.

LWWC has been the recipient of a sizeable contribution which we draw from for special projects designed to grow and enhance our organization. This year, we are proposing to allocate funds from those investments to increase our membership, prepare future leaders, and increase League visibility in the community.

During the last month, LWVVC voter service team has been actively involved in the community. We sponsored a District 6 Candidates Forum which was streamed statewide. A small team, led by Ann Smith, is coordinating Resident Council Elections for the Daytona Beach Housing Authority. Funds earned from that service will be used to continue our voter service activities throughout the year. See articles about these activities in this edition of The Voter.

You will also find action team reports in this edition. Those reports remind us of the scope and breadth of the work accomplished by LWVVC. That would not be possible without the dedication of time, talent, and in-kind support from you, our members. I am so very proud to serve the League as president and thank each of you for being part of our organization.

In League,

Nicki Junkins, President

president@lwvvc.org

Sandra Matsuko Horikami

October 1, 1952 - March 8, 2025

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of Sandy Horikami's passing. Sandy was a long time League leader. She served as President of our League and was on the board for many years, producing The Voter and event programs. She coordinated Vote411 singlehandedly. She was a very quiet person, but when she spoke, we always listened. We have lost a good friend and special human being.

We have successfully transitioned to the new membership portal. You can go to our website www.LWVVC.org, click on the join/renew button, and check that the information we have on you is accurate. Your username is the email address your gave us. You will be sent a code to that email address to access your records. At the same time, you can check when your membership expires. 

For most long-time members that will be June 30, when our fiscal year ends. Anyone that joined in 2024 will have an expiration date one year from the date of joining.   Members will start receiving an automatic email 30 days prior to their due date. Pay attention, this will come from LWV.org. You have a shorter grace period to pay but will be dropped automatically after that.  You can pay thru your bank or credit card. Checks should be made out to LWVUS, and will take much longer to process, so, this is discouraged. If you have questions you can contact me at OAH@Vyndicar.com.

Donations can be made thru the new portal but make sure to designated them to our local League (League of Women Voters of Volusia County) so the entire amount is received by us and is not split among the different levels.  We no longer determine the dues amount; it is now determined by the LWVUS and is the same nationwide. Members can make donations directly to our League by going to our webpage LWVVC.org and clicking the donation button at the top right of the page.

So far about a dozen new people have joined us. We welcome them! In our chaotic times, people realize the value of the League that speaks out on the issues we care about and have positions on. A few members have already renewed through the new portal and had no problems. Thank you.

New members are:  Simone Belafquih, Kay Burniston, Lisbeth Chew, Mary Hatchman, Susan Hopkins, Bonnie Jenkins, Mary Kay Jiloty, Jane Magrady, Lynda Mays (returning) Siobhan Odonnell, Ashley Sipos and Kathaleen Thompson. We hope to meet them at our orientation event April 30.

If you are not already on an Action Team let me know your issue preference.

Olga Hernandez, Membership Roster Manager

OAH@Vyndicar.com

Olga Hernandez, oah@vyndicar.com

Membership Roster Manager

Rising Water - Concerns and Solutions

April Hot Topic

Our expert speakers will be:



Dr. Jason Evans, professor at Stetson University, will speak about the scientific/environmental aspects of flooding,

Storm Kazmierczak, the County Development Engineer/Assistant County Engineer of Volusia County, will speak about the county-wide management of storm water,

Phyllis Wallace, Deputy Public Works Director, City of Deltona, will speak about the unique flooding challenges that face Deltona.

While many folks hoped that putting moratoria on building in communities could stop the flooding, we will discover that it is just one factor in solving this complicated problem.

Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025

Time: 10:30 -12:00

Location: Deltona Regional Library, 2150 Eustace Ave, Deltona, FL 32725

RSVP: Please RSVP - Jeanne Tanke, jeanne622lwvvc@gmail.com

Stay tuned for our lunch opportunity - We will include information in our Constant Contact messages, and our webpage.

2025-2026 Annual Meeting of the LWVVC

The annual meeting for the League of Women Voters of Volusia County is our only business meeting of the year. We will be electing new officers, adopting changes to our by-laws, and our 2025-2026 budget. Following the business meeting we have a very timely presentation.

First Came the Judges

Judge Hubert Grimes, our speaker, spent 25 years as a trial judge with the Florida State Court System, over forty years as a member of the legal profession in both Florida and Georgia, and the first Black person elected as a Volusia County Judge and appointed as a Seventh Circuit Judge will offer us salient points of the judicial branch of government, its importance in a democracy, and the critical juncture the judiciary faces today.

Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025

Time: 10:30 -1:00

Location: The Palmetto Club, 1000 S Beach St, Daytona Beach, FL 32114

Deadline to sign up: May 10, 2025



Lunch will be served following Judge Grimes remarks.

The menu includes: Rolls with butter, coffee or ice tea, and sheet cake for dessert.

Please specify your choice: Beef tips over noodles, Romaine salad with chicken breast, or vegetarian romaine salad.

Cost: $30 per person - sign up and pay HERE

Bylaw Changes

The following changes were recommended by the Bylaws Committee (Ann Smith, Chair, Cathy Egley, and Olga Hernandez). The LWVVC Board recommends approval of these changes to the general membership at the 2025 May Annual meeting.

 Changes are indicated as follows: deletions are in bold and crossed out; additions are underlined and bold. 

Proposed LWVVC Budget 2025-2026

Nominating Committee Report

The Nominating Committee recommends the following slate of Officers and Directors and three Nominating Committee positions for approval by the General Membership at the Annual Meeting 2025

LWWVC contracted with the Daytona Beach Housing Authority to oversee Resident Council Elections at three Housing Authority locations: Palmetto Park, Northwood/Walnut Oak, and Caroline Village. Under the direction of Ann Smith, our team conducted a successful election and induction ceremony at the Northwook/Walnut Oak location. In the coming months, the team will go through the same process at the other two sites.

The League is committed to enabling all citizens to have a voice in their communities and supporting resident council elections is a great way to give residents of these communities the opportunity to make a positive impact. The funds received from this service will be dedicated to our voter service activities.

LWVVC President Nicki Junkins administers the oath of office.

LWVVC board member Carla Christianson explains the Code of Conduct to newly installed officers

L to R: Ann Smith (LWVVC), Cathy Missick, Housing Authority Resident Manager; Monroe Ashe, Council President; McArthur Cason Council Secretary; Akeeshalon (Nikki) Beachem Council Vice President; Sheval Graves, Council Treasurer; Nicki Junkins (LWVVC), Carla Christianson (LWVVC)

On March 18, 2025, the League conducted a Candidates Forum for Florida's sixth congressional district special election at Volusia United Educators headquarters in Daytona Beach.

Present were candidates Josh Weil (D) and Andrew Parrott (L) who shared their stances on key issues such as public education, government spending, and the balance of power between the federal and state governments. Candidates Randall Terry (NPA) did not reply to our invitation, and Sen. Randy Fine (R) was unable to attend due to his involvement at legislative session in Tallahassee. We sincerely appreciate Ann Smith's efforts in organizing and moderating this forum.

Left to Right: Libertarian Candidate Andrew Parrott, Ann Smith (forum moderator), Democratic Candidate Josh Weil, Nicki Junkins (LWVVC President)

Candidates Andrew Parrott (libertarian Party) ad Josh Weil (Democratic Party)

Pamela & Geoff Novy hosted a very well attended Meet & Greet at their lovely home, in Ormond Beach on March 5^th. This event was co-hosted by Jill Brock.  Invitees learned about how the League began, what our goals are and the myriads of ways that members can get involved. Nicki Junkins led the presentation and addressed many questions. Everyone enjoyed a delicious dessert treat and meeting so many new people. 

You too can help the League grow and get stronger. Consider hosting a Meet & Greet at your home or place of business. You come up with the guest list and we will do the rest. It’s fun, it’s beneficial and it is crucial for us to be successful. If interested call

Bonnie Friedman, Membership Outreach Director

407-312-4944 or bonnietunes@yahoo.com 

Natural Resources Action Team

The Natural Resources Team had a very busy year. We started out with our Election Sign Recycling Project after the 2024 election. Started in 2021, as the brainchild of Suze Peace, we have embraced this project and continue to do so. Volusia County Supervisor of Elections, Lisa Lewis and her team played a huge role in helping make this such a success. We kept 2.2 TONS of plastic out of our landfills!

Flooding was THE issue of the day for both cities and homeowners at the Legislative Delegation Meeting on 1/7/25 in Deland. A few of our members took this great opportunity to speak directly to our elected officials in Tallahassee and let them know of the importance of their environment.

Our co-chair Pattie Gertenbach wrote a relevant letter speaking to this issue. You can read it HERE.

Later this spring, we visited the Fitzpatrick Dam at Rodman Reservoir, the point at which the Oklawaha River is dammed. We heard from St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman and Gabbie Milch about the ecological benefits to taking the dam down and re-routing the river to its natural state.

A week later we went to the abandoned remains of the Cross Florida canal, which was started during the WPA and the Roosevelt era and halted in the Nixon era when the EPA was formed. If it had continued it would have had devastating effects on the environment in central Florida and beyond.

We had table at the Lyonia Environmental Center for their Wildlife Festival letting folks in District 6 know about the special election as well as helping the littlest voters vote for their favorite scrub animal.

During this current legislative session we have been monitoring bills, lending our support to good and encouraging pushback on those bills that are damaging to water, land conservation and wildlife.

On Saturday, April 26th, at 10:30 – 12:00 at the Deltona Library we will host the Monthly Meeting: "Rising Water: Flooding Concerns/Solutions". Our expert speakers will be Dr. Jason Evans, professor at Stetson University who will speak about the scientific/environmental aspects of flooding, Storm Kazmierczak, the County Development Engineer/Assistant County Engineer, of Volusia County who will speak about the county-wide management of storm water, and Phyllis Wallace, Deputy Public Works Director, City of Deltona, who will speak about the unique flooding challenges that face Deltona.

While many folks were hoping that putting moratoria on building in communities would stop the flooding, we will discover that it is just one factor in solving this complicated problem.

The Natural Resources Team meets on the second Thursday of each month.



Nancy Vaughn, nancyvaughn411@msn.com

Natural Resources Chair

The Growth Management Action Team began its third year by continuing to focus on resiliency and sustainability, paying particular attention to the beach, flooding and affordable housing initiatives.

The League is represented on the County’s ENRAC (Environmental and Natural Resources Advisory Council) and actively participates and advocates for meaningful changes to county environmental standards, including countywide minimum standards implemented pursuant to the County Charter. Many of the minimum environmental standards were adopted in the mid-late 1980’s and have not been updated since.

This past year the League advocated for the County Council to adopt revisions to its stormwater ordinance as well as adopt a new low impact development ordinance. These two proposals came forward through the work of ENRAC. Low Impact Development is a development strategy which is largely based on maintaining and utilizing natural topography as much as possible and maximizing stormwater retention on site. Based on County Council directive, the development standards for Low Impact Development are voluntary. 

The League Board voted to support the GMAT recommendation to support the work by ENRAC to make meaningful changes in development design and to address stormwater management challenges. We would have liked to see an approach that was not solely voluntary to accelerate progress towards improving design and stormwater management in our county. The Board encourages Council to consider and embrace bold and creative strategies to address development concerns and water management challenges.

Last year in April 2024, the GMAT hosted Volusia’s Beaches: Past, Present and Future. This year the GMAT is observing and participating in the coastal resiliency work being conducted by county staff and consultant, Taylor Engineering. GMAT members attended the community workshops in January 2025, and expect to continue following the work through 2025. We anticipate that we may advise the new League Board of potential advocacy positions during this next year relative to this effort. 



The Growth Management Action Team hosted the January 22, 2025 general meeting. The topic was Economic Development Successes and Strategies in Volusia County. Panelists represented three different organizations, The county’s Economic Development Department, the public private Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s Research Park. 

Saralee Morrissey

LWVVC Board Member and GMAT Chair

saraleemorrissey@gmail.com

The Voter Service team continued the League’s mission to educate and encourage eligible voters, especially underrepresented people. While we could not register voters, we worked around 3PVRO restrictions by providing SOE addressed envelopes and forms and access to online registration.

So far in 2025, we tabled at 4 public events at the Deland Mardi Gras celebration (Vivan Lord, Sue Hofstrand, Joyce Palmer, Suzy Rudolph, Kelley Bookhardt, Pam Novy and Kimberly Cline), the Lyonia Wildlife Festival (Nancy Vaughn, Suze Peace, Deb Ulmer and Anne Conte) , the Black Heritage Festival in NSB (Nancy Nusbaum, Pat Drago, Ann Smith, Kathie Eichinger) and the Black Family Wellness Expo in Daytona (Nancy Nusbaum, Ann Smith and Suzy Rudoph) . 

Three of the events were on the same day!

Nancy Nusbaum, Carla Christenson, Carolyn Carbonell and Pam Novy met with school administrators to plan to assist in registering students at Volusia and Father Lopez high schools. Tentative timing will be in August-September this year. Everyone was very enthusiastic about resuming this tradition after the COVID related hiatus. 

Vivian Lord is coordinating with the Unitarian Universalist church for postcard writing for rights of returning citizens in April this year. Approximately 12 League members have signed up to participate. 

We were able to do this work thanks to the efforts of ~15 regular Voter Service volunteers and help from others on the education, environment, and social justice actions teams.

Nancy Nusbaum, Voter Service Team Chair

nusbanh@gmail.com

Nancy Vaughn, Anne Conte, Deb Ulmer at Lyonia Wellness Festival

Ann Smith and Suzy Rudolph at Black Family Wellness Expo

Voter Service at the Wellness Expo

Members met by Zoom on March 3^rd after the State of the Schools. Both Pat Drago and Linda Cuthbert attended and were impressed by the student performances and the accomplishments of the district. It was clear that recovery from the Covid 19 Pandemic is underway, but very challenging. The district has increased graduation rates and moved up in comparison to other Florida school districts, but there is far to go. Florida continues to have substantially lower test scores than before the Pandemic.

Members continue to be impressed with how many pathways there are to graduation and opportunities for students whether it is dual enrollment or securing career and technical certifications.

President Junkins has contacted Supt. Balgobin to ask for a meeting with her to discuss district issues and where we might participate effectively. Pat Drago and Carolyn Carbonell plan to attend the meeting with Dr. Balgobin when it is scheduled.

We hope to be able to visit two schools this spring after testing is complete and plan to work with Voter Services in the fall to register students at area high schools. Members will follow bills related to education during the upcoming session with particular focus on accountability for schools that receive public funds but are not held accountable, whether by student assessments or audits.

Next Meeting is March 31, at 3:00pm. in person at Volusia United Educators, 1381 Educators Rd, Daytona Beach, FL 32124

Pat Drago,

Education Action Team Chair

patddrago@aol.com

Observer Corps Reports

We need an observer for Holly Hill! 

You don't have to live there to be an observer for the Observer Corps!

You can share the responsibility with another LWVVC member. The function of the Observer Corps is to attend and observe meetings, and submit short reports for The Voter.

If you want to become an Observer and learn what this responsibility entails, please contact Susan Bayley at susancbayley@gmail.com. 

To view a PDF of the observer reports submitted by the Observer Corps members, please click HERE. You can download and read at your leisure.