President's Message
Jennifer Longman
It
is with great pleasure that I take over as League President for Ondina
Jeffers. I know you all share my appreciation and admiration for the
terrific job she did as President. I consider it an honor to serve as
President of the League, and it is my hope that I will be able to
adequately fill the big shoes Ondina left.
For
those of you who were unable to attend our annual meeting, I would like to
introduce our team of Board members.
President: Jennifer Longman
1st
Vice President: Ondina Jeffers
2nd
Vice President: Deborah Macmillan
Voter
Service Chair: Frances Pane
Secretary:
Marcia Duhart
Treasurer:
Judy Watkins
Board
Members: Kristine Floren,
Luz
Horta, Iris Jacobs, Frances Pane, Carolyn Rosen, Joan Tomlin
It
is our sincere hope that many of you will join us for our upcoming League
meetings. The input of all of our members is very important. The following
is a list of all of our meetings for the upcoming year. Please mark your
calendars and try to attend. The meetings are held on the first Wednesday
of the month. They begin at 7:30 PM.
Date
Host
September
5th
Jennifer Longman
October
3rd
Frances Pane
November
7th
Judy Watkins
January
4th
Jennifer Longman
February
6th
Ruth Friedberg
March
6th
Marcia Duhart
April
3rd
Deborah Macmillan
May
1st
Joan Tomlin
I
am presently trying to gather the email addresses of all of our League
members. I am off to a good start, but I would ask that each of you please
send me an email, so I can complete the list. Your email addresses will
enable me to communicate more quickly with each of you, so I can bring you
up to date on what’s happening. I PROMISE not to bombard you with
messages. Please send your email addresses to: [email protected].
Welcome!
On behalf of the League of Women Voters of East Windsor-Hightstown, I would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members Violet Harrison and Elina Hernandez.
Results
of the Program Planning Meeting
Our
Program Planning Meeting was held on August 22, 2001. We determined that
we have lots of work to do this year, especially this Fall. Some of our
plans for the year are as follows.
Walk
4 Reform
On
October 17th, Steve Ma will be coming to East Windsor. Many of
you may have heard of Steve’s 1,500 mile “Walk for Reform.” He began
his walk on April 16th in Metuchen and he will end at the
Statehouse in Trenton two weeks before the November elections. His plan is
to pass through each legislative district in New Jersey in order to draw
attention to the need for campaign-finance reform. His is a non-partisan
effort to encourage citizens to hold government more accountable to the
people.
Other
chapters of the League have hosted a welcoming party for him in their
towns. We intend to do the same here in East Windsor. Presently, we are
working to set up a reception for him. Please reserve this evening to help
us welcome Steve Ma and discuss campaign-finance reform. This event will
be open to the public, so please invite your family, friends, and
neighbors. More detailed information will be coming to you shortly.
DEBATES!
As
you are well aware, one of the League’s main efforts has been to host
debates before an election. We are currently working to set up debates in
October for Council seats in East Windsor and Hightstown. Also, we are
going to make an effort to get the candidates from District 12 to pay us a
visit. We are still working out all of the details, and you will be
receiving additional information on dates and places in the near future.
Study
Issue
We
have decided to study the following issue this year. If you are interested
in participating in this effort, you are strongly encouraged to do so.
Everyone’s input is important!
Democratic Governance of Homeowner’s Associations
(James
Garner, Chair)
Presently,
Homeowner’s Associations tax residents for various services, have the
power to fine residents, grant variances, etc., but they do not have open
public meetings, acts, or public records.
As
a League, we plan to study this issue and make a recommendation to the
State and National League based on our findings.
This
study group will be led by James Garner. If you are interested in
participating, or would like to voice your opinion on this issue, please
contact James at 490-0204 ([email protected]) or Jennifer at
918-9667([email protected]). James will present his initial research on
this issue at our meeting on November 7th.
Voter
Registration and League Membership
As always, we will continue our efforts in the community to register as many citizens as possible to vote. In addition, it is very important that we continue to grow the membership in our League. The report from the LWVNJ State Convention was that League membership in New Jersey has declined 10% in the past two years. We all need to make a concerted effort to recruit new members. More information will follow in the upcoming months on how you may be able to help in these efforts.
What’s
Coming Up?
Fall Workshops
The
LWVNJ will hold its Fall Workshops on Saturday, September 22, 2001. Topics
include Voter Service, Suburban Sprawl, Fiscal Policy and Education,
Membership Recruitment, Energy and Water, and Election Reform.
Currently,
there are four people from our League planning to attend the workshops. We
would love to have more! Please review the attached flier, which includes
all of the details. If you would like to join us, please contact Jennifer
at 918-9667.
Important Dates
September 5th:
League meeting at the home of Jennifer Longman. Please
RSVP by calling 918-9667.
September 22nd:
LWVNJ Fall Workshops. 9:00 to 3:30. Workshop fee is $17.00,
including lunch. Please contact Jennifer Longman if you would like to go.
October 3rd:
League
meeting at the home of Frances Pane. Please RSVP by calling 448-8335.
October 9th:
Last day to register or change your voting address for the
general election.
October 17th:
Reception for Steve Ma in East Windsor as he makes his way
across New Jersey in the “Walk 4 Reform” effort. (More details will
follow.)
October 30th:
Deadline for receipt by county clerk of mailed application
for absentee ballot for the general election.
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When
Jon Corzine spoke at the LWVNJ Convention, he mentioned that he and
Senator Robert Torricelli host a breakfast open to their constituents on
the first Wednesday of every month.
It is possible to arrange a “field trip” of some sort to the breakfast if we get enough interest. Please contact Jennifer if you would like to go.
FYI
District 12 Information
The
following are our representatives for the 12th District.
Senate
John
O. Bennett (R), 732-842-4900, 655 Shrewsbury Ave., Suite 307, Shrewsbury
07702,
Assembly
Michael
J. Arnone (R), 732-530-6829, 258 Broad Street, Red Bank, 07701,
Clare
M. Farragher (R), 732-462-9009, 400 West Main Street, 3rd
Floor, Freehold 07728