The Voter: May 2017 Annual Meeting
President’s Message
Does the world seem more complicated today? A friend commented to me last week that she has decided to stop participating in Facebook, watching television or reading the newspaper. Indeed we all need refuge from the craziness, and relaxation is key to mental and physical health, but turning off is not an option for most people. Suddenly aware citizens are asking about our candidates, what news sources to trust, why do primaries often not yield desirable candidates, how did big money get to be such an integral part of elections???? League members know the answers to some of those questions and they know sources to find other information, there’s never been a better time to belong to League.
Annual Dinner
When: Tuesday May 23. Gathering at 5:15, dinner at 6:00
Where: 17 East the Restaurant
Cost: $17 per person
Menu: Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
If you bring a guest the cost for that person will be $8.50 and our League will pick up the balance. This is a good opportunity to bring someone that you think might be interested in joining the group. Reservation Deadline: May 15, 2016 RSVP to Bart Henshaw at 740-773-6702
Announcements
Membership Dues for 2016-17
Many members choose to pay their dues in May at the annual dinner. Our membership is open from May until the end of September. In addition to the Annual Dinner, dues can be also paid online with a credit card through our website, or via mailed check to the Vice President of Membership whose address will be posted in the Members area of the website once that position is filled.
League Business
Minutes from the 2016 Annual Meeting - May 24, 2016
A must read for our upcoming annual meeting. Submitted by our former Secretary Sharon Steinhoff. Bart introduced guests in attendance and welcomed everyone to the meeting. Mike Throne, Guest Speaker, gave a presentation/recap of the Chillicothe Gazette’s Five to Thrive program. He said the Gazette asked various people and organizations in the community, “What can we do to help our community get better?,” with regard to drug problems in the community. That is how they came up with five key areas for the program:
Closing skills gap
Creating drug free workplaces
How do we get Chillicothe to believe?
Develop the next generation of leaders
Increasing education as a priority
March 2015 began the Five to Thrive program, it’s #1 priority the community chose being education. He discussed stories the Gazette has run since the program began. He also discussed the drug free workplace program the Gazette and other organizations put together to help those in need. Adena Health System’s CEO has now begun a committee to establish the next Five to Thrive initiatives as an ongoing program. He discussed the Gazette’s future story series which will focus on new challenges the downtown area faces. Mike answered various questions related to the program, after which Bart thanked him for his presentation.
Business Meeting
Secretary’s Minutes from 2015 Annual Meeting – Cheryl Richards. Motion to approve minutes was made by Betsy Moore and seconded by Kit Kinnamon. All were in favor. Treasurer’s Report: Proposed 2016 – 2017 Budget – Mary Martin. Mary went over the proposed budget and stated the fundraising idea is not in place yet, therefore some funds were moved to estimated income to balance the budget. Fran Brown made motion to accept the treasurer’s report and Karen Reeders seconded. All were in favor. Community Action: League Representative Betsy Moore – Betsy has been the representative for some time now and the League appreciates her doing this. She said there are many things going and she is very happy with the Head Start program. The Action board is very involved in programs and is happy with their progress. Membership: Cheryl Richards – She reported that National has changed the data base this year. She also stated yearly membership is $55, with a ½ off discount for students and spouses, the deadline for paying being December 30, 2016. League currently has 34 paid members for 2016. She mentioned that there is help with the membership fee if needed. Payments may be made on-line at the League website or through Cheryl. History and Mystery Report: Dawn Zarbakhsh – Dawn discussed the upcoming event in October at the Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library that will be celebrating nine years of History and Mystery. She is putting together a committee for this. If anyone has anything to display or wants to be on the committee please let her know. Publicity Report: Dawn Zarbakhsh – Dawn stated publicity gets bigger and bigger each year, especially with social media. She said it would be nice to have younger members contribute. With Dawn’s persistence we now have a fully functioning website. Human Trafficking / Heroine Partnership / Domestic Violence: Cheryl and Rhonda – Julie Oats and the Family Violence Coalition has asked for a League representative. Samantha Rearley would like to be the representative. All were in favor of this. Samantha has attended their meetings and said representatives from various social service entities come together on this coalition. Tammy Simkins discussed U.S. of Women, which is put together by the White House. She said they are having a summit on June 14 and would like to host a local dinner, “Take Women Off the Menu and Put Us On the Constitution.” She would like to get statistics together and bring in different groups to talk about the ERA in Ohio (it’s history, current legislation). Election of Officers: Nominations were made for the following positions:
Second Vice President – Cheryl Richards
Treasurer – Liz Gibbons-Camp
Secretary – Sharon Steinhoff
Publicity – Heather Hansford
Voter Services – Dawn Zarbakhsh (one year)
Nancy King made motion to accept the slate of officers as proposed and Mary Martin seconded. All were in favor. Programs for the 2016/2017 Year: Sarah Skinner – Sarah discussed possible programming. She stated we have three “large” programs each year. She would like to see the local drug epidemic on the program agenda again for the year. She also talked about each other possible program listed. She asked that each member rank the possibilities in order of interest (from 1 – 8) so she knows what members would like to see as programs. She asked that the information be left on the table so it may be collected at the end of the dinner and votes tallied. President’s Comments/Closing: Bart Henshaw – Bart hopes that everyone will take away thoughts, goals, and accomplishments from this meeting. She stated we need to be proud of what we are doing as an organization. She thanked everyone for attending the dinner meeting and wished them well.
Budget Proposal July 2017 - June 2018
Total projected income: $2700
Total projected expenses: $2665
Income
PMP: $55 per member
Fundraising: $2000
Auction: $200
Donations: $500
Expenses General:
State and national dues: $55 per member ($25 State, $30 National)
Fundraiser expenses: $500
Website cost and maintenance: $365
Publications and Committee support: $100 (flyers, handouts for meetings or public benefit)
Charitable Fund: $200 ($250 LY) (Contributions to groups that support League positions and are involved in community outreach on voter education)
Voter services: Candidates’ Night
Sound: $300
Food and decorations: $0 (donated)
Publicity and printed materials: $400 ($600 LY) (We plan to reduce the number of printed items handed out at this and other events.)
Annual dinner:
Paying ½ the cost for guests: $150
Decorations: $0 (donated)
Speaker: $17 (cost of dinner)
Membership:
Kick off event: $150
“Scholarship” Fund: $200
Liability insurance: $300
Statehouse Day/Convention: $100 ($135 LY)
As you can see, our League dues do not cover any expenses beyond State and National PMP. Since our State and National obligation is based on registers members as of the beginning of the fiscal year, and not on whether or not those members have paid, we end up paying more each year than we actually collect in dues. Please help us avoid this situation by paying your dues as soon as possible. They are due no later than June 30, 2017. If you would like to remain a member, but cannot make that deadline, please speak to Liz, Cheryl, or Bart ASAP.
In order to cover our local expenses for the year, we will be asking for your support of our gift wrapping fundraiser this holiday season, and our silent auction at our holiday gathering. We also gladly accept donations of any amount at any time.
Thank you for the time and money that all of you contribute to the important work our League does in our community.
Proposed Slate of Officers for 2017-18
Co-presidents: Sarah Skinner & Bart Henshaw
Vice President Program: Heather Hansford*
Secretary: Tammy Simkins
At Large Representative: Ruth Tootle
*Jeff Spencer has volunteered to work on programs with Heather
Dues Proposal for 2017
For several years our League dues of $55.00 have supported the cost of State and National League advocacy and research. Though the PMP (per member payment) accounts for only a quarter of the LWVUS income, it is critically important “seed money” that enables staff to raise the other 75% of the budget. The State and National Leagues provide quantities of research and advice to support our programming. One of the costs to our local organization is a “scholarship” fund implemented three years ago to help those who want to be involved but are unable to pay the entire amount. At this time we are suggesting that our dues continue at $55.00 but are suggesting a new category of membership for people that support the work of League but are not able to participate.
Sponsor Members: $100.00
Standard Membership: $55.00 (a 2nd person in the same household is $27.50)
Student Membership: $27.50
Scholarship Member: negotiable
Gift-Wrap Fundraiser
In the fall we will expand and advertise a gift wrapping station in downtown. There is a special wrapping style that Liz Gibbons-Camp will teach interested members which will make the wrapping unique and classy. More details coming: stay tuned!
Program for 2017-18
One of the great challenges of developing Program for the League is trying to find to find a balance between what is relevant, and what is interesting. Our program efforts are meant to resonate throughout the community, and can be one of the most effective recruiting tools we have. Following on the success of focusing on items mentioned in the Gazette's "Five the Thrive" article last year, and in an effort to connect more deeply with people in our area, the Board proposes to the Membership a slightly different approach to Program for the upcoming year. Instead of choosing a variety of often unrelated topics, we would like to focus instead on one overarching topic that is broken down into relevant pieces. Some examples might be:
Political Engagement
A year long Program that focuses on understanding why people have become disengaged from politics, and finding ways to re-engage them so they can more confidently participate in government. Individual projects would likely cover:
Understanding government
Knowing political alignment
How to run for office
expanding distribution of Pathway to the Poll
Understanding policy and political jargon
Appalachian Challenges
Sometimes the way to get to the root of an issue, is to understand the soil it grows in. Southern Ohio has a distinct culture that often plays a large role in how it approaches our overhanging world. A year of focusing on Appalachian Challenges might look at the following specifics as they relate to Ross County:
Poverty / jobs / economy
Health / drugs
Education / culture
Natural Resources / Environment
We very much want the input of the entire group, and would love to hear ideas for other multi-layered Program topics.So please put on your thinking caps and bring your thoughts to the Annual Dinner where we will discuss our 2017-18 Programming.
