Annual Meeting 2012

Forty-four members and a guest attended our 2012 Annual Meeting, held April 21st at the Smith Center at Brandon Woods. We dined on meat loaf with hollandaise sause and asparagus, with salad and rolls, and cheesecake for desert. Our featured speaker, Camille Nohe, told us about the LWV Topeka-Shawnee Co's study of Privatization (in preparation for our own consensus) and then we moved onto a rousing business meeting! Read about it in the May issue of The Voter. Pictured here are incoming President Carrie Lindsey (left) and immediate Past President Kay Hale (right). In addition to Carrie, new officers and directors elected at Annual meeting include David Burress (President Elect) and Margaret Arnold, Sally Hayden, Cille King, and Marlene Merrill (all members of the Board of Directors). More photos from Annual Meeting soon to follow!

Annual summary of Land Use Committee activities

Our Land Use Committee had another active year! Download a summary of the letters we wrote on various land use issues here [PDF].

Scott Criqui receives 2012 Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award

The Lawrence-Douglas County League of Women Voters has selected Scott Criqui to receive the 2012 Helen Fluker Open and Accessible Government Award. He is the Human Resources Manager for Trinity In-Home Care in Lawrence.

The Fluker Award honors a Douglas County resident who shows leadership in promoting citizen participation in government. Criqui was selected in recognition of his community work in Human Relations and Voter Education.

Criqui is currently Chair of the city Human Relations Commission and Vice-President of the Kansas State Transgender Education Project (K-STEP). He has worked as a trainer for Headquarters Counseling Center and as a volunteer coordinator for Hospice Care of Douglas County. He is active in the Lawrence/Douglas County Chapter of the Kansas Equality Coalition, the Voter Education Coalition and Kids Vote. Recently, through his education efforts with the Lawrence community and within City government, Gender Identity as a protected class was added to the City of Lawrence Human Relations Code.

Scott was recognized as the recipient of the Helen Fluker Award for Open and Accessible Government at a luncheon held on March 4th at the Smith Center.

Photos from the 2012 Fluker Award luncheon: (right) LWV L-DC President Kay Hale presents a silver platter to recipient Scott Criqui; (left) Fluker Award Committee members (L-R) Janet Roth, Marjorie Cole, and Marguerite Lohrenz (not pictured: Audrey Kamb-Studdard).

The League encourages you to submit a nomination for the 2013 Fluker Award. You may download the nomination form here [PDF].

Kansas Taxes: Who Pays?

2011-2013 State Study: Kansas Taxes: Who Pays? Visit the State Study page , linked here, for Background, links and discussion.

Privatization

The purpose of this LWV US study is to identify those parameters and policy issues to be considered in connection with proposals to transfer federal, state or local government services, assets and/or functions to the private sector. It will review the stated goals and the community impact of such transfers, and identify strategies to ensure transparency, accountability, and preservation of the common good. (Read more.)

Local Participation

On February 9th, the LWV L-DC Board voted to participate in the Privatization Study. The Annual Meeting on April 21st will include an overview of the study. A meeting to respond to the consensus questions will be held May 5th at the First Methodist Church from 10:00 am to noon. Members are encouraged to prepare for this meeting by reading the background material listed below. Two LWV L-DC Board members have participated in the Topeka League's Privatization Study Committee. They will share what they have learned at the May 5th meeting.

The deadline for submitting a consensus report is May 1st. However, we have reason to believe that a report submitted by May 7th will still be considered. Therefore, we will proceed as planned.

Background material for League members.

Article Privatization: The Public Policy Debate, by Nora Leech.

Article History of Economics, Government and the Market, by Muriel Strand.

Article Federal Privatization: The Ryan Plan, by Ann Henkener.

Article State Level Privatization 2011, by Ann Henkener.

Article Surveying State Laws Addressing Privatization, by Diane DiIanni.

Article Public Library Privatization - A Case Study, by Muriel Strand.

Consensus questions.

Leaders' Guide for the Privatization Study Consensus.

Role of Federal Government in Public Education

The Lawrence-Douglas County League of Women Voters has completed its role in the LWV National Study concerning the Role of Federal Government in Public Education. The LDC League Consensus Statement is now available at:

- LWV Lawrence/Douglas County Final Consensus Statement [PDF]

The LDC Consensus Statement has been submitted to the National Education Study Committee. The remaining steps of the LWVUS process are as follows.

December 2011 to February 2012: Committee analyzes the data from consensus and writes the position paper for the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education"

March 2012: LWVUS Board of Directors reviews the consensus results for comment and approval of the position for the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education"

Timeline

May through November 2011: Local Leagues study the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education" and come to consensus

November 5: Lawrence-Douglas County League members meet to review the local Committee Consensus Statement (see link below) and adopt a Lawrence-Douglas County Consensus.

November 30: Consensus reports due to LWVUS website at http://www.lwv.org

December 2011 to February 2012: Committee analyzes the data from consensus and writes the position paper for the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education"

March 2012: LWVUS Board of Directors reviews the consensus results for comment and approval of the position for the "Role of the Federal Government in Public Education"

- LWV Lawrence/Douglas County: Committee Consensus Statement [PDF]

- "Role of Federal Government in Public Education"

- Historical Perspectives

- Additional papers are added at this link, as available.

- Leaders Guide

- Consensus Questions

- Role of Federal Government [PDF]

- Common Core Standards and Assessments [PDF]

- Equity and Funding [PDF]

- Federal Education Budget Project

The Civility Project talks with Local League of Women Voters Members

From Consensus KC.

The Civility Project talks with Lawrence residents.

This summer, the Consensus Consulting team met with Lawrence residents in a series of seven focus groups on civility. The focus groups add depth to findings from another 15 focus groups the team conducted in metro Kansas City, and will be reported out when the team presents its findings at the Dole Institute on September 27, 2011.

The seven focus groups included Chamber of Commerce members, the League of Women Voters, school site committee members, a rural focus group, neighborhood leaders and senior citizens. Originally, the team had planned just one focus group with businesspersons, but when more than 75 individuals RSVP'd in response to the Chamber's invitation, we added another. "We were so impressed with the level of thinking we encountered in Lawrence, and in people's sincere interest in the topic of civility in public life," said Mary Jo Draper, a partner with Consensus Consulting. While many of the findings echoed what we heard in metro Kansas City, some aspects were quite distinct. To learn more, Download the focus group report.

The focus groups were part of an exploration into whether Lawrence might be the site of a pilot test of The Civility Project. With the help of local leaders, Consensus Consulting invited some 20 key community members to two meetings. After thoughtful consideration, the group determined that the pilot test wasn't feasible in Lawrence at this time. "The fact that almost everyone we contacted was willing to engage in the conversation made a big impact on us," said Jennifer Wilding, a partner with Consensus Consulting. "We appreciated their willingness to engage with us and help us engage their citizens."