Happy unofficial spring to all!
As you can see from an attractive invitation elsewhere in this newsletter, our Annual Meeting is coming up on June 18th, and we are busy getting ready. A few of us will be meeting soon to stuff envelopes with the proposed ’25-’26 budget, the nominating committee report and other details you need to know. Your hand-addressed envelope should be in your mailbox soon, so watch for it!
Meanwhile we are busy with the work of the regular work of the League – sharing our advocacy agenda with our state legislators, developing strategies at meet-ups with our fellow members throughout our three counties, visiting will our county officials (most recently with County Executive Sue Serino in Dutchess), and otherwise “Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.”
Our New York State League Executive Director, Erica Smitka, is still emailing you “Your Weekly Legislative Update” every Friday/Saturday and you’ll see that there is still hope that these three bills we strongly support will succeed: Democracy During Detention Act, Medical Aid in Dying, Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Read more about these – along with other “hot” info such as what to do about the threats to Medicaid at the federal level – by checking the update that came May 17 and ones that follow.
And now that LWVUS has declared that our country is truly in a Constitutional crisis, I am being asked how to remain nonpartisan while attending a protest or talking with people who may differ in their views. The simplest thing to do is to remember our simple, 4-word mission statement – “Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.” If our emphasis is on making sure that our government works for all – in the voting booth, in the courts, or in the halls of our governmental offices – we can’t go wrong. It also helps to avoid divisive terms like billionaires and oligarchs that are just this side of name-calling. Respect is always a good idea. We should be the voice for people who want our country to come together again and function!
Hoping to see you at the Annual Meeting.
Dare Thompson, President
845-236-3074 (preferred) 845-591-3445 (cell)