The Voter MARCH 8 CAT TV: DOGS REALLY ARE MAN S BEST FRIEND IN CANCER TREATMENT

Transcription

1 Volume 82 Number 3 MARCH 2017 The Voter Dr. Jeffrey Bryan from the University of Missouri s Veterinary Medical School will be our guest at the March 8 CAT TV show. Dr. Bryan is the director of the Comparative Oncology and Epigenetics Lab. He studies immunotherapy agents which are currently under evaluation and destined for use in both dogs and humans. They will be used to treat lymphomas as well as solid tumors like sarcomas, head and neck cancer, and breast cancer. Each of these trials is designed to develop an approach that is less toxic and more effective than our The League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County, MO MARCH 8 CAT TV: DOGS REALLY ARE MAN S BEST FRIEND IN CANCER TREATMENT LUNCH & LEARN MARCH 21: WHAT IS THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN MISSOURI? Did you know that 2/3 of seniors living in poverty are women? That women make up only 22% of the General Assembly? Why? We will commemorate Women s History Month with a program on a recently released report on the status of women in Missouri. Our guest at noon on Tuesday, March 21, at the Conley Rd HyVee will be one of the report s authors, Emily Johnson of the Institute for Public Policy at MU s Harry S. Truman School of Public MARCH 14: CANDIDATE FORUM Several local offices will be on the ballot for the April 4th General Municipal Election. We have scheduled a forum on Tuesday, March 14 and invited the candidates to speak. The offices to be on the ballot include Columbia City Council Ward 1, with candidates Pat Kelley, Clyde Ruffin and Andrew Hutchinson; Ward 5 with candidates Art Jago and Matt Pitzer; Columbia School Board, with candidates Helen Wade, Paul Cushing, Jonathan Sessions and Robin Dianics; and Boone Hospital Board of Trustees: 1-year term current cancer treatments. Jim Robertson, managing editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune will be our moderator. The show airs live at 7:00 p.m. on March 8. The program will be available on our website or at The show replays on CAT TV at 7:00 a.m. on Tues, Thurs and Sat and 7:30 p.m. on Mon, Wed, Fri and Sun. CAT TV can be found on Mediacom Channel 85, Charter Communications 983, and CenturyTel Prism 98. Carol Schreiber candidatestaylor Burks, Rick Shanker and Bob Wagner; and 5-year term candidates Randy Morrow and Gordon Christiansen. The forum will be held at the Columbia Public Library at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments at 6:00 p.m. KFRU will broadcast the forum live and provide the moderator. The Columbia Public Library is co-sponsoring the forum. Carol Schreiber Affairs. The Status of Women report monitors indicators related to women s progress in the areas of leadership, income, healthcare, education and entrepreneurship. If you want to read the report, we will send it out by before March 21. You can also find the report and other links about it, including a web conference, at this site: /01/19/ipps-emily-johnsondiscusses-status-of-women-2016/ Peggy Placier

2 The Voter MARCH 2017 BOARD MEETING REPORT The February 20th Board meeting revisited recent LWV activities, reviewed state League positions, and focused on planning for upcoming events. The first order of business was committee reports. A treasurer's report indicated that we have over $13,000 available. The nominating committee reported that positions have been filled for the next year with a major exception being a co-president. Any member interested in serving as co-president, please contact Win Colwill. The budget committee presented a proposed budget for next year (see p. 6). This budget will be approved at the Annual Meeting in April. this initiate is a major issue. The legislature is expected to fund the law at $300,000. This is significantly less than the $1.5 million requested by Secretary of State Ashcroft and much less than the $11 million in the fiscal note on the bill. The Board formed a committee to come up with ideas for future current events forums. We would welcome additional committee members. If interested, please contact Marilyn McLeod or Diane Suhler. Old business included a recap of the Legislative Town Hall and Bill of Rights events. There were stark differences between these two events. The Legislative Town Hall drew a large crowd of over 200 people who actively engaged with legislators on many issues. In contrast, the Bill of Rights event was well attended and provided a very thoughtful, civil discussion of the precepts of the Constitution. The annual meeting will include a catered meal and will be held on April 19th at Daniel Boone Regional Library. Events at this annual meeting will include voting actions by the membership on bylaw changes and the proposed budget, the presentation of the Eleanor Goodge Award, and a presentation by a speaker. We encourage everyone to attend reconnect with your fellow LWV members, enjoy good food and company, and get energized for the next LWV program year. We look forward to seeing you on April 19th! We reviewed proposed changes to the program positions of the LWVMO. While most were left unaltered, the Columbia LWV did recommend several wording changes, including the following: 1) to strengthen the position on gerrymandering to include the statement that LWVMO advocates for no partisan gerrymandering; 2) to change the term Population Control to Family Planning; and 3) to add a sentence to the Energy policy to state that The LWVMO recognizes man-made climate change as a critical threat to the planet. Action items by the Board included consideration of an Ed Fund request for an Education Forum in April on Civics Education for the 21st Century America: What Do Students Need to Know? Peggy Placier and Diane Suhler Co-Presidents Under new business, the Board was updated on activities related to Voter ID. Currently, funding of FRIENDS OF THE LWV OF COLUMBIA-BOONE COUNTY The LWV of Columbia-Boone County recognizes the many organizations and individuals who have helped us educate the public, provided meeting space and given of their time, talent and treasure to the LWV. Each month we recognize a group of our Friends of the LWV as voted on by the LWV of Columbia-Boone County membership at our Annual Meeting on April 25, For March 2017 we recognize: Barbra Horrell for being the speaker at our April 25, 2016 Annual Meeting. Rev. Lorenzo Lawson for his presentation on the Youth Empowerment Zone on April 19, 2016 at our Lunch and Learn program. Karen Miller, Michael Trapp and Clint Swift for being on our CAT TV show entitled State Government Overreach? on March 9, Dr. Luke Buffaloe, Jared Torbet, Lt. Jason Jones and Leigh Spence for being on our CAT TV show entitled Epidemics of Heroin, Meth and Prescription Drugs on April 13, Thanks for being a Friend of the LWV! PAGE 2

3 CRAFTING YOUR MESSAGE TO ELECTED OFFICIALS The League of Women Voters and the Columbia Public Library are co-sponsoring a workshop to help our community members voice their views to elected officials. Crafting Your Message to Elected Officials will be held on Wednesday, March 15 at 7:00 p.m. at the Columbia Public Library. The workshop will cover effective messaging and procedures for communicating with Columbia City Council and the Mayor, State Legislators, and members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. ANNUAL MEETING APRIL 19: BUSINESS AND CELEBRATION All members are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of the LWVCBC membership on April 19, 6:00pm (gathering beginning at 5:30), at the Columbia Public Library Friends Room. The meal will be catered, and we will contact you later about how to RSVP and pay for your meal. This is the annual business meeting of the membership, and we will make important decisions. Information on most of these is included in this Voter. Nominations will be sent by and mail. Copies of everything will be available at the meeting itself, but it will be helpful if you come prepared to vote on: 2018 Budget: See page 6. Approving transition to 501c3 status (see below). The LWVCBC Board voted at the February meeting to become a 501(c)3 non-profit, which among other things will allow donations and a portion of your LWVCBC membership dues to be tax deductible. Right now we now we are a 501(c)4 non-profit which does not allow for donations or membership PAGE 3 By-Laws Changes: See page 4. The slate of new board members, officers, and next year s Nominating Committee. Still TBA. Watch your or mail. In addition to being a business meeting, the Annual Meeting is also a celebration. We will present the Eleanor Goodge Award to an LWVCBC member who has provided the group with exemplary service over the years. Attendees will receive an Annual Report of our accomplishments for We will also have a speaker (TBA). Please come to help us decide our future and celebrate our past! Peggy Placier LWVCBC TO CHANGE FROM 501(c)4 TO 501(c)3 NON-PROFIT STATUS EARTH DAY APRIL 23: SAVE THE DATE AND VOLUNTEER. OUR WORK IS URGENT! 2016 was the hottest year on record. Actually all 16 years in this century have been among the hottest years on record. Five of those years have been the hottest year on record up to that year. This is the message the Energy Matters committee will be delivering on Earth Day this year. Earth Day The workshop will include practice crafting your own message on a topic of your interest for , letters and phone calls. To register for the workshop, call the Columbia Public Library at There will be space for 40 individuals to work at tables. For those who have not registered, there will be additional seating behind the tables. Join us on March 15 and make your voice heard! Carol Schreiber dues to be tax deductible. Many other local LWV organizations are going this route. We would most likely retain our present 501(c)4 in some form. The LWVCBC membership will be asked to vote to approve this at the April Annual meeting. Barbara Hoppe is Sunday April 23 from noon till 5:00. As in every year, we need members to be present at the booth to answer questions about this message and the League. If you can help, please, contact Dick Parker, phone or rbparker1@centurytel.net. Schedules are flexible. Dick Parker

4 IMPORTANT NOTICE: PHOTO VOTER ID IS NOT IN EFFECT FOR THE APRIL 4TH ELECTION AMENDMENTS TO LWVCBC BYLAWS, APRIL 2017 Note: LWVUS required us to make the following changes for compliance with amendments to Membership at the National Convention in 2016: Changed citizens to persons, as some leagues wanted to include members with non-us nationalities. Changed age requirement for voting membership to 16. Amendments to be voted on at the Annual Meeting: Additions in CAPS, deletions in strike-out. 1. Under Article IV, OFFICERS Sec. 2. The President OR CO-PRESIDENT. ALL PROVISIONS OF THIS PARAGRAPH REFER TO EITHER PRESIDENT OR CO-PRESIDENT The president shall preside at all meetings of the organization and of the board of directors. The president may, in the absence or disability of the treasurer, sign or endorse checks, drafts, and notes. The president shall be ex-officio a member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The president shall have such usual powers of supervision and management as may pertain to the office of the president and perform such other duties as may be designated by the board. 2. Under Article VII - MEETINGS Sec. 1. Membership EVENTS Meetings. There shall be at least six (6) EVENTS FOR meetings of the membership each year. Time and place shall be determined by the board of directors. ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS TO OBSERVE HOW BUSINESS IS CONDUCTED. Sec. 2. Annual BUSINESS Meeting. The Annual BUSINESS Meeting shall be held between April first and May first, the exact date to be determined by the board of directors. Sec. 3. Quorum. Twenty percent of the members shall constitute a quorum at THE ANNUAL BUSINESS Meeting of the League of Women Voters of Columbia-Boone County, Missouri. 3. Under Article VIII - NOMINATION AND ELECTIONS Sec. 3. Elections. The election shall be CONDUCTED by ballot AT THE ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. IF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE HAS PRESENTED ONLY except that when there is but one nominee for each office, THE FLOOR WILL BE OPEN TO NOMINATIONS. IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER NOMINATIONS, A MEMBER MAY MOVE TO ELECT ALL NOMINEES BY ACCLIMATION., the secretary may be instructed to cast the ballot for every nominee. A majority vote of the quorum present and voting shall constitute an election. 4. Under Article IX - PROGRAM Sec. 1. Principles. The governmental principles adopted by the national AND STATE convention, and supported by the League as a whole, constitute the authorization for the adoption of the program. Sec. 4. Member Action. Members may act in the name of the League of Women Voters only when authorized to do so by the APPROPRIATE proper board of directors. PAGE 4

5 IMPORTANT NOTICE TO MEMBERS: DELIVERY OF VOTER In order to use our resources wisely, on January 23 the Board voted to approve a new policy for delivering The Voter. Beginning in April, all members with addresses will receive The Voter only by . Any member may request to receive paper copies by contacting Marilyn McLeod at or lwvcbc@gmail.com by March 15. Members without s will, of course, continue to receive paper copies in the mail. Peggy Placier REPORT ON FEB. LUNCH & LEARN: BARBARA BUFFALOE We had a great audience for our lunchtime session with Barbara Buffaloe, Manager of the City of Columbia Office of Sustainability on February 21. She took us through the process the City followed to apply for Star Community Certification, a comprehensive national third party verification of city ratings in 7 sustainability categories. The application required collaboration of many City departments and offices. Columbia received 3 of 5 possible stars as an overall rating; therefore, there is room for progress. Buffaloe said Columbia s application was honest and realistic. While it was difficult to receive low ratings in some subcategories, she understood why they happened. Her office can use this first round to build support for further action to improve the score on the next round. Another issue is that the City had not been collecting data on some indicators, and there was nothing to report this time. A zero in a subcategory obviously affects the score. For example, Columbia received 31 of 100 points for Built Environment. To improve this score, the City could adopt the latest building codes. Buffaloe pointed out that 25% of the city s carbon emissions come from households, so there are things individuals can do to make their housing more efficient. The City offers rebates and loans for homeowners to make such improvements, and is working on goals for rental properties. In response to the score of 32 for Climate and Energy, Columbia can set tougher carbon reduction goals. Related to this, the City will hold three public forums on climate change on March 4, April 18, and May 10 from 10-12:00. The forums will use a model from the National Issues Forum designed to facilitate dialogue among people who disagree on an issue. The Star Communities project also includes categories and indicators that some people may not immediately connect with sustainability. However, these categories address the quality of life and access to such things as jobs and healthcare. An example is Equity and Empowerment, Columbia s lowest score at What can the City do about poverty, underemployment, and low wages in some sectors? Buffaloe said the City may use a calculator from MIT to set an objective living wage target. After addressing our usual plethora of questions, and staying afterward to chat with audience members, we had to let Barbara Buffaloe get back to her office. We can invite her back in the future for an update. You can find details on the Star Community program, Columbia s scores, and upcoming forums at the following websites: Star Communities: City of Columbia Office of Sustainability: Peggy Placier PAGE 5

6 LWV-CBCC BUDGETS & ACTUAL EXPENSES FY 2015, FY2016, AND FY 2017 TO DATE (July 1, 2016 to Feb. 24, 2017) FY Actual FY Actual FY 2017 to Date Actual*** FY Budget LWVMO Education Fund $3,890 $1,516 $2,850 $2,300 Member contribution $2,479 $1,250 $2,340 $1,250 Member dues $7,035 $7,775 $7,225 $7,000 Misc. income $45 $1,600 $116 $100 Other contributions $130 $675 $805 $400 Other income $85 $0 $0 $25 Other income (net from play) $3,687 $4,085 $0 $3,700 From savings $0 $0 $0 $1,095 $17,351 $16,901 $13,336 $15,870 Expenses LWVMO Education Fund $3,837 $1,516 $4,773* $2,300 Advertising $1,047 $293 $281 $500 Board $0 $0 $0 $250 Bulletin $1,907 $1,875 $1,053 $2,000 LWVMO Dues ($15-$20) $2,175 $1,980 $2,520 $2,520 LWVUS dues ($31-33) $4,495 $4,224 $4,032 $4,000 Meetings lunch-lrn, Fndrs $687 $148 $95 $600 Membership $361 $50 $434 $150 Miscellaneous $244 $1,499 $342 $250 Natl convention $0 $0 $2,000 $1,000 Post office $498 $678 $191 $400 State convention, council $600 $290 $385 $600 Voter service (CATV) $1,100 $1,036 $1,670** $1,300 $16,951 $13,589 $17,776 $15,870 *The $4,773 Ed Fund expenditures includes $383 for forums which will be reimbursed, plus $1,539 spent on opposition to Amendment 6 which will not be reimbursed. **Voter Service expenditures in FY 2017 includes $909 for printing voter guides. ***FY 2017 to Date includes expensess from July1, 2016 to Feb 24, PAGE 6

7 Photos from LWVCBC Legislator Town Hall on February 2 Sen. Rowden (Dist. 19) and Reps Basye (Dist. 47), Stevens (Dist. 46), Kendrick (Dist. 45) and Reisch (Dist. 44). LWV member Scott Christianson moderated the event. The standing room only crowd spilled out into the hallways. The crowd was larger and more vocal than in past years. Representative Chuck Basye listens to comments from Town Hall participants. Representative Kip Kendrick listens to constituents. Representative Cheri Reisch spoke with participants after the Town Hall. PAGE 7

8 Upcoming League Events! MARCH 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday MAR CAT-TV Dogs and Cancer Treatment 7:00 p.m LWV on Paul Pepper KBIA 8:50 a.m. 14 Candidate & Ballot Issues Forum Library 6:30 p.m Lunch & Learn Status of Women in MO Conley Rd HyVee Noon 15 Crafting Your Message to Elected Officials Library 7:00 p.m Board Meeting UU Church 2615 Shepard Blvd 6:30 p.m APRIL ELECTION LWV on Paul Pepper KBIA 8:50 a.m CAT-TV Crowdfunding 7:00 p.m Annual Meeting Library Friends Room 6:00 p.m. with social time starting at 5:30 p.m. 23 Earth Day Noon to 5 24 Board Meeting UU Church 2615 Shepard Blvd 6:30 p.m. PAGE

9 LWV Officers: Co-Presidents: Diane Suhler ( ) and Peggy Placier ( ) 1st VP: Sharon Schneeberger ( ) 2nd VP: Ava Fajen ( ) Secretary: Carol Schreiber ( ) Treasurer: David Leuthold ( ) Elected Directors: Rachel Brekhus ( ) Joni O Connor ( ) Meredith Donaldson ( ) Barbara Hoppe ( ) Marilyn McLeod ( ) Mahree Skala ( ) Pam Springsteel ( ) Shirley Troth ( ) Appointed Directors: Elaine Blodgett ( ) Dick Parker ( ) Lael Von Holt ( ) Committee Chairs: Budget: Shirley Troth Civil Liberties: Open position Education: Open position Energy Matters: Dick Parker Fundraising Chair: Pam Springsteel Health: Mahree Skala Hospitality: Pam Springsteel Membership: Meredith Donaldson Mental Health: Lael Von Holt Voter Service: Carol Schreiber Voter Editor: Ava Fajen Local Website: lwvcbc.org State: lwvmissouri.org National: lwv.org Local Voter Information Portal: lwvcolumbiamo.turbovote.org Like us on Facebook: "League of Women Voters - Columbia, MO" IMPORTANT NOTICE TO MEMBERS: DELIVERY OF VOTER In order to use our resources wisely, on January 23 the Board voted to approve a new policy for delivering The Voter. Beginning in April, all members with addresses will receive The Voter only by . Any member may request to receive paper copies by contacting Marilyn McLeod at or lwvcbc@gmail.com by March 15. Members without s will, of course, continue to receive paper copies in the mail LEAGUE DUES ARE NOW DUE! Thank you very much for your continued support for our organization. It is greatly appreciated! If you receive the Voter by mail, your label will say (17) if your dues are up to date. We are preparing for the upcoming candidate forum, plus our educational forums on a wide array of important topics. Membership dues are $65 for individuals, $100 for a household, and $25 for local students. Individual and household memberships also include state (LWVMO) and national (LWVUS) membership. Send to PO Box 239, Columbia, MO Name Address Street City State and Zip Code Telephone I am particularly interested in. I would like to receive my Voter by (Note: Tax deductible donations to the Education Fund should be a separate check payable to LWVMO Education Fund.) The LWV-CBC welcomes new members Sure & Ken Hammann, Kristin Bilyeu, Robin Dianics, Katherine Foran, and Vicki L. Schildmeyer. PAGE 9

10 League of Women Voters PO Box 239 Columbia MO RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED EXAMINING FREE SPEECH IN THE DIGITAL ERA Dr. Nicholas Drummond (left) and Dr. Adam Seagrave (right) of the MU Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy joined Jim Robertson, Managing Editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune (center), to consider how the First Amendment holds up in the era of digital media. The League cosponsored the February 13 program with the Columbia Public Library, as part of the library s celebration of the 225th anniversary of the Bill of Rights.