L W V B R O W A R D C O U N T Y V O T E R. July 2017 Volume 66 Number 6

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1 July 2017 Volume 66 Number 6 President s Message There s always lots of great work being done by your Broward League. This summer is no exception. We kicked off June by hosting the LWVF biennial statewide convention which was held here in Fort Lauderdale. It was a great opportunity to meet, learn and share ideas with other leagues around the state. We were particularly pleased to invite Broward Mayor, Barbara Sharief, to deliver the opening remarks to the 200 attendees. Two headlines from the convention: Florida is now the second largest state league in the country. Following a two-year study, LWVF officially adopted the following position on the Florida primaries: statewide use of an Open Primary election system that would allow for the broadest possible voter participation including No Party and Minor Party affiliate voters. Meanwhile the Broward League kicked off its efforts to put a Voting Rights Restoration amendment on the 2018 ballot. We are part of a statewide coalition, Say Yes to Second Chances. From now through December, we are collecting petition signatures at many major community events throughout the county. You can help by joining the team or soliciting your friends, neighbors, book club, HOA or condo association. For more details Katy Syed: katypixfl@gmail.com A contingent of League members spoke at June 22 nd Broward Charter Review Commission hearing. We spoke in support of a countywide elected mayor position, an initiative we have advocated since On July 15, we are hosting an Open House for all members, with a special welcome to new members, at the League office 5101 NW 21 st Ave, Suite 450 (around back) Fort Lauderdale :30 a.m.-2 p.m. Lunch and refreshments will be served. Please RSVP through the League s Facebook page (look under the calendar of events) or by calling the League office at Meet and hear from the chairs of our action committees. It s a great opportunity to learn more and join the efforts. We d love to see you there because we sure need your help! Joanne Aye, Co-President LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

2 League Position on County Government Structure The Broward League has a long-standing four-part position regarding changes to the Broward County Government structure: 1. County-wide election of a county executive who will not be a member of the county commission. The Executive, because (s)he is elected by all voters, provides balance for single member district commissioners who are elected by voters in their district. 2. Retention of a professional administrator to be appointed by the county executive with majority approval by the county commission. An urban county requires the professional expertise of an administrator to oversee daily operations of county. 3. Single member county commission district elections with each commissioner elected by the voters in his/her district. The Board of County Commissions is the policy making body. 4. An increase in the number of commission seats. Because of our population increase, and the increase in minority groups, more representation is needed. On Thursday, June 22, Stephanie Pearson and Carol Smith made statements on behalf of League to the Governance Subcommittee of the Broward County Charter Review Commission. They spoke in support of an elected executive for Broward County. The Broward League has had a position since 1984 for a form of county government that includes: 1. a professional administrator, 2. a single member district County Commission, and 3. an elected executive elected by all the voters of the county. We have an administrator and single member districts and now need the elected executive in order to have a fair system of checks and balances. This position came about after a comprehensive study of county government, was reaffirmed in 1993 after a workshop of experts was held and has been agreed to every year since. We were once part of a coalition of 20 organizations working for a system worthy of a county that is now larger than 15 states. Please see the statements on our website: Lwvbcfl.org LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

3 Gun Safety Committee = Action + Education The Gun Safety Committee is keeping the focus on sensible gun safety laws. Julie Morrall and Carol Smith shared the Gun Safety in Florida presentation with the Hollywood Democratic Club on June 1. Committee members contacted Mayor Sharief to ask if the Broward County Commission would pass a resolution or proclamation supporting the goals of the LWVF Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and the LWVBC Gun Safety Committee. LWVF plans to reintroduce gun legislation this year to ban automatic weapons and require universal background checks. LWVF encourages local leagues to educate the community on gun safety issues. Please contact Bradette Jepsen if you know of a group interested in the Gun Safety in Florida presentation. bradettejepsen@g .com Broward Gun Safety Committee had letters to the editor published in the Sun-Sentinel. Read the thoughtful comments of committee members: Myrium Velez, Julie Morrall, and Bradette Jepsen o Good guys with guns inflict harm, too Letters o 'Concealed carry' only as good as your training Letters o Airport shooting shows we must take gun violence seriously Letters Voter Services League members who wish to register voters are required to take the mandatory quiz found on the LWVFL website. If you haven t taken the quiz since January 2017, log on to the Broward League website lwvbcfl.org. You can click on the link and go directly to the test. We will need many members to register voters and to support our Speakers Bureau and our very active committees in the coming year. Many voter registration requests arise at the last minute. Check our website frequently and volunteer to help when your schedule permits. Social Media Stephanie Allen is our new Social Media coordinator. Stephanie is watching what we put in our newsletter and what the national, state and local Leagues are posting as well. Items you might put in the newsletter can go on Facebook and Twitter both before and after the newsletter. You can also send her notices about meetings that we might post about -- town halls, for example. It would help her if you suggested topics that are relevant to our issues that we might post on Facebook and Twitter. Generally, you will send her a link and when you do, write a brief note why the link is important or interesting. her at stephallen.lwvbc@gmail.com LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

4 Water Advisory Board Plans for Future Needs Stormwater Plan for Ft. Lauderdale Here in South Florida we all experienced the deluge of June 7 which is considered a 100-year rain event. We ve had four of those in the past 44 years so maybe we need to redefine it! At the June 16 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting, we heard from Fort Lauderdale s Public Works Department about the Stormwater Masterplan. The city has a longstanding program that is being improved to consider the future. It is taking into account tidal issues, storms, and sea level rise. Civil and environmental engineering firms and academics are using a team approach to collecting data and using models to evaluate watersheds. Using LiDAR, which is an aerial detection survey of water, modeling software, and other tools, a digital elevation hydrologic model is being created. Seven key neighborhoods in Fort Lauderdale have been identified and public input was collected to look at flooding. Miami Herald There will be remedies for different areas including raising selected sea walls, installing backflow prevention devices, moving trunk lines and pumping water. It is expected that the preliminary design will be completed by the end of this year and construction started in 2019 on those seven areas. The consensus of this group is that despite flooded parking lots and streets, homes were protected from flooding during this recent event. There is always something to learn and the county and cities will make adjustments; but it was felt that public education and reassurance is important. We live in South Florida where occasionally we will have these events but the water will clear. It is interesting that this storm caught all the professionals by surprise. The large amount of rainfall was unexpected. Rand Corporation Project Dr. Jennifer Jurado, Director of Environmental Planning, reported on a project in collaboration with the Rand Corporation that uses a super-computer to put together hydrologic models, land use projections, and scenarios of rainfall, development, and sea level rise. This data will help plan development and redevelopment into the future. According to several members, few communities in the country have the data collection and modeling capabilities as South Florida. The Climate Change Compact among south Florida counties is a good model of regional cooperation. C-51 Reservoir The C-51 reservoir project, supported by Broward County and also by the League, is eligible for a $30 million low interest loan under Senator Negron s SB10 bill passed by the legislature. More cities need to sign up to use this alternative water supply to reach the goal of Phase 1. Construction should start this Fall. LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

5 Juvenile Justice Reforms Urged This year, the Florida League of Women Voters supported two pieces of legislation filed to address Juvenile Justice issues. One was the issue of Direct File and the other was regarding Civil Citations. Direct File allows a prosecutor to, without judicial review, direct file juveniles into adult court. This bypasses a juvenile court system that could possibly decide alternative programs that would keep the juvenile out of the adult system. Unfortunately, prosecutors in Florida transfer more youth to the adult criminal justice system, without checks and balances, than any other state. Legislation to address this issue passed in the Senate but without a House companion died at the end of Session. Civil Citations are a diversionary option that courts and law enforcement officers can use to discipline juveniles who commit minor crimes without leaving a permanent blemish on their record. Counties throughout the State use this system, but there is inconsistency on how it is used and how often. Legislation filed this year sought to establish a consistent program for the issuance of civil citations. Similar bills passed both the House and the Senate, but the final version died at the end of Session. The Caruthers Institute has some excellent articles and research on these issues. At the national and state levels, there are movements urging reform of the criminal justice system to enhance protections for juveniles and to change the rules to be more considerate of alternatives for youthful mistakes. Hopefully, we will see these issues addressed again in the 2018 legislative session. The Broward League of Women Voters has a committee dedicated to this issue. Contact Julie Morrall to find out how you can get involved. jmorrall@hotmail.com Tutors Needed! Children s Services Council has invited League members to volunteer as reading tutors through the national online literacy program TutorMate. The program remotely links a tutor with an at-risk child in the classroom. A commitment of 30 minutes a week throughout the school year is required, but the program is extraordinarily flexible and tutors can choose the time and make scheduling adjustments as needed. Volunteers call in, connect with the student, then read and complete the lesson with the child. After a 60-minute training session, 30-minute on-line sessions are scheduled according to the tutor s availability. Software walks the tutor through each session and live help is available. If you are interested, contact Alice Levy. levysofc@gmail.com LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

6 Petition Signature Collection for Rights Restoration Begins As most of our League members know by now, Florida remains one of only three states which makes restoration of voting rights for non-violent felons difficult in Florida, it is nearly impossible. Nearly 1.7 million Floridians have lost their right to vote. The Florida Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative was initiated by Desmond Meade, who had lost his right to vote as a result of a past felony conviction. Our own Supervisor of Elections, Dr. Brenda Snipes and Ion Sancho, Election Supervisor for Leon County, filed advisory opinions encouraging the Supreme Court to approve the amendment language; the Court accepted the language with a unanimous decision in April A statewide effort for petition signature collection is underway, led by Floridians for a Fair Democracy and the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, organizations working under Desmond Meade. The League is part of the statewide coalition to gather nearly 1,000,000 signatures by December 31, It should be noted that signatures previously collected do count, but are only valid for a period of two years, from the time the date of signing. There are other detailed requirements regarding the collection of signatures. Efforts in our own League have also begun. The League will seek to work together with coalition partners to identify events and opportunities for collecting signatures, but will work independently; this will allow us to carefully measure our efforts and develop our own branding. Janie Koszoru has completed a great revised edition of the state League s PowerPoint presentation (with Carol Smith and Katy Syed contributing feedback). We will be using this presentation to provide detailed background information to our volunteers for the Speakers Bureau and petition signature collection; it will be available to present to interested groups. Short training sessions will be scheduled for mid-summer We need volunteers! Collecting the signatures by the end of 2017 will be challenging. Once that is achieved, the work of educating the public about the amendment will begin! We will be coordinating with the Voter Service Committee, Speakers Bureau, and other committees which might have events scheduled where it would be appropriate to have volunteers collecting signatures. At the Biennial Convention workshop session, speakers encouraged us to promote acceptance of this amendment initiative with the slogan: Say YES to second chances! Even though some people may object to returning the vote to felons, the research has shown that giving people a second chance resonates with voters. Please be ready to say YES to volunteering and help us reach our goal. Contact Katy Syed for more information. katypixfl@gmail.com NOTES ON FLORIDA CONSTITUTION REVISION COMMISSION Rules have been passed, Lisa Hall on State Board is point person on CRC. Currently we are watching discussions and proceedings on a number of issues: sunshine rules, education vouchers, repeal of fair districts, etc. An updated version of the CRC PowerPoint will soon be posted on the State website. LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

7 Action Needed to Protect Women s Rights Constitution Review Commission - We are still asking for letters to editors about reproductive right issues. Of particular concern now, is the need to keep the Florida Constitution Review Commission (flcrc) from advancing an amendment changing the privacy rights of women. ALL reproductive rights legislation is based on the right to privacy and it is imperative we maintain this in the Florida constitution. If you can, attend a public forum. Anti-abortions agencies are showing up regularly and speaking loudly about disposing of these rights. Contact the members of the CRC directly to voice your objections The AHCA the Senate health care replacement law would also negatively impact women s health. Phone, write, Senator Rubio s office asking him to vote NO. Commit to telling your story (pre-existing conditions, need for reproductive health, preventative care, fixed income, etc.). Remind him defunding Planned Parenthood isn't about abortions but rather denying basic healthcare to millions of women. Contact Linda Bloomfield for more information. Bloomfieldl@hotmail.com HB7069 Abandoning Our Public Schools by Pat Drago Member of State Board of Florida League of Women Voters When the 2017 legislature passed the 278-page bill titled HB7069 in the last days of an extended legislative session and Gov. Scott signed the measure into law, Florida s constitutional responsibility for public education was out-sourced. And it doesn t even have to go to the lowest bidder. No bids required. This is the wholesale transfer of public dollars to line private pockets with no performance requirements. The entry criteria are marginal at best. Why did this pass in the last minutes of the session, with no time for scrutiny? It was because it could not stand the light of day. What happens now? Struggling public schools in high poverty areas can be closed and students allowed to attend charter schools operated by corporate charter operators. Do they need to meet any performance measures for students? No. Do all students need to be educated by them? No. They will be eligible to receive millions in state funds. Is there any requirement that their expenditures to inure to the public? No. In addition, after the Fl. Senate heard testimony this session on the dire situation in many districts related to deferred maintenance and deteriorating schools, what did HB7069 do, but take funds from local districts capital outlay and transfer to charter schools. There was very good language the Senate had included that required the recipient of any of these dollars to protect the public interest and not engage in self-dealing. The final version of HB7069 deleted that language. And we have to ask ourselves WHY? Why the last minute rush that deleted the good language and left the indefensible? Why avoid the scrutiny and benefit that debate and amendment bring to the deliberative process? Why did the governor sign it when he had thousands of Floridians who begged him not to? It s official the State of Florida as personified by House Speaker Corcoran and Gov. Scott, no longer believes in its neighborhood public schools or believes it has any role to play in improving the future for its children. They also do not believe in transparent financial accountability for millions of taxpayer dollars. LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

8 Committee Reports Environment Stephanie Pearson Voters Service Laura Simon The Environmental Issues Committee will be meeting on Sunday, July 23 at 1 p.m. at the West Regional Library. We ll discuss goals and action opportunities for those goals. We will review the outcomes of the Legislative Session and discuss plans to host a general meeting on climate change for the Fall. All are welcome. Retake the required test to be eligible to register voters. Go to the league website lwvbcfl.org Speakers Bureau Carol Smith cssmith@att.net Find out how best to make your voice heard with Advocacy 101. Learn about Florida s Voting History with updated statistics. Find out about Florida s unique Constitution Revision Commission. What are the facts about Gun Safety. Contact our Speaker s Bureau to arrange a speaker. Gun Safety Bradette Jepsen bradettejepsen@gmail.com Contact Bradette Jepsen to join the LWVBC gun safety committee and be a part of this important initiative. Membership Scherry Donato scherryd1@gmail.com Welcome New Member Priscilla Richards Education Janie Koszoru jkoszoru@aol.com Log on to LWVEducation to read the latest blogs from Education experts around the state. Voting Rights Restoration Katy Syed katypixfl@gmail.com Voting Rights Restoration Committee is now forming. We need volunteers to promote the amendment which would restore voting rights to convicted felons who have completed their sentences. PowerPoint presentation available to interested groups LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

9 Saturday July 15 9:30 am Sunday July 23 1:00 pm Saturday August 19 9:30 am Board of Directors Meeting LWVBC Office 5101 NW 21 st Avenue, Suite 450 Fort Lauderdale, FL Environmental Issues Action Team Meeting West Regional Library, 8601 W Broward Blvd, Plantation. Board of Directors Meeting LWVBC Office 5101 NW 21 st Avenue, Suite 450 Fort Lauderdale, FL Follow us on Like us on Facebook Visit our Website Lwvbcfl.org The VOTER is a newsletter published by the League of Women Voters Broward County Jane Koszoru editor jkoszoru@aol.com Bonnie Gross and Joanne Aye LWVBC presidents jayeaye@gmail.com bonnielgross@gmail.com LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

10 BOARD MEMBERS Joanne Aye Co-President Bonnie Gross Co-President Stephanie Pearson Vice President Elayne Garver Secretary Gloria Reinhardt Treasurer Nora Ayala Director Jocelyn Carter-Miller Director Bradette Jepsen Director Harriet Mathis Director Donna Meyers Director Julie Morrall Director Laura Simon Director Katy Syed Director COMMITTEE CHAIRS Katy Syed Voting Rights Restoration Shaheewa Gelin Community Outreach Scherry Donato Member Database Nora Ayala Member Outreach Carol Smith Speakers Bureau Janie Koszoru VOTER Editor Laura Simon Voter Services Bonnie Gross Website Stephanie Pearson Environment Janie Koszoru Education Donna Meyers Hot Topics Linda Bloomfield Women s Issues bloomerl@hotmail.com Julie Morrall Juvenile Justice jmorrall@hotmail.com Bradette Jepsen Gun Safety bradettejepsen@gmail.com Jane Gross VOTE411/WRY Jane144@att.net Stephanie Allen Social Media stephallen.lwvbc@gmail.com LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July

11 PO Box Plantation, FL MEMBERSHIP FORM October 1, 2017 September 30, 2018 Thank you for your support of the League of Women Voters. Our voice is more important today than ever! Membership includes local, state, and national membership and VOTER newsletters. INFORMATION Name Address/Apt City/State/Zip Home Phone Work Phone Cell Phone Contact me by: Mail Home Phone Work Phone Cell Phone Pay by Check and Mail: LWVBC PO BOX Plantation, FL Pay Online: PayPal or Credit Card Select Annual Membership Level: $ Susan B. Anthony $90.00 Household $60.00 Individual $25.00 Full-time Student Your donation is appreciated Total Amount enclosed PLEASE INDICATE YOUR AREAS OF INTEREST: ADVOCACY MEMBERSHIP OUTREACH SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY OUTREACH NEWSLETTER SPEAKERS BUREAU EVENT PLANNING OFFICE PHONE/VOIC VOTER SERVICE FUNDRAISING PUBLIC RELATIONS/PUBLICITY WEBSITE MAINTENANCE *Be sure to indicate your address in order to receive the VOTER newsletter and special announcements electronically. LWV Broward County VOTER 66(6) July