JANUARY 2023
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | Message from the President
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LWVCC President
Diane Preston Moore
2023 is here! Each new year offers a reason to reflect, refresh and recommit. In reflecting on the LWVCC’s work over the past year, I am amazed and impressed (but not surprised) at the tremendous impact we have had on our community. Here are just some examples of our work in 2022:
- Partnered with several organizations to host candidate forums before the Naples City Council election, the primary and the general elections;
- Registered voters and distributed voter information in the community, including River Park and Immokalee, before the primary and general elections;
- Published a series of articles information on voting in partnership with Florida Weekly;
- Staffed polling locations at Moorings Park and in Immokalee in both the primary and general elections;
- Hosted 2 separate information tables on Earth Day at Cambier Park and the Conservancy to educate voters about environmental initiatives and voting information;
- Chaperoned 4 high school field trips to government offices with Know Your County Government;
- Hosted 2 volunteer fairs to encourage newer members to get involved and several Wine & Wisdom gatherings for members to reconnect;
- Graduated Class 3 and began Class 4 of the League Leadership Program;
- Attended the LWVUS Convention;
- Came together with the Collier County community after Hurricane Ian to collect donations for residents in hard-hit areas like River Park.
We did all of this -- and so much more -- all while navigating community outbreaks of Covid-19 and the effects of a devastating hurricane. And the overriding reason that we were able to accomplish a wide array of projects is because of our dedicated League members. YOU make a difference! As you read through the Committee Reports and hear about upcoming events, you will find more evidence of how our committed members continue to engage in our work.
Also, do not miss the chance to “Celebrate The League” on January 31st at the Naples Sailing & Yacht Club! Enjoy cocktails and dinner as our feature speaker, senior News-Press writer, Amy Bennett Williams, tells the story of the environmental impact of Hurricane Ian. We would love to have each of our committees and teams put together a table of members so that we can all celebrate the great work of the LWVCC!
To all League members and friends, Happy New Year! I look forward to seeing you again – refreshed and ready to tackle new projects and events in 2023!
|  | On December 16, five League members met with WGCU, the local National Public Radio (NPR) station for Southwest Florida. As WGCU gave air and website coverage to Vote411 and did a story on “Know Your County Government” earlier this year, it became apparent that developing a closer relationship could contribute to our Strategic Plan objectives for expanding awareness in the community for the League’s work beyond voter registration and building our credibility as a non-partisan organization.
WGCU shares many of the League’s priority areas of interest, most notably the environment and providing unbiased information on political and social issues that impact our community. League members Diane Preston Moore, Pat Plummer, Susan Housel, Lynn Martin, and Sue Savage briefed WGCU Executive Producer Pam James and Managing Editor Mike Braun on our major initiatives and our ongoing activities and encouraged them to contact us for input when covering stories on these issues. WGCU likewise encouraged us to contact them when we have stories that are newsworthy. If your committee is working on something that you think might be newsworthy for WGCU, please contact Stacy Vermylen.
(from left) Sue Savage, Pam James (WGCU), Diane Preston Moore, Pat Plummer, Mike Braun (WGCU), Susan Housel, Lynn Martin
| HOT TOPIC: Human Rights, Mental Illness, and the Death Penalty
| There are conflicting opinions regarding the use of the death penalty. Additional issues are raised when it involves a person with a serious mental illness. Should there be treatment or punishment? Are they more prone to false confessions? Was there criminal intent? Did they receive any treatment for their illness? Executing juveniles and individuals with intellectual disabilities has been viewed by the Supreme Court as cruel and unusual punishment. Should those with serious mental illness also be prevented from execution?
The Social Policy Committee hopes that you will join them via Zoom for the Human Rights, Mental Illness, and the Death Penalty Hot Topic program on Thursday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m. Maria DeLiberato, Esq., Director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty will be our speaker. This will be available to the public, so please invite your friends. For more information, contact Janet Hoffman. | |
Environmental Affairs Committee
Lynn Martin and Patti Forkan, Co-Chairs
(The following is an abbreviated version of the EAC report. To view the complete text, go to the LWVCC website: EAC Report January 2023).
On December 8, the EAC held their monthly meeting on zoom. Our speaker was Brittany Piersma, the Field Biologist for Audubon of the Western Everglades. Brittany is studying the Burrowing Owl population and leading efforts to protect this rare and unique species.
Our January 12, 2023 meeting will be held in person at the Community Foundation at 9:30 a.m. This is a very important meeting and we encourage all League members to attend. The Florida State League is supporting a proposed amendment to the State constitution for the “Right to Clean Water.” If this amendment passes, citizens would be able to sue the agencies if they grant waivers to polluters or decline to enforce the existing laws.
The first step to put the amendment on the ballot is the collection of 350,000 signatures statewide. On January 12, Joe Bonasia, the SW Florida coordinator of the Rights to Nature network will be training us on how to request signatures on the petitions and answer questions.
During the month of December, 2022, Judy Hushon and Lynn Martin, along with scientists, Peter Sheng and Mike Savarese, presented ACUNE to the Naples City Council and the Head of Emergency Management for Marco Island. Judy Hushon wrote a guest opinion, published on December 11, 2022 in the News-Press, explaining how ACUNE can be used and how its predictions compare to the reality of the storm surge during and after Hurricane Ian.
League representatives will be making a follow-up presentation at a City Council Workshop on January 20.
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Social Policy Committee
Janet Hoffman and Betty Schwartz, Co-Chairs
The Social Policy Committee is excited to announce a very special program for the January 9, 2023 luncheon. If you live in Collier County, you know that there is a terrible shortage of Affordable/Workforce Housing, made even worse by Hurricane Ian. The current crisis is a result of years of inaction and poor planning. People who work in Collier County can’t afford to live here. This includes everyone from the people who serve you in restaurants to essential personnel upon whom we depend for our health, safety, and the education of our children. There has been too little done about this dilemma because of a lack of willingness to take the actions needed to facilitate change.
At the January 9 luncheon, we will hear from two community leaders who have already taken action and are ready to do more: Dan Lavender, CEO of Moorings Park Institute, and Nick Casalanguida, Head of Development for Baron Collier Companies. The presentation of “Workforce Housing: Past, Present and Future,” will discuss measures taken in the past, activities taking place now, and ideas that can be taken in the future to address the housing crisis.
On January 11, the LWVCC is one of the co-sponsors of the GNL Forum on Workforce Housing to be held at Naples United Church of Christ, 5200 Clayton Road (corner of Seagate) from 3:00-5:30 p.m. Please register at: www.glnwebsite.org.
The Social Policy Committee will be meeting on the first Thursday of the month at 10:30 a.m. in the Social Room in “O” building at 138 Moorings Park Drive. Our next meeting is on Jan. 5 and we will have guest speakers discussing the prevention of gun violence.
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Education Committee
Pat Plummer, Chair
Support for Public Education in Collier County is more important than ever, and the Education Committee is keeping on top of issues, planning education and advocacy. We look forward to welcoming Ms. Kelly Lichter, chair of the Collier County School Board, as our luncheon speaker at the February 6, 2023 General Meeting. Her topic will be “The Vision for the Collier County School Board” in the new year. Registration information will be in the Update.
At our November Committee meeting, Stephanie Lucarelli, School Board and LWVCC member, gave a very informative, comprehensive overview of Board roles and responsibilities. Also, we discussed the selection of Florida superintendents, who are elected in 40 of the 67 Florida counties and appointed by the School Board in the others, including Collier County. A search is underway in Collier led by a search firm that outlined the process at the December 7, 2022 Special School Board meeting (recording available online at CCPS).
Note: League members, Stacy Vermylen and Debra Harper, wrote an article about the School Board and Superintendent search for the Florida Weekly: New school board, new school superintendent, new vision?
Several education committee members attended the December 13, 2022 School Board meeting. President Diane Preston Moore spoke on behalf of the League and welcomed the new school board members. Diane thanked our departing Superintendent, Dr. Kamela Patton, for her many years of support and collaboration with LWVCC on many meetings and projects.
At our December meeting, members recommended a focus on the contentious issues of possible Florida partisan school board elections and superintendent selections (appointed vs elected).
Upcoming Education Committee initiatives include a three-session “Know Your County Government” program for High School students and a collaboration with public station WGCU.
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Juvenile Justice Committee
Libbie Bramson, Chair
OUR KIDS ARE OUR FUTURE
Despite Hurricane Ian, the Juvenile Justice Committee was able to complete our planned Fall, 2022 schedule. In October, Ann Hughes, Director of Friends of Foster Children Forever, Naples, spoke about the organization’s mentorship and other programs that serve 1,200 children annually. In November, Lt. Thomas Wedlock from the Collier County Sheriff’s Department overviewed the CCSO’s approach to at-risk youth in our county. Both organizations work with various community resources to provide needed wrap-around services for at-risk kids; and both are expanding their services to include “young adults” ages 18 to 20.
In mid-December, the JJC observed Judge Shannon McFee’s Family Unified Court, including: a shelter case in which three minors were moved from foster care to custody of their stepmother; five arraignment cases (three of which involved 15-year-olds in possession of guns); and one disposition case involving a 17-year-old who had been in the system for 11 years, had 38 placements during that time, and was sleeping in an office. Despite the good will of professionals, it appears that due to lack of staffing and staff churn, it is possible for kids in the system to fall through the cracks!
At our January 23, 2023 meeting. Clara Calderon, Principal, will speak via Zoom about the recently opened Innovations Academy at Immokalee High. Innovations Academy is a Career and Technical learning community (CTE) that integrates career preparation with academic and technical curricula to raise student ambitions, increase career options, and provide a meaningful learning context for both career- and college-bound students. Courses offered include Engineering, Information Technology, Accounting, Biomedical Sciences, Teaching, Criminal Justice, and Aviation. CTE is offered in eight Collier County high schools and ten middle schools.
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Membership Committee
Jan Eustis and Julie Wade, Co-Chairs
If you are a “new” member, or have been a member for a while and just want to “connect” or “reconnect,” be sure to join us for the first NEW MEMBER COFFEE in over 2 years!!! It is a great opportunity to meet others who are getting to know LWVCC, and meet Board members and committee/team chairs. The coffee is being held at Jan Eustis’ home on January 13, 9:30 a.m. Register here for the coffee.
Almost half of our members are due to renew their LWVCC membership on December 31. If you are one of those, you will have received emails letting you know that it is time to renew! If you aren’t sure, log into the website. If your membership is due, there will be a red circle next to your name in the upper right corner AND a box will appear in the middle of the page, telling you that “Your membership is expiring.” We look forward to your continuing membership!
We thank all of you who attended the WELCOME BACK/VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT FAIR. We had a great turnout, and look forward to making this an annual event!
Since the last issue of The Voter, we have 5 new LWVCC members. Please welcome:
Katherine Doerr
Susan Friedman
Carissa Funk
Monica Martinson
Susan Pittelman
LWVCC is now 313 members strong! | League News From Across the Country
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| Please refer to the LWVCC Weekly Update for a complete list of upcoming events or visit the LWVCC website: lwvcolliercounty.org.
Members should log in to ensure they see members-only events and registration options. | Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in Government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy. Our goal is to empower citizens to take an active role in shaping better communities worldwide. The League of Women Voters of Collier County does not support or endorse any candidate or political party.
League of Women Voters of Collier County
P.O. Box 9883, Naples, FL 34101
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