MAY 2023
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER | Luncheon and General Meeting
May 8, 11:30 a.m.
Tiburon Golf Club
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How Does The League Fit Into the
Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce’s Work
Presented by
Julie Schmelzle
Chair of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce
We asked on our recent survey whether League members would like an additional General Meeting in May, and the response was a resounding “YES”! We listened, and we’ve added a General Meeting and Luncheon on May 8th at 11:30 AM.
Join us to hear our speaker, Julie Schmelzle, Chair of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, tell us about the issues that the Chamber is working on. The Greater Naples Chamber supports a wide range of policies at the local, state and federal level aimed at cultivating economic opportunity for all, including making housing accessible to the workforce, protecting valuable natural resources, supporting those with mental or behavioral health concerns, and providing economic sustainability to businesses that want to relocate to the area.
At this meeting, before we take a break from our General Meetings for the summer, our Committee Chairs will give us an update on plans for 2023-24. We hope to see you there!
Registration and Payment Must Be Made Online
by 3:00 p.m., May 4
Late registration/walk in price will be strictly enforced
More information and registration
Help build our League and educate the general public! Our most effective method of membership recruitment is the General Meeting! Invite a guest to our next General Meeting and support LWVCC!
| Message from the President
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LWVCC President
Diane Preston Moore
April is a time of transition, and that was reflected in our April Annual and General Meetings.
At our Annual Meeting, we welcomed new Board members and officers and thanked those transitioning off the Board: Jan Eustis, Abe Levy, Lynn Martin and Julie Wade. I also am grateful to Libbie Bramson, who served as Vice President over the past year and whose advice and counsel was invaluable. Libbie will remain on the Board along with the tremendous Board members who were voted in and those who will remain on the Board to serve out their terms. (See article, below.) LWVCC is fortunate to have a deep pool of leaders who are willing to lead our charge to empower voters and defend democracy.
During our Annual Meeting, we honored Leaguer Cynthia Cromwell as our Unsung Hero for her myriad contributions to and leadership within LWVCC. We honored Eric Strachan, Editor of Florida Weekly, as our Outstanding Community Partner for providing LWVCC a platform in the newspaper to educate the community. And we presented our Community Impact Award to Dr. Kamela Patton, former Superintendent of Collier County Public Schools, for her tireless efforts to improve education and make lifelong learners out of Collier County students.
At our General Meeting, Collier County Clerk of Courts & Comptroller, Crystal Kinzel, celebrated the 100th Anniversary of Collier County with a walk down memory lane. Our members were fully engrossed in Crystal’s masterful highlights of how important moments in our county’s history were reflected in the job of the Clerk over the past century.
Our League took its own walk down memory lane. We celebrated the trailblazing Leaguers instrumental in the Know Your County Government Program since its beginnings in 1982 (Linda Denning, Joyce Fletcher, Kathleen Ryan, Kathleen Slebodnik, Ann Campbell, and Sheila Crowley). We celebrated our past Presidents who were present at the luncheon: Jeanette Boucher, Kathleen Slebodnik, Sandy Parker, Charlotte Nycklemoe, Diana Walsh, Janet Hoffman, and Pat Plummer. And we bade farewell to Jennifer Edwards, Supervisor of Elections, who retires as of April 28th.
Finally, we owe a HUGE debt of gratitude to the team that works furiously behind the scenes so that our luncheons run smoothly. Jan Eustis, Tina Palmese, Sara Werder, Beth VanDamme, Ray Kalich, Denise McLaughlin, we appreciate your tireless efforts organizing our General Meetings each month over the past year.
| Jennifer Edwards Retires!
| | LWVCC President, Diane Preston Moore, spoke on behalf of the League at the recent Retirement Celebration for Jennifer Edwards, Supervisor Of Elections. Her remarks are presented below.
"Good evening! I am Diane Preston Moore, President of the LWVCC. First, I would like thank the Kiwanis and Republican clubs for hosting this event to honor Jennifer Edwards and for allowing me to say a few words in Jennifer’s honor.
I, along with many of our League members, am here tonight because the mission of the League of Women Voters is deeply rooted in voting. In 1920, the leaders of the women’s suffrage movement formed the League in order to teach 20 million new women voters to vote. Over 100 years later, the League remains nonpartisan, and voting is still at the core of what we do. It’s in our name!
We believe that the foundation of our democracy is the integrity of our vote. So the League is grateful for the tremendous impact Jennifer Edwards has had as Supervisor of Elections. It may be fair to say that no one in our county has done more to ensure the integrity of our elections than Jennifer, and the League has witnessed this firsthand. League members regularly complement the work of the Elections office by registering voters, serving as poll workers on Election Day, observing the work of the Canvassing Board, and providing information to voters about the process of voting.
While there is more to Jennifer than just her work, over the past 23 years, her name became synonymous with her office. From upgrades in technology to changes in voting laws to welcoming the public in to see exactly what the Elections Office does, she lead the office with unquestionable integrity, transparency, and grace. She earned the confidence and respect of Collier County citizens across the board, and she did it all with a smile and a “can-do” attitude.
Some superheroes wear capes. Others, like Jennifer, wear cowboy boots. She has mentored a terrific team in the Elections Office and we are confident that her team is more than capable of building on her legacy. But Jennifer’s boots will be hard to fill. The League of Women Voters is proud to have worked with you, Jennifer. We are proud to have you as a member of the League, and we are grateful for your legacy. We wish you much relaxation in your well-deserved retirement. Thank you."
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“This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.” Maya Angelou’s quote exemplifies how it felt to be at the Annual Meeting this year with so many attendees that we were running out of chairs. How wonderful to see so many well known and new faces!
Our slate of candidates had both well known names and a new member. Wendy Riedel, Tina Palmese and Beth VanDamme were elected as Directors whose two year term will be from May 2023 until April 2025. Susan Pezzullo will be our Vice President for a term of one year ending in April 2024. Pat Plummer, Betty Schwartz and Deborah Williams will continue as Directors until they finish their two year term in April 2024. Our other Board Officers will continue in their position with Diane Preston Moore as our President, Denise McLaughlin as Treasurer and Linda Scherzinger as Secretary. The new Board of Directors promptly elected the Nominating Committee’s recommendations for appointed Directors, who are Paul Kardon, Libbie Bramson, Susan Golden and Joanne Huskey. They will serve a term of one year.
Much appreciation is deserved for our outgoing Directors, Julie Wade, Abe Levy, Jan Eustis and Lynn Martin who have served their terms. We are grateful for the service they provided. A special thank you goes to Libbie Bramson, who has been our active and able Vice President. We are not letting her leave however, as she is now a Director of the Board.
The Governance/Nominating Committee was elected for a one year term. The members of this committee are Janet Hoffman, Pat Howard, Paul Kardon, Lynn Martin and Tina Palmese.
“Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.” Harry Fosdick
Our League truly shines with our involvement in a multitude of educational programs and advocacy projects. Thanks to the Directors and Officers for your exceptional service and to our amazing members who chair and volunteer in other ways.
| League Turns out in Full Force at Earth Day
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Education Committee
Pat Plummer, Chair
The search for a new Superintendent of the Collier County Public Schools has been a top priority for the Education Committee. Members have followed the School Board actions in person and by streaming, and some spoke at meetings beginning with the hiring of the search firm, then public meetings to develop a profile for the job description and more recently with the interviews with candidates. The committee emphasizes that the new superintendent must have extensive successful experience in education and have education administration credentials. Much is a stake for our 55,000 students in our schools and their parents and the community at large.
The search is now down to two candidates: Dr Leslie Ricciardelli, Interim Superintendent and Mr. Charles Van Zant, from Clay County. Interviews with these candidates and their application materials are available on the Collier County Public Schools web site: collierschools.com We encourage all league members to read this information and email the School Board members regarding your support for the best candidate. Thank you. | |
Juvenile Justice Committee
Libbie Bramson, Chair
Our Kids Are Our Future
In the 2022-23 season, we had several excellent zoom presentations and two memorable on-site visits to Youth Haven and the Collier County Family Unified Court, plus our first in-person meeting at the end of April at which we discussed our areas of focus for 2023-24.
These include:
1) Civil Citation. This is a proven alternative to arrest available to youth who have committed first-time misdemeanors. It involves completion of a series of sanctions (community service, counseling, apologizing to victim, etc.). Upon completion, the youth’s record is expunged. The Civil Citation sub-committee is finalizing plans to educate community groups about Civil Citation in Fall, 2023.
2) Restorative Practices in Schools. Restorative programs are an alternative to one-size-fits-all punitive school discipline. The Restorative Practices sub-committee is reviewing its data and determining the best way to proceed in the current environment.
3) Factors contributing to juvenile delinquency, including mental illness, alcohol abuse, physical abuse, poverty, and racial/ethnic bias. Consistent with our mission to prevent delinquency, we will be assessing local programs/services to identify strengths and shortfalls.
4) Broken System. In various states, these words are frequently used to describe the shortage and turnover of case workers (in addition to the high caseload per caseworker) and the shortage of qualified foster parents. We will learn more about the system in our State and possibly identify some states in which the system is working!
We will never be able to solve all the issues, but each child our work positively helps is a big plus. If you are interested in helping our most vulnerable kids, we welcome your participation and ideas on the Juvenile Justice Committee. Email Committee Chair, Libbie Bramson. And have a great summer! |
Membership Committee
Beth VanDamme, Chair
Welcome New Members
Jonela Ago (High School Student)
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Carolyn Moore |
| Sandi Button |
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Abby Pellone (High School Student) |
| Carolynn Desch |
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Linda Simon |
| Diane Haynes |
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Alex Thornton (High School Student) |
Jed Jandovitz (High School Student)
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High School Member Update
Four of the new members joined after participating in the Know Your County Government program. LWVCC member Ingrid Echemendia, a Golden Gate HS student, is already working with her school administration to conduct a survey of seniors regarding their intention to vote and how they get information on candidates and ballot measures. Ingrid also volunteered at the Earth Day Celebration.
Afternoon and Evening Events for Our Busy Members!
Our growing ranks include a number of people who work or volunteer during the day. They often can't attend our luncheons or morning committee meetings. The Membership Team is putting together a group of members to help us organize events in the late afternoon and evening. These events could focus on a speaker or topic -- or be purely social and networking! Hopefully, they'll occur year-round, not just during "the season.” If you are interested, please contact incoming Membership Team Chair, Beth VanDamme.
Membership Dues
At the Annual Meeting, our members unanimously approved a small change in the dues structure. Dues at the basic, Suffragist Individual level will not change, and other dues levels saw a minor increase. The increase will go into effect on May 1, 2023. Visit the LWVCC website for more details.
Just a friendly reminder that checks made out to the 501c3 Education Fund or the Sponsorship – Education Fund cannot be used for membership dues, luncheons, or events. Checks received from Charitable Family Foundations such as Fidelity made out to the Education Fund often carry the sentence "This grant may only be used for charitable purposes.“
Your donation to the League of Women Voters of Collier County Education Fund, Inc., a 501(c)3, organization will support the League's work to register voters and provide voters with election information through voter guides as well as candidate forums and support for local drop boxes and drive through drop-offs.
Funds raised through membership dues and events go into the General Fund. Contributions to the League of Women Voters of Collier County General Fund, a 501(c)4 organization, are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions. Your gift will support our work to increase understanding of major public policy issues through education and advocacy.
If interested in donating, please visit the website, and click the Donate button at the top of the screen.
Summer Wine and Wisdoms
Keep an eye out for our Summer Wine and Wisdom series.
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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
Sent by lwvcc@lwvcolliercounty.org
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