 | | | Busy, Busy, Busy Fall in Florida
As I write this, many of us are preparing to travel or receive guests and family for the season of Thanksgiving. I hope you continue to observe safety and health protocols to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy. For many of us, the pandemic may have caused stress with loved ones and may impact conversations about science, religion, politics, and a number of other topics. I hope you will take a moment to review some of the suggestions in the article “Holiday Stress” before venturing into conversations that can easily turn into heated debates and change the outcome of a festive gathering. Holiday Stress | UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. While so many of us have experienced loss and hardship, many of us are also in need of support, positive reinforcement, and human connection or sense of community. Take this time to connect or reconnect with loved ones.
As we enter December, we can expect our various county representatives to engage the public regarding the maps they have drawn for redistricting. It is important that our members take the opportunity to listen to prior meeting recordings, review the maps and supporting data and consider the impact on the community, school districts and voting precincts. And, it’s important that you weigh in on any concerns you have about the maps or the process in which they have been drawn or are being presented to the public for engagement.
And in preparation for legislative session, we will have the opportunity to learn from Trish Neely, Lobby Corps Chair, League of Women Voters of Florida. Many of us have enjoyed listening to Trish testify in Tallahassee on a number of issues. The testimony she provides on behalf of the League is the result of an invaluable team of League members who develop research and data into formidable testimony that represents the values and positions of our League.
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Hearing from Trish about the legislative session, the role of the Lobby Corps and ways each of us can interact with and develop relationships with our delegation members here at home is very timely. I encourage you to visit your house representative or senator during the break and before legislative session begins. Tell them how proposed legislation will harm or help you, your community or our state. If you are representing the League, ensure you are clear about the League’s position on a bill or issue before you speak with your representative.
And as much as we are focused on upcoming lobby session, we will soon be preparing for 2022 elections which will include elections for a U.S. Senate seat, congressional offices, state representatives, city council, commissioners, judges, school board, and other local offices. In order to engage our members and the greater public about the candidates and issues, we will need YOU to volunteer to work with others to develop candidate questions and gather data from across the four counties for our Vote411.org. And, if members are interested in hosting candidate forums, we will need to establish those committees very early in the year.
Our own annual meeting and election will be coming up rather quickly so if you are interested in serving on the board, volunteerism and committee work are great ways to learn more about our organization structure, relationships and responsibilities.
Before you know it, we’ll be ringing in 2022 and the legislative session will be upon us.
Rest up but stay engaged.
— Lanelle Phillmon, LWVJFC President | | |
| | | First Wednesday Speaker Series with Trish Neely
Wednesday, December 1, 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
via Zoom
Join us on the first Wednesday in December to meet Trish Neely, who is devoted to the League of Women Voters as an Officer and Board Member of the State of Florida League, Director for the Local Tallahassee Chapter, and Chair of the Lobby Corps and Membership Committees.
She is the former Chief Compliance Officer, Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary for FBMC Benefits Management, a large independent insurance broker and benefits manager domiciled in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2017 she retired after a 30-year career in varied management and executive leadership positions and currently works as a part-time consultant.
Trained as a Florida Governor’s Sterling Examiner and Sterling Judge, Trish also currently serves as an investigator on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee for the Second Circuit.
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She is an alumnus of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Tallahassee; LT Class 29. She has volunteered for programs offered through Youth Leadership Tallahassee and has taught financial literacy to Leon County students through Junior Achievement USA.
Trish is an outdoor enthusiast and lifelong environmentalist. A cherished 2018 milestone was hiking the last 100 Kilometers of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. She has traveled widely both inside and outside the United States and recognizes and values the diversity of different cultures and communities.
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| | | FREEDOM TO VOTE ACT RALLY
We recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Indivisible Riverside and Black Voters Matter to create awareness for the Freedom to Vote Act.
Very often, the topics we support or oppose take us into meetings via zoom or into chambers where we do more listening than speaking with others. This rally was held outdoors near the intersection of the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office and allowed us to meet others who are engaged in the fight for a better democracy. The weather was great, we were in good company and we enjoyed a few chants, and speaking with pedestrians.
|  | The Freedom to Vote Act aligns with many of the League’s positions to include:
• Protecting voting rights;
• Getting big money out of politics; and
• Curbing gerrymandering
If you have not yet contacted your senators to express support for the Freedom to Vote Act, I encourage you to do so HERE. | | |
SPECIAL ELECTION
Duval County will be holding a Special Unitary Election for City Council at Large Group 3 and we are hoping YOU will help us get the word out. This election is unique in that in a unitary election, every candidate runs in the first election and if one candidate does not get 50 percent of the vote, the top two face off in a general election.
Below are important dates for this election:
Early voting:
First Election: November 27, 2021 – December 7, 2021
Vote by Mail Send Dates for First Election:
October 28 – November 24, 2021
Election Dates:
First Election: December 7, 2021
Can’t recall all the dates? No problem. Go to Vote411.org to verify your voter registration status, read the candidate questionnaire responses and keep up with important election dates.
HEALTH CARE COMMITTEE REPORT
Our local Health Care Committee is looking for one or two people to chair or co-chair the local committee through the next legislative session. This will be a busy year, as a number of healthcare-related bills have already been filed by our legislature, and we are hoping to keep this committee active to support advocacy and education during the coming months. If you are interested, or have any questions, please contact Lanelle Phillmon at lwvjaxfc@gmail.com.
| | | November Lunch and Learn Replay Available
Last month’s featured speaker in our Lunch and Learn series was Sarah Clark from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She shared data about suicide and ways to recognize suicide ideation. In case you missed it, you can access a recording on our YouTube channel, HERE. | | |
| | | We can't do it without you! Please join in recognizing our returning members from last month.
Returning Members—Thank you so much for choosing to renew!
- Marlene Fogarty
- Susan Rogers
- Mary Alice Phelan
- Barbara Gubbin
- Suzanne Martin
- Kay McKenna
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Be sure to check out our new website, lwvjaxfc.org, with an easy way to join or renew online, even if you prefer to pay by check. Click on the blue "Join Today" button at the top of the Homepage.
Members who wish to renew must log in. If you are using a Mobile device, you will need to select Desktop at the bottom of your screen to receive the Login prompt.
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We wish to acknowledge and thank those who have made donations this month:
- Deb Miller
- Dr. and Mrs.Myron Rosenfeld
- Shira Schwam-Baird
- Suzanne Martin
- Deborah M. Azcuy
- Joann Leimberg
- Mae Jones
- Karen Droege
Be sure to check out our new website, lwvjaxfc.org, with an easy way to make donations to LWVJFC online, even if you prefer to pay by check. Click on the red "Donate" button at the top of the Homepage. | | |
Volunteers Always Needed
Quite often, our League needs volunteers to help with small tasks that are not time consuming but vital to our leadership and membership.
If you are willing to help make phone calls, be trained to send text messages, or assist in other ways, please contact us and let us help you figure out how to invest your time in our League and our democracy.
Contact Lanelle at lwvjaxfc@gmail.com to discuss topics and abilities.
For more specific volunteer tasks, click HERE. | | Local
Stay up-to-date on all local upcoming events on the LWV of Jacksonville / First Coast website and Facebook page.
Regional
The Regional Facebook Group, LWV Florida North Region Leagues, includes Alachua, Bay, Jacksonville/First Coast, Okaloosa & Walton, Pensacola Bay Area, and Tallahassee. | | | Contact Us
We look forward to hearing from you!
Phone: 904-355-8683
Email: LWVJAXFC@gmail.com
Facebook:
Like and Follow our Facebook page, League of Women Voters Jacksonville First Coast.
Postal Address:
Please use this address regardless of any forms or documents to the contrary.
League of Women Voters Jacksonville First Coast
PO Box 330353
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233 | | | | The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active participation in government. We influence public policy through education and advocacy. | | |
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