League Bulletin

April President's Letter

2008-04-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Dear League Members,

We’ve had a busy couple of months as we approach the end of an interesting year. First and foremost, the LWVUS has adopted its position on immigration. Please take a moment to review the immigration position on the website, lwv.org. Thanks again to all members of our league who participated in the process of coming to consensus by attending and voicing their opinion at our immigration consensus meeting.

Once again, we are assisting the town registrars in registering high school students to vote. Registration day at New Canaan High School is May 20th. If you’d like to volunteer to help register the students, please contact Janet Davis.

A committee of the board has been busy reviewing our bylaws. In the next few days, you should receive a copy of the LWVNC’s bylaws, either by email or by regular mail. The revised bylaws have been approved by the board and will be presented at our annual meeting for your approval. Changes to the bylaws have been highlighted for your convenience.

Finally, our annual meeting is just around the corner. The meeting, which will be held May 13th at the Country Club of New Canaan, will feature speaker Gina McCarthy, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. It promises to be a very interesting program! You will receive the Call to the Annual Meeting in the mail shortly. Save the date on your calendar, send in your RSVP, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Kathryn Tohir
President
New Canaan League of Women Voters

Time to Renew Your Membership

2008-04-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Good News! Our membership numbers just keep on growing. We have seven new or returning members: Peg Bull, Aviva Kesselman, Jean Suidan, Charles Gallo, Cynthia Stix, Gail Lavielle, and Suzan Wirth. Contact information is listed below. Please look for and welcome our newest members at our next program meeting and at the LWVNC Annual Meeting in May.

Our Leagues membership year runs from July 1 till June 30. Next month is the beginning of our League’s membership renewal drive. All League members will get a renewal form in the mail. When it comes please fill out the contact information on the form (click here to view the form) and a check for your dues, and mail both to the LWVNC at our P.O. Box 383. We have two categories: Regular dues at $60 and Supporting dues at $75. If you would like to give an extra contribution to the League for a tax deduction, you need to make out a separate check to the LWVNC Education Fund. It is important to note that our Local League keeps only $16.70 of the membership dues. All Leagues are required to contribute $26.80 per member to the LWVUS and $16.50 to the LWVCT every year. Your financial support is important to our efforts in New Canaan. It provides the means for our local League programs, Candidate Night Forums, the annual town-wide mailing of the Know Your Reps brochure, and civic programs in our schools. Watch for our mailing and respond promptly!!

Thank you.
Ruth Laird, Membership co-chair

Calendar and Programs

2008-04-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

April 23 - "Promise to Policy - the Next 100 Days" - Come and hear our three new selectmen discuss the issues that are coming up: e.g. an Ice Rink at Waveny, Conservation Commission, etc. and bring your questions. The meeting will be held at Lapham Center at noon. To make lunch reservations, call Lapham Center, 594-3620, before noon on Friday, April 18th, or you can "Brown Bag" it. The program will begin at 12:45 PM.

May 13 - LWVNC ANNUAL MEETING AND LUNCHEON to be held at the Country Club of New Canaan. The business meeting will begin at 10:00 AM, Wine/Cash Bar 11:30 AM, Luncheon at noon and our Program with Speaker Gina Mc Carthy, Chairman of the CT Department of Environmental Protection, will begin at 12:45 PM. The cost is $35. Guests are welcome to come for lunch or they can come after lunch to hear the speaker. Please call Karin Naill, 966-4370, if you're coming for the Program only.

Mrs. McCarthy's topic will be "Meeting the Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century". Her department is the state agency with primary responsibility for protecting CT's environment, natural resources and wildlife and for maintaining CT's State Parks and forests. More details are in the blue booklet "The Call to Annual Meeting," which you should have received in the mail.

Please mail your check and luncheon menu choice to LWVNC, P.O. Box 383, by May 8th.

May 20 - Student Voter Registration at the High School. There are 2 shifts - 10 to 11:30 AM and 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Call Janet Davis, 972-5709, and volunteer if you would like to help with this enjoyable activity.

September 21 - Mark your calendars now for our wonderful Modern House Tour, our fund-raiser for the year. Tickets are $100 each. Reserve your place early by sending your check to LWV, P.O. Box 383. Volunteers are needed. Please call Peggy Dannemann, 966-7575, if you can help with this special and popular event!

Membership Update

2008-04-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome New Members!

Peg Bull
118 Adams Lane
966-7737
PegRBull@aol.com

Gail Laviell
5134 Avalon Drive East
H: 966-4736 O: 832-3806
gaillaviell@aol.com

Charles Gallo
59 Hawthorne Road
966-0894

Cynthia Stix
600 Oenoke Ridge Road
966-6950

Jean Suidan
291 South Bald Hill Road
966-1282
jean@suidan.com

Aviva Kesselman
213 Hickok Road
966- 5652

Suzan Wirth
11 Sleepy Hollw Road
972-9411
operazan@aol.com

Correction: Please change “Jane Walsh” to “Anne Walsh”
966-3262, alw456@aol.com

See Broadway/Off-Broadway Shows and Support LWV

2008-04-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

The LWV Connecticut is pleased to announce a partnership with Jujamcyn Theaters that provides members and friends the opportunity to both give and get: they can give to LWVCT Education Fund as they get special discounts on theater tickets. Click here for details.

President's Letter

2008-01-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all and Happy New Year! It's time to get down to business with our upcoming Consensus Meeting on Immigration. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss and respond to a number of questions on immigration posed by the LWVUS in order to help the LWVUS understand its members' philosophy on immigration so that it may lobby accordingly when the time comes.

I sent all of you a Consensus Preparation Kit, provided by Helen Campbell and Karin Naill, Co-Chairmen of the New Canaan LWV Immigration Study Group. It contains a great deal of information about immigration, which will prepare you to participate at the meeting It also includes the questions set forth by the LWVUS. Please read the material carefully before attending the meeting as there will be no presentation at the meeting itself.

The meeting will take place Wednesday, January 23rd at 12:45 p.m. At the Lapham Community Center. There is an optional lunch preceding the meeting at noon, for which you must make reservations. Reservations may be made by calling 594-3620 before noon on Friday, January 18th. We ask that you refrain from bringing guests to this meeting, as only League members may participate in the Consensus process. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Kathryn Tohir

FERC's Position on the Broadwater Facility

2008-01-12T09:21:00.000-08:00

LWVCT President Cheryl Dunston reports that The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a press release January 11, which states the Broadwater Liquid Natural Gas Facility proposed for Long Island Sound would have minimal impact. Click here to read the full release.

The League's testimony on FERC's draft environmental impact statement offers arguments against building the natural gas storage gas facility in the Sound. Ms. Dunston affirms that the League, working in partnership with the Sound Alliance, will continue to oppose the Broadwater proposal.

January Eco-Tip

2008-01-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

Don't throw out those old catalogs yet. There’s a nifty website called Catalog Choice that enables you to opt out of receiving catalogues you don’t want. Here’s how: gather up all of your unwanted catalogs. Go to www.catalogchoice.org/signup. After a simple registration, search the list for the catalog name, enter your customer number found near your address (that’s why you need the catalog itself) and select “decline.” In about 10 weeks, you’ll notice a lighter load in your mailbox. After you register at Catalog Choice, you can return to the website when you receive other unwanted, unsolicited catalogs.

Here’s another idea: Some companies such as LL Bean and Land’s End send many catalogs that don’t differ much. You can call the 800 customer service number and ask to receive only the four seasonal catalogs. If you have an eco tip to share, send it to Helen Campbell helencampbell@optonline.net.

Calendar and Programs

2008-01-12T07:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday, January 13: The LWV Divas were invited to perform selections from the Holiday Party Musical "New Canaan: It's Almost Perfect" for the Opening Celebration of Staying Put in New Canaan (SPNC) at 2:00 p.m. at St. Mark's Church.

Wednesday, January 23: Consensus Meeting on Immigration at the Lapham Community Center. Background information about this national-level study is available at http://www.lwv.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=LWVUSImmigrationStudy. Only members of the LWVNC can participate in this consensus meeting. Lunch at noon, program begins at 12:45. You can bring a brown bag lunch or buy lunch for $3. Call 594-3620 by Friday, January 18 to make a reservation.

Monday, February 4: LWV Board and Program Planning Meeting. Board meeting begins at 9 a.m. Program Planning for our local league and a discussion of LWVUS issues begins at 10 a.m. in the Plaut Room of the New Canaan Library.

Wednesday, March 19: General Meeting: Innovation in Education in New Canaan Public Schools. Dr. Abbey goes beyond the budget message to talk about new initiatives and innovative programs in our schools. Lunch at noon, program begins at 12:45. You can bring a brown bag lunch or buy lunch for $3. Call 594-3620 by Friday, March 14 to make a reservation.

Wednesday, April 23: General Meeting: Selectmen's First 100 Days. Jeb Walker, Rob Mallozzi and Sally Hines join us to talk about their work as Selectmen. Lunch at noon, program begins at 12:45. You can bring a brown bag lunch or buy lunch for $3. Call 594-3620 by Friday, April 18 to make a reservation.

Tuesday, May 13: LWV Annual Meeting at the Country Club of New Canaan. Save the date!

LWV Committee Reports

2008-01-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

Sleep Study Committee - Sue Stone reports that Jane Himmel is writing a column in the Advertiser each month. Four articles have already been published to educate readers about the important issue of adolescent sleep. We hope that school start times will be addressed again in the future by the school administration.

Nominating Committee - Calling all potential board members! The League needs you to step up and be part of the action. Anyone interested in becoming a member of New Canaan LWV board should contact Nominating Chair, Anne Ward at 966-7885 or rsward@optonline.net.

Finance Committee - For the first time in a long time our league is planning an appeal mailing to raise funds for some of our activities. If you can help with this important task, especially with developing a mailing list, please contact .....

Modern House Tour Committee - Karin Naill is putting a committee together to plan our next Modern House Tour fundraiser that we want to have this fall. If you would like to help, call Karin at 966-4370.

Membership Update

2008-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Please welcome the newest members to our League:

Patricia Stoddard (Pat)
120 Bayberry Road
966-2301 (No E-Mail)

Kira Brandman
226 Sleepy Hollow Road
966-0830
ksbrandman@yahoo.com

Carolyn Downey
54 Rosebrook Road
594-1404
carolyngreenwich@gmail.com

Carol French
85 Locust Avenue
801-9939
Cell - 857-272-4430
(No E-Mail)

Also please change the E-Mail address for
Eloise Killeffer – ehpk1@att.net
Carlyn Tiefenthaler - cartief@sbcglobal.net
And Ruth Laird - rylaird@yahoo.com

Open Meeting on Immigration

2007-11-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, November 14 at Lapham Community Center at noon. Join us with a brown bag lunch with beverage to hear our speaker, Paul Pimentel, on the topic of "U.S. Immigration - The Search for Solutions" at 1:00.

Mr. Pimentel has been an aide to Congressman Christopher Shays since 1997, and currently serves as his District Director and Deputy Chief of Staff. In addition to overseeing the Bridgeport and Stamford constituent offices, he is Senior Advisor to the Congressman on local and state issues, including energy and the environment, transportation, urban development and the economy. Prior to returning to Connnecticut in 2002, Paul was Senior Legislative Assistant in Congressman Shays' Washington D.C. office, handling a variety of policy issues including campaign finance reform, environment, immigration, transportation and trade. A Stamford native, Paul majored in International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania.

Some Connecticut towns and cities are issuing identity cards and welcoming illegal immigrants, as is the case in New Haven. Yale law students are doing pro-bono work defending some immigrants against deportation. Danbury, on the other hand, is arresting and deporting illegal immigrants with the help of the Federal government. Learn what can be done at this important and informative meeting.

LWVNC Holiday Luncheon

2007-11-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 10th at noon. Join us for this annual event where we honor women serving in Town Government. The songsters are busy working on this year's entertainment under Kit Devereaux's clever guidance. Look for your invitation in the mail.

Membership Update

2007-11-06T13:42:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to welcome Sandy Arnold to the LWVNC. Please add her name to your handbook. Her address is P.O. Box # 1207, New Canaan. Phone: 966-5485
E-Mail - sandy@lawrence-arnold.com
Also please change Regina Todd's address to # 29 Green Avenue, New Canaan. Phone: 594-1691 (E mail address and cell phone stay the same).

Sleep Study Report

2007-11-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

The importance of sleep is in the news and on our community’s agenda.

The media was filled with major stories about sleep in October, from Reader’s Digest cover story, “The Magic Power of Sleep,” to The New York Times devoting its entire science section to the subject. New York magazine captured national attention with its “Snooze or Lose” story on the impact of sleep deprivation on adolescents, while NBC Nightly News and NPR also posted in-depth reports.

In our town, the Board of Education has agreed to keep sleep in mind. At press time, the motion before it would not change school start times, but would engage in community awareness efforts about sleep and incorporate sleep education in the curriculum.

The public forum held on October 1st was well-attended, and was a good start to what we hope will be an ongoing community dialogue about the obstacles preventing our adolescents from getting sufficient sleep and finding ways to help them stay healthy in a challenging world.

We hope you’ve seen the League’s own columns in The Advertiser about this topic. Our series on “sleep and adolescent health” began in September and will run the first week each month.

Going forward, the need to combat this serious public health issue will become increasingly evident, as scientists continue to make new connections between how much sleep we get and how well our bodies and minds perform. As Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Lawrence Epstein has said, “the link between sleep and health, and bad sleep and disease, is becoming clearer and clearer.”

Although we are disappointed that a change in school start times may not occur at present, the League will advocate for a continued look at the logistical options in the future. In schools that have moved to a later bell, the students are getting more sleep.

Consensus Meeting on Immigration

2007-11-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars! On January 23rd our League will hold a Consensus Meeting, led by Susan LaPerla, to discuss the Consensus Questions developed by the National LWV. Our answers will be submitted to the National League to be tabulated with the answers from Leagues all over the United States. The questions cover the following subjects: 1. What criteria federal laws should consider; 2. How illegal immigrants should be treated; 3. What federal immigration law should cover; and 4. How federal immigration law should be enforced.

Report on Candidates' Night

2007-11-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

The Candidates' Debate sponsored by the LWV and the New Canaan Advertiser was held on October 25th at the Lapham Community Center. It was highly successful with an SRO crowd of some 130 people including high school students, seniors and everyone in between. John Kovach, Editor of the New Canaan Advertiser, was thrilled with the turnout and believed it to be the largest and liveliest crowd to date for this event. Paul Sedlak videotaped the event which will air on Channel 79 starting Tuesday, October 30th for one week. Special thanks to Susan LaPerla, our excellent moderator who kept the program running on schedule, and to our expert screeners, timers and all those who helped with the great refreshments and the crowd. Janet Davis and Anne Grieves - Co-Chairmen

Welcome to Our Online Bulletin

2007-09-12T18:45:00.000-07:00

September 2007: Beginning this month we are publishing our Bulletin as a webpage. Doing so will save us time in the writing and mailing of it, as well as the costs associated with printing and mailing. This webpage is a blog, which means you can comment on the articles. These comments are moderated. The editors will see them before they are published to the webpage. So if you want to make a comment "off the record," or if it's something only the editors needs to know, indicate that in your comment. Helen and I hope you find this new format useful--feel free to comment on that as well! - Susan

A Message From Our President

2007-09-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Our newly elected LWVNC President, Kathryn Tohir, wanted league members to know that she is on medical leave and cannot take on the responsibilities of her new job at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with her for a complete and speedy recovery and we hope that she will be able to rejoin our group as she plans to in January. Get well soon, Kathryn. We are all cheering for you.

League Calendar - Upcoming Events

2007-09-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 17: BOE Workshop on School Start Times, 7:30 p.m at the High School.
Wednesday, September 19: Update on P & Z Open Meeting at the Lapham Center. Lunch at noon with a reservation (594-3620), program at 1 p.m.
Saturday, September 29: Demonstration of new voting machines at the Library from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Call Janet Davis, 972-5709, if you can help.
Monday, October 1: LWVNC Board Meeting, 9:30 in the Plaut Room, New Canaan Library.
BOE Public Forum on School Start Times, 7:30 p.m. at the High School.
Thursday, October 18: Meet the Candidates Night, 7 p.m. at the New Canaan Library.
Monday, November 5: LWVNC Board Meeting, 9:30 in the Plaut Room, New Canaan Library.
Tuesday, November 6: Election Day - VOTE!
Wednesday, November 14: Open Meeting on Immigration at 1 p.m. No lunch that day.

Welcome New Members

2007-09-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

The League would like to welcome our newest members:
Betty Croke, Alicia Eppler, Gwynne Pfeifer, Penny Rashin, Maria Rutan, and Anne Walsh. To our newest members-we look forward to seeing you at meetings and hope you will get involved in one or more of our committees. All members-look for the new directory scheduled for mailing later this month.

School Start Times

2007-09-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

Now is the time! After four years of hard work on the part of our School Start Time Study Group the Board of Education is holding a workshop on changing school start times on Monday, September 17. The results of their data collection and deliberations will be presented at this public meeting. Then on Monday, October 1, the BOE will hold a public forum on school start times. Both of these meetings begin at 7:30 at New Canaan High School. Please come to one or both of these meetings to show your support for our dedicated League members, who worked so long to see this dialogue take place.

P & Z Program

2007-09-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

An update on planning and zoning will be the subject of a panel discussion with Laslo Papp, P & Z Chairman; Steve Kleppin, Town Planner; and Chuck Berman, Chairman of the NC Housing Authority. The meeting is scheduled for September 19 at 1 p.m. at the Lapham Center, following lunch at noon (594-3620 to make a luncheon reservation.) Mr. Papp will discuss recent changes in zoning regulations; Mr. Kleppin, what he sees "going on in New Canaan" and the Downtown Study implications; and Mr. Berman, the proposed changes to the affordable housing units on Millport Avenue. A Q & A period will follow the speakers' presentations.

Meet the Candidates Night

2007-09-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, October 18, the League will host Meet the Candidates Night at 7 p.m. in the Lamb Room at the New Canaan Library. Candidates running in contested races for First Selectman, Selectman, and Town Council will be present to answer your questions. Plan to attend this important event. Look for our Voter's Guide in the New Canaan Advertiser the week before Election Day, November 6.

On Saturday, September 29, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Library Republican Registrar of Voters, Robert Schafter and Democratic Registrar, George Cody, will be demonstrating the new electronic voting machines. Please call Janet Davis 972-5709 if you can volunteer to help sometime during the day.

Update on Immigration

2007-09-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, November 14, our League will hold an open meeting for the public on the topic of immigration featuring Congressman Christopher Shays and Paul Pimentel, 4th Congressional District Director at 1 p.m. at the Lapham Center.

Our League's Immigration Study Group has been meeting since June to investigate the immigration issue, which is hotly contested at the local, state, and national levels.

Guest speakers at these meetings have included Carola Bracco, Executive Director of Links in Mt. Kisco, an organization that works to educate, empower and employ recent immigrants; Bob Kucinda, a student advisor for Youth Leadership at Brien McMahon High School, seeking to understand the challenges immigrants face; and Ruth McGill, and ESL teacher for NCPS, who spoke about her experience with non-English speaking students and families in New Canaan. League members from neighboring communities also attended these meetings.

As a result of the work of this 18-member study group, our League proposes to write a series of articles over the next three months exploring such topics as the values and principles underlying current immigration policy and the impact of immigration on American society.

Leagues all over the US are undertaking a 2-year LWVUS Immigration Study aimed at helping communities understand the complexities of the issue in order to make informed policy decisions. National study materials can be viewed at lwvus.org.