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| The Nashville Voter
Volume 77, No 6
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| Welcome to this issue of the LWVN Voter. You'll notice that the Emma page design allows you to access the LWVN Calendar by pressing a button at the top of the page!
Please note, you can increase your screen size within your personal information manager (i.e., Microsoft Outlook). In the Microsoft Outlook Message Bar at the top of the e-mail page, choose "Other Actions'' and then in the dropdown menu choose "Zoom." The Zoom window allows you to increase the file size; try 140% for easier onscreen reading.
Also, please note that if you want to share/forward this newsletter to others, you MUST click on the envelope icon at the upper right side of this emailed version.
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President's Message
It was wonderful to see so many of you at the annual meeting! Here are some of the highlights of the meeting:
- We approved the new slate of officers for the board.
- We heard from current board members about some of the important work they are doing around voter services and community engagement in Nashville.
- Kathy Anderson shared about how the voter services committee met with focus groups of young people to get feedback and ideas for getting out the vote.
- Sabina Mohyuddin shared about a recent presentation to new citizens about voting. Joey Keene of the Nashville Center for Empowerment asked Sabina to talk to their class about elections.
- We heard from Debby Gould, president of the League of Women Voters Tennessee (LWVTN) about what happened over the past year with the state league. She explained that there was a new waiver for voter registrations that can be found here.
- We heard about initiatives for the upcoming year such as in-person events and work on getting out the vote in 2024.
As I shared at the meeting, beginning in January 2025 the national LWV is going to begin using a new system for membership and dues. Beginning in 2025, when it is time for you to renew your membership, you will do so through this new system. We voted on some changes to help facilitate this change including updating the by-laws to reflect this change. We also voted to raise dues to $75 since that will be the suggested membership price.
Our membership drive will be starting soon, and you will receive email reminders, soon! We hope that you will continue to join us in our mission of encouraging informed and active participation of citizens in government!
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Molly Todd Award to Ethel DetchBy Susan Mattson
The Molly Todd award recognizes an LWV Nashville member for providing leadership and service to both the league and voters. Molly Todd was a “feisty woman” who pushed the boundaries of citizen advocacy in public policy. She was a reformer who never held public office. Instead she built alliances between like-minded organizations to target reforms on major public challenges including overcrowded schools, integration, library services, and child welfare. She was an “activist for the public good.” She also helped invigorate the LWV of Nashville in 1948 to help her advocate for change.
At the LWVN Annual Meeting on June 23, 2024, this year’s award went to another “feisty woman” - Ethel Detch. Ethel devoted her 35+ year career in Tennessee State Government to improving government services. She produced as well as directed hundreds of non-partisan research studies for the Tennessee General Assembly on a wide range of policy issues including public education, social services, environment, health care, courts, and criminal justice. Her office had a major impact in developing fiscal notes on the cost of proposed legislation on local governments as well as analyzing and commenting on the State Budget annually. A motto of her work was “to speak truth to power” and that she did exceptionally well. She was respected among Tennessee state and local government leadership as well as non-profit agencies.
As a League member for many, many years, Ethel has stepped up to work on voter services, First Friday presentations, and as the league’s secretary to name a few. She graciously agreed to step in to fill a void in secretary in the past year and has agreed to stay on. She is a “go to” person to help develop positions for LWVTN Advocacy issues. Her wealth of knowledge on government finance, programs, and policy issues has been a true asset for the league.
Most importantly, Ethel really cares about people and improving government services to the betterment of all citizens. She is a strong proponent of equity and social justice achieved by people listening to each other and groups working together to address our shared goals.
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Metro Council
By Pat McCauley and Karen Hernan
VOTING/ ELECTIONS
The Election Commission is now accepting absentee ballot requests for the August election through July 25th. Save the picture below to keep upcoming voting dates in mind:
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Healthcare/Public Health
By Constance Caldwell and Clare Sullivan
New Co-Chairs Announcement
Constance Caldwell and Clare Sullivan, previous co-chairs of the Public Health Portfolio committee, are pleased to announce that Harper-Grace Niedermeyer and Patti Scott will be assuming the co-chair positions in July.
Patti Scott has decades of clinical experience as an acute care pediatric nurse and later as a primary care nurse practitioner. She was instrumental in establishing some of the first school-based health centers in Nashville, and still serves as a school health nursing consultant. She also obtained a DNP in nursing practice and served in senior administrative positions in both the Arkansas and Tennessee Departments of Health before her recent retirement.
Co-Chair Harper-Grace Niedermeyer, LMSW currently directs the Zero Suicide Initiative for Mental Health America of the Mid-South. She previously worked in the Tennessee Department of Health Office of Strategic Initiatives, and has done clinical work with the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Mental Health Cooperative. They bring exceptional clinical and policy expertise to our committee.
Our committee expects to continue work on reproductive health and justice, expanding health care coverage and access, and gun safety issues in collaboration with other local and state organizations. We welcome LWVNashville members to join us.
These new laws impacting Tennessee healthcare take effect July 1
Starting July 1, over 200 new laws will take effect in Tennessee, including several impacting healthcare. While some legislation, such as the bill allowing armed teachers, took immediate effect upon Governor Bill Lee's signature, many healthcare-related laws are now set to be implemented. Click here to learn more.
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Voter Services
By Kathryn Anderson and Kalen Russell
Attending community events that attract young people was a common theme from our spring focus groups. Last month we began putting the focus group ideas into action as we started to outline our summer voter registration and #GOTV efforts. We are planning to host multiple voter registration tables throughout summer at public libraries and community centers with heavy foot traffic.
If you are interested in serving on the Voter Services committee, please send an email expressing your interest to lwvnash@gmail.com. Work with Voter Services committee to:
- Help register voters
- Help identify and organize voter registration event
- Help inform voters about the overall civic proces
- Help communicate with voters on issues and how to take action
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Environment
By Russanne Buchi-Fotre and Jack McFadden
In May, the White Pine Solar Farm in White Pine, TN launched with a 2.8 Megawatt capacity; enough to power 400 homes. The project is a joint venture of REI and Intuit. In addition, Silicon Ranch and Middle TN Electric are partnering to develop a 110 megawatt solar farm in Cumberland County; to open in 2027.
Metro’s Zero Waste initiative is sponsoring a pilot in 12 schools to collect scraps for composting. Schools were required to have consent of the Principal to participate. An announcement is coming soon to announce the 12 winning schools. Composting should not add to costs of disposal of waste, if schools are recycling. Schools that collected data from previous efforts learned that they cut their solid waste headed for the landfill by more than half which could offset the cost of trash collection, making composting affordable.
An initiative in the beginning stages, sponsored by the Mayor's Sustainability Leader, Kendra Abkowitz, will explore ways to rescue perfectly good food from the trash and allow it to go to the hungry. Initially there will be brainstorming of strategies for recommended adoption by MNPS across its schools to ensure that unused and unopened food and beverage items can be returned to a climate controlled environment and reused for future meals or redistributed.
Metro Water Services is accepting applications for the Fall 2024 “Citizens’ Water Academy”. This is an opportunity to learn how our water is treated, and includes several tours of MWS facilities. The application form is available at Citizen's Water Academy Application Form.
Registration is open for the Nashville Transit Citizen Leadership Academy - an eight-session program on regional transit issues led by industry experts and leading professionals - that provides program participants the knowledge and tools to become thought and policy leaders on the vital role of transit in the region today and into the future.
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Hot Topics
By Karen Wieckert and Melissa Hanson
As a reminder, we will NOT host a July Hot Topic due to the holiday. We're back on August 2.
Joseph Clark, Director of the Just Us your program at The Oasis Center in Nashville, was the featured speaker at the June 7 Hot Topic. The Just Us program provides a number of positive youth development programs and mental health services that focus exclusively on LGBTQ+ middle and high school students throughout Middle Tennessee. The Center provides a safe and affirming space for celebrating identity, building community, and provides an opportunity for participants to express themselves authentically while learning important skills and identifying resources to safeguard their mental well-being while navigating their unique journeys into adulthood.
Clark shares sobering statistics gathered via MNPS surveys and the GLSEN organization, that reveal that 76% of LGBTQ+ students reported having faced harassment because of their identity, expression or orientation. Nearly two-thirds of LGBTQ+ students don't report harassment because they fear retaliation or lack of resolution.
Nearly half of LGBTQ+ students miss a day (or more) of school because they don't feel safe there. This leads to negative impacts on grades and further isolates kids who are already struggling.
Additionally, 40% LGBTQ+ students experience homelessness because their parents have thrown them out due to their identity.
The Just Us program offers individual therapeutic counseling through on-site licensed mental health care providers, emergency food pantry and clothes closet items, and the only Youth Emergency Shelter Service in Tennessee. Last year they served 3500 at-risk youth.
Clark provides Certified LGBTQ+ Equity & Inclusion Specialist training to MPNS schools, foster care parents and organization staff, Juvenile Justice personnel and Open & Affirming School Libraries to raise awareness and increase understanding of the challenges faced by this youth population. Nationally, 484 different bills were introduced across the United States that are detrimental to the LGBTQ+ communities; over 40 were introduced in Tennessee this past session.
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Membership
By Reba Holmes
Welcome New and Returning Members
With great delight, we announce and welcome our new and returning members that joined the Nashville League of Women Voters. It is our privilege to welcome these individuals to the organization.
We are grateful to these members and all our members that support the League’s activities, programs, and underwriting.
We Are Looking for Volunteers
We are thrilled to announce that we are establishing a Membership Committee to provide guidance during the annual membership drive and develop other vital membership-related programs. We invite you to join the new committee to serve as membership communication lead, recruiting lead, social media lead, etc.
Committee Job Description:
- The committee will provide a strategic vision to increase membership, focusing on effective, comprehensive growth, new member integration, and membership retention.
- Develop a program designed to mentor new members, specifically young adult members.
- Increase awareness regarding the League throughout our community by working with other portfolio managers to develop a communication and outreach program.
- Develop annual renewal implementation procedures, timeline, communication, and follow-up.
- Develop a strategy to recruit potential members across various demographics.
- Work in partnership with other portfolio managers, e.g., Voter Services, Education, Metro Council, etc.
Meeting Schedule: The initial meeting will be held via Zoom. We will meet a minimum of once a month after the first meeting.
If you are interested in serving on the committee, please send an email expressing your interest to lwvnash@gmail.com
Share Your Comments
We want to hear from you. Share your comments regarding in the League of Women Voters, Protecting Voting Rights, Fairness in Voting, etc. Email your comments to lwvnash@gmail.com.
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| Stay Informed about Upcoming Calendar Events!
If you get the electronic version of the Voter, we want you to know that the upcoming calendar events are available on our wonderful, new website – www.lwvnashville.org. On The calendar scrolls on the events of the current and upcoming events thanks to Tracy Depp, who keeps the calendar current. If you haven’t taken a look, do so to make sure you mark your calendar so you won’t miss a thing!
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ATTENTION: The Nashville Voter is a digital publication. If you have received this copy of the Voter in the mail, it means the League of Women Voters of Nashville does not have an e-mail address for you. Please help us by sending your e-mail address to LWVNash@gmail.com. Being on the LWVN e-mail database ensures your receipt of all LWVN newsletters, event invitations, meeting announcements, and Call to Action alerts.
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| 2023-2024 LWVN Board of Directors
Co-Presidents: Lara Webb
1st Vice Presidents: Melissa Hanson and Karen Weickert
Secretary: Elise Lamar
Treasurer Susan Mattson
Portfolio Chairs
Communications: Ophelia Doe
Community Connections: Sabina Mohyuddin
Education: Harper-Grace Niedermeyer and Patricia Brock
Environment: Russanne Buchi-Fotre and Jack McFadden
Health Care/Public Health: Constance Caldwell and Clare Sullivan
Membership: Reba Holmes
Metro Government: Pat McCauley and Karen Hernan
Voter Services: Kathryn Anderson and Kalen Russell
Williamson County Representative: June Bond
Nominating Committee Chair: Senator Brenda Gilmore
Nominating Committee Members: Betsy Walkup, Constance Caldwell, Hasina Mohyuddin, June Bond, and Brenda Wynn
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