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League Activities Review May 09 to April 10

The President’s Report of League Activities from May ’09 to April ’10 by Deborah Nelson

We've had a very busy year & it's hard to believe 12 months have passed since our last membership meeting.

The Pensacola Bay Area League turns 60 this year, the same year we celebrate the U.S. League's 90 th Birthday. As we mark our own 60 year milestone, we should be very proud of our role in continuing the League legacy as grassroots advocates for good government.

As a brief historical recap: The League of Women Voters is a direct descendent of American women's fight to gain that most basic element of equality, a voice at the ballot box. It took about 150 years for American women to achieve what the legendary suffragist Susan B. Anthony called “the pivotal right.” In the years before the 19 th Amendment, a group called The National American Women's Suffrage Association was the most prominent advocate for women's suffrage. In 1920, after the 19 th amendment was finally ratified, the group changed its name and became the League of Women Voters.

The League of Women Voters was created by visionary women like Ms. Anthony to help newly enfranchised citizens carry out their full civic responsibilities. Almost a century later, the League's mission to make that happen is as timely as ever. Although the membership and the issues have changed over time, our work at the local level to advocate for citizens' rights and good government remains more relevant than ever.

That work is twofold: it includes citizen education as well as direct advocacy. In the past year, the Pensacola Bay Area League has influenced a range of key public issues and policies.

On the advocacy side, our League has been very busy:

Right after last year's Annual Meeting, we were asked by the 32d Biennial League of Women Voters of Florida Convention to draft a letter to Governor Crist asking him to veto some bad growth management legislation. Those efforts were partially successful, and the Governor did end up vetoing a portion of the legislation that would have weakened growth management laws.

May 09: Last May we also spoke before the Escambia Planning Board on the subject of growth management. The concern was that changes to Escambia 's Comprehensive Plan would reduce its future usability as a guide to smart growth planning. We urged them to establish a strong Transfer of Development Rights program and urban boundaries to contain and guide existing development patterns, using County Road 196 as a guide.

June 09: As a follow up a month later, our letter to the editor on the same issue was published in the local newspaper. In it, we reiterated the importance of having a longstanding vision to curb local urban sprawl, reduce taxpayer growth costs, and preserve north-county farmland. We will continue to encourage local governments to support strategies that guide future growth along community-oriented, environmentally sound development patterns.

July 09: In July of last year, our Letter to the Editor on health care reform emphasized the U.S. League's support of a strong public option. Unfortunately, that element didn't appear in the reform bill that passed, and we'll continue to monitor the effects of the new health reform as it impacts our local community.

July 09: Last Summer we spoke to the City Council regarding the City Charter development process. We had ongoing concerns about the process itself. The Charter Commission was directed by the City to first review, and then if necessary, change the existing charter. We told the Commission it wasn't clear that a comprehensive review of the existing charter, in fact took place. We asked for documentation on where the existing charter fell short, and how the new version corrected specific existing problems.

July 09: Also last July, we wrote the Santa Rosa Board of Commissioners to urge they approve a test public transit service in Santa Rosa County . I'm pleased to report the Santa Rosa Board did end up approving that program, and it is currently operational.

Aug 09: In August, I had the privilege of representing the League at a Federal Woman's program talk at NAS Pensacola. I emphasized League education and advocacy work and urged the young sailors in the audience, men and women, to exercise Susan B. Anthony's pivotal right to vote. We will, of course, continue to promoting voter registration and participation as this year's election season picks up.

Aug 09: By August, we were ready to put our Charter comments into writing for the City. As most of you probably know, our League has been following Pensacola 's Charter review process since its inception. In fact, it was League concerns about the City's existing referendum process that initiated the move to rewrite the Charter in the first place. Sharon Barnett has been monitoring and participating in the Charter review process from the start. Sharon 's work has entailed hours of public meetings, along with many pages of original analysis and commentary. We can all be very proud of the community impact Sharon 's efforts on behalf of the League have made. The charter, which voters of course eventually passed, was designed with a major change in Pensacola government from a Council-Manager format to a “strong mayor” structure. As the process was winding down, our League reiterated a need to explain the policy rationale behind recommendations to switch to a strong mayor and made numerous other recommendations including an official ethics code.

Oct 09: On the environmental front, in October, we drafted a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers expressing our concern over a proposed test project at Santa Rosa Shores . Those efforts were spearheaded by Frances Dunham, without whose interest the issue would have gone unnoticed. The project would transplant delicate seagrass beds in order to open up an environmentally sensitive area to big boat traffic. We suggested the Corps rethink the project entirely, or in lieu of that, follow specific guidelines suggested by local marine scientists and environmentalists. Our recommendations have since been incorporated into the project documentation and we will continue to monitor their implementation status in the coming year.

Feb 10: By February of this year we had new growth management concerns, revolving around the proposed makeup of a new Escambia Land Development Code Rewrite Committee. The Committee would be composed of five appointees by the BCC from the “general citizenry”, eight representatives from the development community; one League of Women Voters representative; and one appointee from the environmental community.  This proposed Committee format would appear to favor one special interest element of the public, the development lobby, potentially at the expense of other citizens, and the League published a letter to the editor to that effect. The issue's at a bit of a stalemate right now, but we'll be keeping an eye on it in coming months.

Mar 10: Our League also did some state level advocacy this year. During the Florida League Legislative Seminar, Janet DeLorge, Vivian Faircloth and I had the change to meet with Representative Greg Evers and Senator Durell Peaden while legislature was in session. We lobbied elected officials in favor of funding and moving forward with Environmental Resource permitting. We also lobbied against SB 6, which would have penalized teachers for test scores. We urged them to vote against several anti growth management bills, and against a tax bill that would have limited government's ability to raise adequate funding for key services. We also asked our representatives to get rid of various special interest sales tax exemptions that lose millions for state services each year. Despite an increasingly disappointing Legislative performance overall, the League will continue to monitor local and state issues in the coming year and try to get a jump on next year's session.

Along with our advocacy work, we had a great lineup of educational public forums this past year:

Sep 09: We kicked off the season in September with a Domestic Violence presentation. Speakers included Sheriff David Morgan; PJC Police Chief Nancy Newland, Susan Faris, an Assistant State Attorney who prosecutes domestic violence and Sadiqa Ali of the local National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Escambia and Santa Rosa have double the national rate of domestic violence related murder. Our forum explored various facets of this ongoing concern in our community. The program attracted many guests, and we appreciate the work our Social Policy Committee put into it.

Jan 29, 10: Following up on that presentation, our Social Policy Committee co hosted a domestic violence symposium at IHMC at the end of January. We were pleased to welcome speakers from the local professional and academic communities, including League member and UWF professor Rosemary Hays-Thomas. Topics included the impact of domestic violence and sexual and physical abuse on children; screening, further assessment, and factors influencing handling of clients experiencing domestic violence; and workplace-related issues of domestic violence. Our League can be especially proud of the professional caliber of the forum: attendees who so desired were able to use it for continuing education credit. Many thanks to Paula Montgomery, Rosemary Hays Thomas and our Social Policy Committee for organizing it, and we hope to be able to offer future such events in the coming year.

Oct 09: In October, after much observation, participation and recommendation, we held a membership consensus meeting on the proposed City Charter.

At that meeting, Sharon Barnett presented an analysis of the final Charter draft, along with consensus questions for members' consideration. Dr. Bill Haraway, who was the Charter Committee's original consultant, was a featured guest at that meeting to talk about the background process.

After a very spirited discussion, League members were unable to reach consensus on the proposed new document.

In the end, several members argued that Charter reform's long overdue, and we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Others countered the proposed document contained too many concerns, and perhaps should have been postponed until questions of Consolidation were resolved.

Our final lack of consensus reflects wider disagreements within the City community, itself. But it also reflects the League's careful, measured approach towards taking a position on any given issue.

The League's primary role is not necessarily to advocate one way or the other, but to provide accurate, unbiased information to voters. We can be proud of the fact that voters look to the League for our opinion as well as background facts, and it's thus vital that we build a solid case among our own members before we advocate for or against any given issue.

Despite not reaching consensus, we continued with our primary mission to provide neutral information to a wide range of voters. The goal is to help voters, who will ultimately determine the question for themselves, go to the polls as informed as possible.

Nov 09: As the Charter process was ending, Escambia Consolidation was coming to a head. We followed our October Charter forum up with a November program on Consolidation. As you may recall, last May Governor Crist signed a bill creating the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission to examine the pros and cons of a Unified Government. The Legislature allotted one League appointee to the Commission, and we sent Sharon Barnett. So Sharon ended up working on Consolidation at the same time she was involved with Charter stuff. Consolidation was drawing to a close by late Fall, and our November program featured Janet Lander , a member of the Escambia County Consolidation Study Commission, who provided a report of the progress of the commission. Although consolidation never did make it to vote, Sharon spent many hours monitoring, participating and keeping us posted on the development process.

Jan 10: In January, we turned our attention to transportation issues. We hosted a forum on transit and transportation by WFRPC's Elizabeth Fulford and Tonya Ellis; and Escambia Commissioner Gene Valentino. After the presentation, membership considered whether to adopt a transportation position formulated by Orange , Seminole and Tallahassee positions.

The Florida League currently does not have a position on mass transportation. But, they do believe that “… Florida has an infrastructure deficit and that the state service levels and quality of life are declining.” Delegates to the 2009 LWVF Convention voted to support a statewide public transportation study. Prior to the start of that study, however, all local Leagues were asked to consider concurring with the already existing Orange county League position. Ultimately, our League did. In so doing, we agreed there's a need for regional transportation authorities, a need for comprehensive, integrated and multi-modal system of transportation that will provide an effective system of Public Transit (including, but not limited to, buses, commuter and light rail, trolley) sidewalks and bikeways, and the need for Dedicated Funding Sources.

This is a significant step towards more League advocacy of smart, sustainable growth. Sustainable growth planning is designed to guide urban expansion in a controlled way that discourages sprawl and traffic jams. Public transit holds the potential to greatly enhance sustainable city growth by reducing vehicle congestion and improving pollution levels. It would also help ensure that all citizens have access to employment, especially the economically vulnerable and disabled for whom transportation issues most severely impact their ability to maintain a job and a decent living standard. Transit has also been a major quality of life enhancer for elderly and retired populations throughout the U.S. , and holds potential to bolster economic development by enhancing and improving regional transportation flow. We will continue to keep an eye on this issue in coming months as it relates to our state as well as our local community.

Feb 10: In February, we hosted Clean Water Network Executive Director Linda Young on the topic of groundwater pollution. Ms. Young made the chilling prediction that “water is the new oil,” and outlined the current battle underway for control of Florida 's water. The League has been actively involved in water issues since at least the early 1970's. Water quality and water control are concerns that will only become more pressing with time. The Clean Water Network is often the only thing standing between Florida citizens and industry pollution; and we were pleased Ms. Young was able to speak to us on this ongoing environmental concern.

Feb 10: Also in February, the Leisure Learning Society sponsored a talk by League member Fay Walker on the history of women's suffrage. The presentation included highlights of the League's historical role. I understand the forum was very well received and we thank the Society and Fay for including the League mission and issues in their presentation.

Mar 10: In March, we followed up our ground water presentation with a talk on drinking water. Our panel included an environmental working group speaker. We're very proud of the fact that the League was the only local group to bring EWG to town to discuss their negative report on local drinking water quality. The meeting, held at UWF, was very well attended and provided great information, and we thank Mary Gutierrez and our Natural Resources Committee for putting it together.

Mar 10: Later that month, Bella magazine commemorated the League's 90 th birthday with a feature story on our League, which included comments by Vivian Faircloth and Janet DeLorge on what we do as an organization. We can all be proud the League is looked on as a community institution & again, will work to continue that legacy in the coming year.

Apr 10: Also on the education front this year, we printed and distributed some 10,000 copies of our local Guide to Elected officials. We were able to do this through the generous sponsorship of Pensacola attorney Robert Kerrigan, and we're grateful to Mr. Kerrigan for contributing towards our Guide again this year.

Apr 10: Finally, just last month, we once again participated in the yearly Earth Day festivities. Our Voter Services Committee distributed voter registration forms and in conjunction with our Natural Resources Committee were on hand all day to chat with visitors about the League's elections work as well as our environmental involvement. The day was a success for the League & thank you to all who turned out for it.

In addition to our advocacy and education work, this past year we've made an effort to focus on reaching out to members and encouraging them to be active and involved:

We started this year off with great news about our website. The site was voted 1 st Place at the Florida League's 32d Biennial Convention in Jacksonville last May. Many thanks to Susan Metzger, Betty Enfinger, Vivian Faircloth and everybody else who helped develop and maintain the best site in Florida League. In the coming year, we'll continue to keep the site as current as possible as news and information develops.

Mar 10: Our March new member orientation at Janet's house was a great chance for new members to learn about the League's mission and get an idea of areas they may want to get involved in the future. Many thanks to Janet for hosting at her home, and we look forward to future such events, where members can get to know the League in a collegial, comfortable setting. We also thank Janet, once again, for hosting our Christmas party at her home.

In the next few months, we'll continue to work on recruiting new members and finding ways for Leaguers to get involved. We're fortunate to have a group of dedicated Observer Corps volunteers who attend local government meetings to keep an eye on major issues and make sure the rest of us stay informed. As tell people a lot, very often at government meetings where far-reaching policy is discussed and decided, League members are the only citizens present in the audience to keep an eye on things. I hope to see us expand participation in the Observer Corps in the coming year and would invite any interested member in that or other activities to give me a call & we'll get you squared away.

Speaking of participation, I'm pleased to report that Sharon Barnett has been asked to serve as Program Officer on the State League Board. Sharon has worked tirelessly this past year on the City Charter and Consolidation processes. Both of those issues were happening at the same time, and I'm not sure how she's done it, but she attended almost all the meetings for both Committees. I can tell you I attended a couple myself, and some of them stretched out into four hour sessions. This is a tremendous community service that entailed a great deal of research, writing and original analysis on Sharon 's part, all unpaid. Considering all the issues Sharon identified in both the Charter and Consolidation documents that nobody else brought up, we all owe her a big thank you for putting the personal time and energy into seeing these major projects through to the end. We can all be very proud of Sharon 's work as our League representative on these major government restructuring projects. I can tell you that Sharon 's attention to detail was not always appreciated by her colleagues on these projects. At several meetings I was at there was a good bit of abuse directed towards her, but she always responded with grace and rationality. Our League traditionally expresses appreciation with a gift of a mug; and I've been telling Sharon over the past year she's got a great big mug coming. So Sharon , I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your appointment to the State Board, and present you with a token of our appreciation for all the effort you put into this year.

I would just reiterate that our active committees are the heart of our advocacy work & they've had a very productive year. I want to thank all our committees and participating members for their efforts this year, and look forward to doing the same in the coming year.

I also want to thank our Board members for their tireless dedication to keeping the ball rolling. We have a talented group of people here, and we can be proud of the work we've accomplished as a team in the past year.

In closing, I'd just reaffirm to all our members that your League is making a difference, and in the coming year, we're going to do our best to continue working for an educated, informed citizenry and sound democratic government. Thank you.