THE BALDWIN VOTER

League of Women Voters of Baldwin County

P.O. Box 937 Fairhope, AL 36533

AUGUST 16, 2008

GREETINGS – PREPARE FOR A TERRIFIC YEAR!

Your League Board, with your help at the last planning meeting, has set up a terrific schedule for our fall meetings.  We have been working with LWVAL and meeting in Committees locally as if it were not summer.  The following programming and event notices need to go on your calendar !

AUGUST 25{  LWVBC – WESTMINSTER RESIDENTS AND SPANISH FORT AREA MEMBERS are sponsoring a FORUM for the municipal primary election of mayoral and council candidates.  The WV area members led by Robert Wilson and Jeanne Lacey are hosting and presenting a Forum and Roundtable for the candidates and including the incumbent Council and Mayor in a question and answer session.  It has been four years since we have had this Council to talk with us.  We are anxious to have them come to talk with us about their accomplishments, present projects, and their individual responsibilities.  Each will be asked about future planning.

The event will be held at Westminster Village hosted by the Director of Activities, Melissa Manjone, at 2 p.m. sharp in the beautifully renovated Pete Allen Room.  Spanish Fort voters are urged to attend. 

AUGUST 26:  VOTE – VOTE – PRIMARY ELECTION DAY! 

Also:

August 26:  ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITT EE MEETING Westminster Village, One East Lounge, 2:30 p,m,  Margaret Solberger, Chair – 626-4498.  Last chance to be a part of planning the two countywide workshops to get our action plan initiated.  Three years of arduous work have brought us to the point of having the necessary criteria and research to present to the governing leadership the basis for working as a united front to provide infrastructure preserving and protecting the health, safety, wealth and life style of the citizens in coastal Alabama.  The educational programs will provide the latest information and authoritative recommendations, including methods of accomplishment.  We have wonderful, voluntary support of all the area experts and professionals in the various fields supporting us.  We are acting as the enabling force to make this regional effort a winning proposition.  LWVAL supports our effort to update our statewide Natural Resources/CZM positions.

AUGUST 28:  URGENT:  ACCR FOUNDATION GALA OCCASION at MOBILE CONVENTION CENTER, 11:30 A.M. this THURSDAY, CAR POOL. $50 TAX DED. CK TO ACCR FOUNDATION, TO RESERVE CALL LACEY 626-4133 IMMEDIATELY  AND GET RIDE.  Fairhope area call Pat Laraway at 945-5504.  We are proud to have this event here – it will be live in Mobile and a telecast will join us with the Birmingham area members.  Convention Center, by 11:30 a.m.  WE ARE GROWING RAPIDLY!

SEPTEMBER 9;  LWVBC BOARD – Daphne Library, 10:30 a.m. 

SEPTEMBER 9:  ENVIRO COMMITTEE meets at 1 p.m. for lunch at Westminster Village and urgent planning meeting at 2:30 p.m. in One East Lounge. 

SEPTEMBER 22:  MONDAY, 5 – 7 P.M.  FALL KICKOFF PARTY -  INVITING OUR FRIENDS AND LOYAL SUPPORTERS AND WELCOMING OUR NEW AND PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS.   FAIRHOPE UNITARIAN FELLOWSHIP HALL, 1150 Fairhope Avenue, Fairhope, AL.   This is our big chance to get to know these fine people.   All members urged to immediately contact your

list of prospective members and MAIL OR CALL Vice President Sarah Katz, Membership Chair, 10930 Driver Ct., Fairhope, AL 36532.  Call - 990-6769 with contact information to insure accurate addresses for invitation.  Any suggestions for contacts we need to meet and inform of our plans should be included on this list.  This is a very special occasion, dress accordingly - heavy hors dÕoeuvres catered, assessment $7 each.  Sarah will be delighted to have volunteers call to serve with her Committee.   RAFFLE PLANNED.

OCTOBER 14:  LWVBC BOARD, Daphne Library, TUESDAY 10:30 a.m.                                                               Lunch?

OCTOBER 14:  ENVIRO COMM.  MEET - WV ONE EAST 2:30 p.m.

OCTOBER 21:  ENVIRO COMM. TUESDAY 2:30 p.m.         WV ONE EAST.

OCTOBER 23:  ENVIRO WORKSHOP I: From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.,Adult Activity Center, GULF SHORES, ÒTHE THREE Ws and URGENT CONCERNSÓ Our LeagueÕs Enviro Committee provides latest research, tech knowledge and calls on leadership, industry, business to unite for an action plan to solve the stalemate in infrastructure action planning to move ahead as one on all mutual priorities.  (Another parallel workshop will focus on the upper half of Baldwin County with the same vigor – addressing their special concerns in March.  Consider the value of attending both – focused on these areas

and the varying and overlapping infrastructure decisions to be made in unison with the regional sources of concern. 

          This is not a light touch, we have been blessed with the total support of the environmental and ecologically professional people in our area – with specific areas to be addressed by the best in each field.  These services are being given voluntarily or our League could not do the task.

We are acting as the enabling mechanism for these events to occur.  We need our membership to grow and our benevolent supporters, both workers and donors, to fulfill this selfless, magnanimous effort to preserve and protect the health, safety, wealth, beauty and quality of life of all of our citizens and educate to inform about our precious assets.   

          We are providing the brain input and structure plans.  The united leadership and our elected officials must conjoin in producing the action plan.  Our future depends on our countywide unity and sincerity of purpose.  There will be no future for our Tourism Industry and Quality of

Life as our future depends on the preservation and prudent use of our nonrenewable environmental resources and the regeneration of our fragile areas that provide protection for the natural reproductive areas of our marine and land inhabitants to live in health and harmony.  This requires salt and fresh water of quality and eternal supply; the air we breathe and the particulates released into it must be guaranteed free of harmful matter; and the nourishment to grow our flora and fauna on land or in waters must be fit for the inhabitants in their natural milieus.  No hanky-panky, no mitigation, no trespassing on our treasures.   Only your footprints in sand.

NOVEMBER 4:  NATIONAL ELECTION DAY!  FLY YOUR FLAGS for good government and informed voters to vote for wise, selfless leadership.

NOVEMBER 11:  HONOR OUR VETERANS!  SAY A SPECIAL PRAYER.

NOVEMBER 18:  LWVBC BOARD, Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Daphne Library,                                  Lunch?

NOVEMBER 18:  ENVIRO COMMITTEE, TUESDAY 2:30 AT WV ONE EAST.

Back to work to prepare as well for the north half of Baldwin County.

NOVEMBER 27:  THANKSGIVING.  May this be a blessed and peaceful day.

DECEMBER 9:  REGULAR LWVBC BOARD MEETING.

DECEMBER 9:  REGULAR ENVIRO COMMITTEE MEETING.

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SPECIAL NOTE:  We voted at Annual Meeting last April to change our fiscal year to June 1 through May 31 each year.  Some members paid your dues until next June.  Most of our membership still owe and our per-member-payments to National and State are due now.  Please renew and send your check to Libby Byars at P.O. Box 937, Fairhope 36533.  Deadline coming up early.  We also need funds to support the vast paperwork, ink and mileage for our expert consultants to travel the distance to these special assignments.  National and State Ed Fund contributions should be noted on your check – they are tax deductible.  We need support for both as National credits our pmp.  LWVAL Ed Fund supports special local projects (guides for Supreme Court and Judge candidates giving us accurate profiles to make informed votes.   Our local donations are not tax deductible, only their Education Funds are 501(c) (3).  LWVBC educates.  LWV and LWVAL advocate only out of our dues.  Bring us those new members to work with us.  See you soon – Jeanne Lacey, for the Board.