Ater a busy election season, LWVDDH will move on to emphasize our hottest topics. November is all about FOOD! As usual, we study up on the facts and talk it over first. So will you join us for movie night on Thursday, Nov 18th?
We'll begin with light refreshments at 6:30 and an introduction to our topic. Then we'll watch Food, Inc. (Find out more at http://www.foodincmovie.com/) From 8:30 to 9 we will review the highlights and our priorities. Be a part of our grassroots group and you'll be reminded that doing something important can also be lots of fun.
Our office is located at 120 Military at Cherry Hill, inside Christ Episcopal Church. They generously make room for us to host public events. We'll be on the 2nd floor waiting for you!
Then on Wednesday, Dec 1st some of us will go to Sustainable Food Potluck, sponsored by Cool Cities Dearborn and Sierra Club. This will be at UM Dearborn from 6pm to 8pm.
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Thursday Nov 18th 6:30-9pm Food Inc Movie Night, LWVDDH office at 120 Military
Wednesday Dec 1st 6 - 8pm Sustainable Food Potluck, UM Dearborn off of Hubbard Dr
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Voter Guides for Nov 2
Because our cities are divided into different districts, you may not know who you are to choose from. For example, Dearborn Hts voters might be confused about their state rep district, is it #16 or 17?
Go here to see your exact ballot listing - www.publius.org – and enter your name and city.
Dearborn voters addendum - check your ballot and district in case you are in this district rather than the 15th Congressional District:
Candidates for the Congressional 14th District Representative
Don Ukrainec - Republican
John Conyers Jr. - Democratic
Marc J. Sosnowski - U.S. Taxpayers
Richard J. Secula - Libertarian
Candidates for the Congressional 14th District Representative
Don Ukrainec - Republican
John Conyers Jr. - Democratic
Marc J. Sosnowski - U.S. Taxpayers
Richard J. Secula - Libertarian
Non-partisan candidate Q&A for your community and all proposals are included in the LWVDDH publications below:
For Congressional and statewide offices (Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, University leadership and judicial positions). Because of the number of congressional districts, this is a 2 part document.
Pages 1-16 (Governor, SOS, AG to District 1- 9)
Pages 17-32 (District 10-15, State Board, University and Judicial offices)
Although some are discouraged, some are frustrated, and many are apathetic, being able to vote is a hard-won and highly important citizenship right and duty. Voting Day is November 2 for all those able to get to the polls on that day. Until then, go to the City Clerk's office anytime to vote absentee ballot.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
H2O taste test at the 10/10 climate change event
Many joined us at UM Dearborn Sunday afternoon for our sustainability walk and work party. Sierra Club, Dearborn Cool Cities, Student Environment Association (SEA) of UM -D and Fordson High School Environmental Club held the event at the Environmental Interpretive Center. Most of the sunny afternoon was spent walking through the wooded area, painting pumpkins, and eating donuts with a cup of refreshing apple cider. LWVDDH had an information table with a petition and a water taste test. We had LWVMI Voter Guides, Who's Who 2010 and other resources available.
Several participants signed our petition that will be sent to local and state elected officials asking them to take action on curbing climate change with local action and effective policy. We shared a few ideas about simple
actions for sustainability, such as reduce the amount of time we let our cars idle, and to reduce the amount of plastic and energy wasted because of bottled water. 50 million barrels of crude oil are used to make the plastic
bottles and ship them around the nation, while tons and tons of plastic bottles end up in landfills, greenways and waterways. What a waste!
Because of the emphasis on bottled water, we sponsored a blind taste test for bottled vs tap water. Bottled water taste and quality depends on the brand and source, but for our test we used Ice Mountain Spring Water. The large gallon containers were $1.19 each. We also brought glass bottles of Dearborn tap water, which costs $0.0016 per gallon. We refilled and poured the samples from matching glass jars to disguise its source. Tasters drank from unmarked small paper cups, chose descriptive words for each sample - clean, metallic, tasteless etc, and told us their preference of the 2 samples. Though a handful of tasters had no preference, there was almost an even split between tap and bottled.
For those who preferred the bottled water over tap water, a better choice than wasteful, costly plastic water bottles is to simply put a filter on their tap. 25% of bottled water also comes from a municipal tap anyway!
The best suggestion for portable water is a stainless steel bottle rather than plastic because the less plastic we use, the better. Not only that, but plastic containers can leach chemicals into the water - never a good thing. We kept our sample tap water in glass for this event to avoid that plastic taste that is sometimes detected in bottled water.
After we started taking our table down, we attempted to form an evergreen tree shape for an aerial photo. Many participants had left by that time, but we managed with those who were still lingering. When the photos are
published online, we'll post a link.
This was not a one-time feel-good event for us, nor for the other participants. We'll keep the momentum going at the UM Dearborn Sustainability Festival and Roundtable III in a couple of weeks, Oct 18th -23rd. Jenni Dunn will be speaking at this event to encourage informed and active citizenry with a briefing on local government, advocacy on issues and making an impact for good in our community. Connections made at this and future events will strengthen our small voices and make a big difference!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Dearborn Voters! 15th District State Rep and Ballot Proposals Video
The City of Dearborn hosted the candidates forum on Sept 29th which included a round of questions for 3 candidates vying for the Michigan House of Representatives, 15th District. George Darany, Suzanne Sareini and Daryl Smith answered several questions. We also heard from LWVDDH President Mary Bugeia about the 2 state-wide ballot proposals and a brief statement from a candidate for Wayne County Executive.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Dearborn Cool Cities 10/10 Walking Party with the Sierra Club
I am inviting you to attend our Cool Cities event sunday afternoon, Oct 10th at the U of M Dearborn campus.
Will you join us from 2pm to 4pm for a family-friendly afternoon at the Environmental Interpretive Center (EIC)? Along with a guided "Walk for Sustainability", we'll take time to discuss options for residents, businesses and city leaders to keep Dearborn "cool". Afterwards, join participants of all ages for gourd-painting, refreshments, and a little networking.
To find out more about the 10/10/10 theme, please visit http://www.350.org/.
To find out more about the 10/10/10 theme, please visit http://www.350.org/.
Contact lwvddh@gmail.com if you would like more information.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Statewide Primary Voter Guides are HERE!
Read the LWVMI Voter Guide for Michigan Governor.
See your local and state-wide candidates in one combined voter guide.
Dearborn Hts Voters
Dearborn Voters
To determine your specific district and candidate listing, and proposals that will be on your ballot, got to Michigan's SOS page
Voters not in Dearborn or Dearborn Hts areas can find their voter guides here:LWVMI 2010 Voter Guides posted online for Michigan voters.
See your local and state-wide candidates in one combined voter guide.
Dearborn Hts Voters
Dearborn Voters
To determine your specific district and candidate listing, and proposals that will be on your ballot, got to Michigan's SOS page
Voters not in Dearborn or Dearborn Hts areas can find their voter guides here:LWVMI 2010 Voter Guides posted online for Michigan voters.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Year at a Glance - LWVDDH President's Report
Last June you elected me as your new president.
I would like to introduce others who became part of my Board. Jenni Dunn was elected Secretary. Joe Borrajo continued as vice President and Arnika Eskeland continued as Treasurer. Directors are Carolyn Buell, Kathleen Gapa, Barbara Goryca, Mona Hammoud, Judy Patrick, and Toni Tront. Off–board portfolios were held by Mary Jo Durivage, Betsy Cushman, Chris Sullivan and Agnes Dobronski.
The Transition happened immediately with (summer activities for)an August 4 Primary Election looming – the Voter Service Committee under the direction of Betsy Cushman was activated to prepare Voter Guides for the Dearborn City Council race. They were published and distributed throughout the city and posted on our website. In addition, the local newspapers quoted our material in editions of their papers.
On June 24th Carolyn Buell and I attended a joint conference Southeast Michigan and Toledo Council of Governments regarding plans for rapid transit and found that Ohio was further along because their communities were in agreement.
On June 30 – Judy Carty & I were invited to speak at the Outer Drive Kiwanis.
Members of our league assisted in a project to interview 100 candidates for Detroit City Council and 40 for Charter Commission. The interviews were taped for viewing on Public Television in partnership with Uof M, LWV-MI, Arise and MIVOTE.
On July 13- league members held an informal discussion about pending health-care reforms, sharing personal experiences about insurance coverage. Discussion covered the need for access to adequate facilities and preventive care as well as insurance.
Our league through Voter Service activity really became visible in the community sponsoring three forums:
On October 15 – members of AAUW , local teachers and students, as well as our league members turned out to view the film “Iron Jawed Angels” that dramatically portrayed the struggle for women to ‘earn’ the right to vote.
On November 20 – Jenni Dunn chaired a “Hot Topics” discussion of several issues.
Joe Borrajo had been working on a project for our league to sponsor a plaque for the magnificent Oak Tree on the campus of HFCC.
On December 13 – Mona and Abed Hammoud hosted a luncheon meeting at their home. Abed, who is an Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor, presented information about mortgage fraud and his analysis of the past election.
January brought the Voter Service Committee into action again to update the Who’s Who of elected officials to reflect the most recent elections.
On January 23- we had a meeting to discuss National Program Issues. We did a review of the established positions to determine if they were still adequate to meet changing conditions. We discussed proposals for new studies suggested by other leagues. Our league favored a study on establishing a Department of Peace. We learned that most leagues favored a study on the Federal Role in Education.
At our February 4th board meeting – members were invited to help celebrate the 90th anniversary of the LWVUS which was established on Valentines Day (February 14). We received congratulations from Congressman Dingell, Mayor Daniel Paletko, and Dearborn Council members Tom Tafelski and Nancy Hubbard.
On February 18 we hosted a meeting about the 2010 Census. It was held at the Centennial Library with Census specialist Ahmed Nassar.
At our March 4th board Meeting we welcomed Barbara Adams as our new treasurer. We thanked Arnika Eskeland for her many years of dedicated work as our treasurer and we will miss her when she moves to Maryland.
On March 18- we concluded our study about Prison Reform and submitted the consensus response. Members appreciated the depth of information presented and the thoughtful discussions which led us to favor restorative and alternative measures to address criminal behavior. We noted a need for alternative treatment for mentally ill persons who commit crimes.
March 31 & April 1 found league members Joe Borrajo, Judy Carty, Kathy Gapa, Judy Patrick, Toni Tront, and I, monitoring student government elections at the University of Michigan – Dearborn campus. We enjoyed interacting with the students and watching their enthusiastic campaigning.
April 16, Agnes Dobronski and I attended the Volunteer Recognition luncheon at Henry Ford Village. Our leagued was thanked for the candidate forums and voter Guides.
On April 21, Carolyn Buell, Judy Carty, Kathy Gapa, Dennis Kirchoff, and I attended the workshop in Lansing hosted by the LWV-MI. After learning about advocating for reforms to make voting easier – we visited our local legislators in the Capitol or in their office to urge no excuse absentee voting and early voting. We interviewed Representatives Polidori, & Constan who presented us with a proclamation about
the 90th anniversary of LWV. We also interviewed Senator Tupac Hunter and spoke to the staff of House Speaker Andy Dillon.
Our April 29 meeting was a showing of the video “Blue- Gold, World Water Wars” a 90 minute thought provoking documentary identifying world water shortages and the need to prevent wasteful use of fresh water resources.
Our May 20 meeting continued our environmental concerns. Carolyn Buell brought information from National Graphic, Kathy Gapa brought statistics about the Great lakes, Judy Patrick offered information about the use of wind-turbines, especially as it relates to off-shore locations in Lake Erie.
June 15 , five of our members ( Joe Borrajo, Carolyn Buell, Jenni Dunn, Kathy Gapa and Tony Perry) assisted with video interviews of candidates for State Office. The project was possible through partnering with the Center for Michigan, Detroit Public Television, MIVOTE, out of U of M and LWV-MI.
Most recently, Carolyn Buell, Kathy Gapa, Judy Patrick and I are busy again gaining information for a Voter Guide for the August 3 Primary Election. Friday, we mailed letters to 44 candidates who will be on the ballot for Dearborn & Dearborn Heights. This election covers Michigan Governor, State Senate & Representatives, Wayne County Executive, Wayne County Commissioners, Wayne County Sheriff, Circuit Court and Probate Court judges. Dearborn Heights also has a council seat race.
I cannot believe that the first year of my presidency has gone by. I am so proud of our accomplishments and so thankful for the members who stepped forward to make
these possible.
I would like to introduce others who became part of my Board. Jenni Dunn was elected Secretary. Joe Borrajo continued as vice President and Arnika Eskeland continued as Treasurer. Directors are Carolyn Buell, Kathleen Gapa, Barbara Goryca, Mona Hammoud, Judy Patrick, and Toni Tront. Off–board portfolios were held by Mary Jo Durivage, Betsy Cushman, Chris Sullivan and Agnes Dobronski.
The Transition happened immediately with (summer activities for)an August 4 Primary Election looming – the Voter Service Committee under the direction of Betsy Cushman was activated to prepare Voter Guides for the Dearborn City Council race. They were published and distributed throughout the city and posted on our website. In addition, the local newspapers quoted our material in editions of their papers.
On June 24th Carolyn Buell and I attended a joint conference Southeast Michigan and Toledo Council of Governments regarding plans for rapid transit and found that Ohio was further along because their communities were in agreement.
On June 30 – Judy Carty & I were invited to speak at the Outer Drive Kiwanis.
Members of our league assisted in a project to interview 100 candidates for Detroit City Council and 40 for Charter Commission. The interviews were taped for viewing on Public Television in partnership with Uof M, LWV-MI, Arise and MIVOTE.
On July 13- league members held an informal discussion about pending health-care reforms, sharing personal experiences about insurance coverage. Discussion covered the need for access to adequate facilities and preventive care as well as insurance.
Our league through Voter Service activity really became visible in the community sponsoring three forums:
• On September 23 a candidate forum for what was on the Dearborn ballot was held at Henry Ford Village. Under suggestion of Agnes Dobronski we allowed each candidate to speak for four minutes and everyone liked that format.
• On September 29, a Forum for the Dearborn candidates was held in Council chamber.
Explanations were given about the Henry Ford Community College millage renewal and the Wayne County Millage renewal. Four candidates for School board and fourteen candidates for city council participated.
• On September 30, a forum for Dearborn Heights Council was held in the Heights council chambers. Ballot proposals were presented and six of eight council candidates participated.
• On October 13 – A Dearborn Mayoral forum was held with two candidates.
For the November Election, once again Voter Guides were prepared under the direction of Betsy with help from Kathy Gapa, Chris Sullivan, Judy Carty, Judy Patrick, and myself. Diane Locke designed the layout of the data. Five thousand copies were printed and distributed. The VG was available on our website. Toni Tront did a great job of publicizing our activities into the local newspapers.
On October 15 – members of AAUW , local teachers and students, as well as our league members turned out to view the film “Iron Jawed Angels” that dramatically portrayed the struggle for women to ‘earn’ the right to vote.
On November 20 – Jenni Dunn chaired a “Hot Topics” discussion of several issues.
Joe Borrajo had been working on a project for our league to sponsor a plaque for the magnificent Oak Tree on the campus of HFCC.
On December 13 – Mona and Abed Hammoud hosted a luncheon meeting at their home. Abed, who is an Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor, presented information about mortgage fraud and his analysis of the past election.
January brought the Voter Service Committee into action again to update the Who’s Who of elected officials to reflect the most recent elections.
On January 23- we had a meeting to discuss National Program Issues. We did a review of the established positions to determine if they were still adequate to meet changing conditions. We discussed proposals for new studies suggested by other leagues. Our league favored a study on establishing a Department of Peace. We learned that most leagues favored a study on the Federal Role in Education.
At our February 4th board meeting – members were invited to help celebrate the 90th anniversary of the LWVUS which was established on Valentines Day (February 14). We received congratulations from Congressman Dingell, Mayor Daniel Paletko, and Dearborn Council members Tom Tafelski and Nancy Hubbard.
On February 18 we hosted a meeting about the 2010 Census. It was held at the Centennial Library with Census specialist Ahmed Nassar.
At our March 4th board Meeting we welcomed Barbara Adams as our new treasurer. We thanked Arnika Eskeland for her many years of dedicated work as our treasurer and we will miss her when she moves to Maryland.
On March 18- we concluded our study about Prison Reform and submitted the consensus response. Members appreciated the depth of information presented and the thoughtful discussions which led us to favor restorative and alternative measures to address criminal behavior. We noted a need for alternative treatment for mentally ill persons who commit crimes.
March 31 & April 1 found league members Joe Borrajo, Judy Carty, Kathy Gapa, Judy Patrick, Toni Tront, and I, monitoring student government elections at the University of Michigan – Dearborn campus. We enjoyed interacting with the students and watching their enthusiastic campaigning.
April 16, Agnes Dobronski and I attended the Volunteer Recognition luncheon at Henry Ford Village. Our leagued was thanked for the candidate forums and voter Guides.
On April 21, Carolyn Buell, Judy Carty, Kathy Gapa, Dennis Kirchoff, and I attended the workshop in Lansing hosted by the LWV-MI. After learning about advocating for reforms to make voting easier – we visited our local legislators in the Capitol or in their office to urge no excuse absentee voting and early voting. We interviewed Representatives Polidori, & Constan who presented us with a proclamation about
the 90th anniversary of LWV. We also interviewed Senator Tupac Hunter and spoke to the staff of House Speaker Andy Dillon.
Our April 29 meeting was a showing of the video “Blue- Gold, World Water Wars” a 90 minute thought provoking documentary identifying world water shortages and the need to prevent wasteful use of fresh water resources.
Our May 20 meeting continued our environmental concerns. Carolyn Buell brought information from National Graphic, Kathy Gapa brought statistics about the Great lakes, Judy Patrick offered information about the use of wind-turbines, especially as it relates to off-shore locations in Lake Erie.
June 15 , five of our members ( Joe Borrajo, Carolyn Buell, Jenni Dunn, Kathy Gapa and Tony Perry) assisted with video interviews of candidates for State Office. The project was possible through partnering with the Center for Michigan, Detroit Public Television, MIVOTE, out of U of M and LWV-MI.
Most recently, Carolyn Buell, Kathy Gapa, Judy Patrick and I are busy again gaining information for a Voter Guide for the August 3 Primary Election. Friday, we mailed letters to 44 candidates who will be on the ballot for Dearborn & Dearborn Heights. This election covers Michigan Governor, State Senate & Representatives, Wayne County Executive, Wayne County Commissioners, Wayne County Sheriff, Circuit Court and Probate Court judges. Dearborn Heights also has a council seat race.
I cannot believe that the first year of my presidency has gone by. I am so proud of our accomplishments and so thankful for the members who stepped forward to make
these possible.
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