WWW.LWVGT.ORG 1

More information about CAA and CASA is available online.

Open to the public, the pro-

gram on Saturday, February 20, 2016, will begin at 10:00

am on the lower level of Joel D. Valdez Main Library,

101 N. Stone Avenue. There will be a half-hour

meet-and-greet period be-ginning at 9:30 am.

Please bring a friend and join us. “If we don't stand up

for children, then we

don't stand for

much.” Marian

Wright Edelman

Lori Parker,

Social Policy Chair

Approximately 3,400 children are in foster care in Pima Coun-

ty. Our February 20th program will explore the services availa-

ble to these youth and help us assess how well their needs are

being met.

Our first speaker, Michelle Crow, is Southern Arizona's

Director of Children's Action Alliance (CAA). The CAA is a

non-profit organization. It acts as an independent voice for

Arizona children at the state capital and in the community,

promoting the well-being of Arizona's children through ad-

vocacy, education, and re-search. One of its programs,

Fostering Advocates Arizona (FAAZ), helps young adults

leaving foster care (“aging out”) to transition successfully to

adulthood.

Also on our panel is Krissa Eric-son, Program Supervisor of the

Court Appointed Special Advo-cates (CASA). CASA operates

within the Dependent Chil-dren's Services Division of the

Arizona Supreme Court Admin-istrative Office of the

Courts. Its function is to re-cruit, train, and support volun-

teers to represent the best interests of abused and neglect-

ed children in the courtroom and other settings.

In addition to these two child

welfare professionals, partici-pants from each of the two

programs, FAAZ and CASA, will share their experiences with us.

February 20th Program: Protecting Our Children--

How Are We Doing?

JTED Field Trip: Tuesday, February 16th - 10:00a.m.- 12p.m.

Beverly Kloehn, Development Committee

Member

JTED -- Joint Technical Educa-tion District -- is the focus of

LWVGT’s 3rd annual Issues & Eggs breakfast forum, “What is

JTED’s Link to Arizona’s Econo-my?” League members can learn

about JTED in advance by tour-ing several JTED classes at

Sunnyside High School.

We hope to visit 3-4 JTED pro-grams, including the Bio-

Technology program. Other programs which may be on the

tour include Emergency Medical

Services, Automotive Tech, Digital Photography, and/or Law

& Public Safety.

Space is limited to the first 15 members to call the League

Office (520-327-7652) to con-firm their participation. Sunny-

side High School is at 1725 E. Bilby Rd, Tucson. Members can

sign up to carpool from the LWVGT office when making

their reservation. If you make a reservation, please call the office

immediately should your plans change.

Program and registration infor-

mation for our Friday, March 4th Issues & Eggs breakfast is

online.

What does JTED

look like on the

ground?

Volume 69 No. 5 February 2016

Save the Date:

Issues & Eggs

March 4, 2016 (Tucson)

Annual Meeting April 15, 2016 (Tucson)

LWVAZ ‘16 Council April 30– May 1, 2016

(Phoenix)

LWVUS ‘16 Convention June 16-19, 2016 (D.C.)

Inside this issue:

February Program 1

JTED Field Trip 1

Calendar 2

52nd AZ Legislature

Opens 2

President’s Message 3

Money In Politics

Consensus Summary 3

November 2015 Bond

Election Results 3

Running & Winning 2016 4

Contributions to the

League’s Education 4

Letter from

Leadership 5

Mark your calendars:

Election Dates in 2016 5

Calling all LWVGT

Readers 6

December 12th

Holiday Brunch 6

50-Year Member

Profile: Gini McGirr 7

Thought about AA

History Month 7

2016 Leaguer of the

Year: Who shall it be? 8

Member Support for

LWVGT 8

WWW.LWVGT.ORG 2

Page 2

Updated online. All meetings are open to members and the public unless otherwise indicated.

Calendar

Social Policy Chair Lori

Parker and Membership

Co-Chair Freda Johnson

Members Gini McGirr and

Phylis Carnahan with Communications Chair

Roxanne Housley and De-velopment Chair Carol

West

Speakers (left to right): for-

mer legislator Pete Hersh-

berger (R), lobbyist Michael

Racy and former legislator

Paula Aboud (D)

52nd AZ Legislature Opens

Gini McGirr,

LWVGT Member

The 52nd Legislative session opened on January 11th with

Governor Ducey giving his State of the State speech.

On January 14, there were 250

bills filed in the House and 150

in the Senate. There were also

some bills that might be headed to the ballot box:

HCR2009 Changing number of

members to the Independ-ent Redistricting Commis-

sion; HCR2006 marriage to be of one

man and one woman;

HCR2013 to repeal Clean Elec-

tions; and SCR1001 for the Equal Rights

Amendment.

Be on the lookout for Action Alerts sent out by the state lob-

byists and do contact your legisla-tors when asked to do so.

January 16, 2015

Program

The Real Story: How a

Bill Becomes a Law

Date Time Location and Description

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

9:30 AM

Eastside Unit Meeting. 9:30 a.m. social, 10:00 a.m.program, Ward 2 Office, 7575 E. Speedway. Topic: Some Positive Programs for Foster Chil-dren. Speakers: Debbie Mack from Children's Village; Marion Pickens, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer. Questions: Phylis Carnahan 885-3271

Friday, February 5, 2016

9:30-11:30am LWVGT Board Meeting. Meet at Aviva Children's Services, 153 S. Plumer

Friday, Feb 12, 2016

12PM Green Valley Unit Meeting. Program TBA. Madera Room, 3rd floor of LaVista Building, La Pasada. Bring sack lunch. Contact: Sue Girardeau, 648-7969

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

2-4pm

Northwest & Saddlebrooke Units Combined Meeting. Mountain Vista Fire District Station 610, 1175 W Magee Rd, Tucson, AZ 85704. Topic: Crime, Homelessness and other issues of concern on the Northwest Side. Speak-er: Sgt. Erin Gibson from the Pima County Sheriff's Office. Contact: Win-ifred Williams, 742-0502.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

11:30-1pm

Midtown Unit Meeting. We will feature guest Margaret Regan, author of "Detained and Deported" and Tucson Weekly writer. We meet at the home of Rosemary and Wendell Niemann. Contact Janice Murphy at 323-7501.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

9:30-Noon

Protecting Our Children - How Are We Doing?. Monthly Program Meeting, 9:30 am meet and greet, 10 am program. Tucson Main Library. Speakers: Michelle Crow, Southern Arizona Director, Children's Action Alliance; Krissa Ericson, Supervisor, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

Monday, February 22, 2016

Presidential Preference Election Registration Deadline. Deadline for regis-tering with a political party in order to vote in the Presidential Preference election. This is important for those who are registered as independents and no-party voters, but wish to vote in the Presidential Primary.

Friday, March 4, 2016

7:30am

Issues and Eggs. The public is invited to attend the LWVGT's third annual Issues and Eggs breakfast at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, 445 S. Al-vernon Way. Topic: What is JTED's (Joint Technical Education District) Link to Arizona's Economy? (details)

Friday, March 11, 2016

9:30-11:30am LWVGT Board Meeting. Meet at Aviva Children's Services, 153 S. Plumer

Thursday, March 17, 2016

11:30-1pm

Midtown Unit Meeting. Focus on 5/17/16 Education Funding State Ballot Proposition 123. We meet at the home of Rosemary and Wendell Nie-mann. Contact Janice Murphy (520) 323-7501 or Freda Johnson (520) 622-1933.

WWW.LWVGT.ORG 3

Judy Moll, President

As a local League president, I serve on the board of the

League of Women Voters of Arizona (LWVAZ). It meets

five times a year, usually at the Phoenix state office. Led by

LWVAZ President Shirley San-delands, our November meet-

ing accomplished a great deal. Here’s a sampling of top-

ics discussed:

Education: LWVAZ educa-

tion funding committee mem-ber Nancy Pfafflin prepared

action messages on our web-site for members to use with

legislators or the governor.

Voter Guide: LWVAZ Vot-er Service Chair Anna Dolak

and Shirley plan to raise $20,000 to print 100,000 issues

of the Voter Guide for the fall election. While in past years

Voter Guide distribution was limited to areas with Leagues,

Joan Kaltsas is working to es-tablish distribution sites

throughout the state. Please respond to the LWVAZ re-

quest for donations to the Education Fund to underwrite

printing of these Guides.

Candidate Forums: Bob

Richardson has approached

candidates from the Republican and Democratic parties to

obtain commitments to partici-pate in US Senate candidate

forums in 2016. If there is need for a primary forum, it will be

held here at PCC West in Au-gust. Bob also has commit-

ments from several TV stations (KOLD in Tucson) to broad-

cast these forums live.

More information about the

November 21, 2015 LWVAZ

meeting is available online.

President’s Message: State League November 2015 Meeting

Money In Politics Consensus Summary

Page 3 February 2016

Judy Moll

LWVGT President 2014-2016

Nancy Pfafflin,

Program Chair

During our local unit consen-

sus meetings following the Money in Politics (MIP) study,

LWVGT members agreed on several goals and purposes for

campaign finance regulation. Members also agreed that sev-

eral explicit activities connect-ing donations and legislative

work constitute political cor-

ruption.

Our members favor some spending limits on all individuals

and most organizations, as well

as restrictions on donations

and bundling by lobbyists. We also favor abolishing SuperPacs

and spending coordinated or directed by candidates, other

than a candidate's own cam-

paign committee.

We support:

public funding of campaigns, either voluntary or man-

datory, with reasonable

spending limits; improvements to campaign

finance administration and enforcement, including

adding independent or nonpartisan members to

the Federal Election Com-

mission; and

having an uneven number of commissioners to prevent

deadlock.

Our MIP consensus report will

be combined with those of

local Leagues throughout the

U.S., resulting in a new position

statement on which the League

will base action.

“Politics

has become

so

expensive

that it takes

a lot of

money even

to be

defeated.”

Will Rogers

November 2015 Bond Election Results

In the election held last No-

vember, Pima County voters rejected all seven County bond

propositions. Overall voter turnout approached 40%, high-

er than in 2013, the previous off-year election. Nearly 83%

of voters used early ballots.

A report submitted by Pima County Administrator Chuck

Huckelberry to the Board of Supervisors analyzes data relat-

ing to overall voter turnout

and rate of early voting, as well as how voters voted on the

propositions at the precinct level and within larger geo-

graphic areas. Census tract level demographic data and

registered voter political affilia-tions were compared to prop-

osition approval rates in an

effort to identify trends.

The County Administrator

does not determine the rea-

sons for the election results.

Even so, the report makes

interesting reading and can be

accessed online.

What can

we learn

from last

year’s bond

election?

WWW.LWVGT.ORG 4

Roxie Lopez and Mary Gresham, Running and

Winning Co-Chairs

For the last 13 years, LWVGT has focused on young women

in high schools throughout Pima County with the Running

and Winning Program (R & W). This one-day workshop pro-

vides an opportunity for high school students to meet and

interview local women who are elected officials or who have

run for public office. The stu-

dents then practice their own mock run for office by forming

a campaign team, identifying an issue, creating a platform and

slogan, and having candidates deliver a speech.

Preparations are underway for

the 2016 Annual Running and Winning Workshop this fall.

Co-sponsors include the Amer-ican Association of University

Women, the Pima County / Tucson Women's Commission,

graduate women from the Uni-

versity of Arizona's School of Government and Public Policy,

and the YWCA of Tucson.

The R & W committee invites you to support and participate

in this program so that togeth-er we help develop future

women leaders. For more information please contact

Roxie Lopez and Mary Gresh-am at RunningAndWin-

ning@LWVGT.org.

Running and Winning 2016

Contributions to the League’s Education Fund

deductible, because this fund

operates under Section 501(c)(4) and they are held by our

local League.

To contribute to the Greater Tucson League’s Education

Fund:

Make your check payable to: League of Women

Voters of Arizona Educa-tion Fund, (LWVAZ-EF is

acceptable).

Write LWVGT, (or just Tucson), in the memo

line. That will insure your donation stays in our local

League’s Education Fund.

If you have any questions,

please contact me or Patsy

Frannea.

David Horr, LWVGT

Treasurer

The League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson (LWVGT)

always welcomes donations to their Education Fund. As you

probably know, Ed Fund dona-tions ARE tax-deductible under

Section 501(c)(3) of the Federal Tax Code. These funds are

held for us by the LWV Arizo-na. Donations to the League’s

operating fund (which includes member dues) are NOT tax-

Page 4

LWVGT Once Again Has an Observer Corps

Libby Whitthorne,

Observer Corp Chair

Thanks to the leadership and initiative of the League of Wom-

en Voters of Greater Tucson's President, Judy Moll, our local

League is once again supporting an Observer Corps. Members

of the Corps are providing ob-servations of the Pima County

Board of Supervisors, Tucson City Council, Oro Valley City

Council, Tucson Unified School District Board, and Amphithea-

ter School District Board. We hope to recruit League mem-

bers to observe Sahuarita and

Marana City Councils, other

local school boards, and select-ed public school Site Councils.

“Observer corps” or monitor-

ing programs are not new. They have provided local

Leagues around the country “a very effective way to protect

and strengthen the citizen’s right to know.” To learn more

about local League observer corps, you can access LWVUS

publication, Observing Your Government in Action online.

If you have an interest in joining

the LWVGT Corps, please con-

tact League President Judy Moll

or Observer Corps Chair Libby Whitthorne for more infor-

mation.

2016 Co-chair Roxie

Lopez (right) with Carol West at the

2015 R & W

Workshop

About LWVGT’s

Education Fund

Protecting our

right to know is

integral to the

health of our

democracy.

WWW.LWVGT.ORG 5

Marilyn Smoler, Voter Ser-

vice Chair

The Voter Service Committee works to register and educate

voters, and to get out the vote. Traditional activities include

participating in National Voter Registration Day, registering

voters at schools and assisted living facilities, holding forums,

and preparing and distributing citizen and voting–related pub-

lications. The Committee also conducts elections for organi-

zations such as home owner

associations (HOAs).

Among Voter Service projects planned for this year are devel-

oping ways to build new rela-tionships, or deepen existing

relationships, with local and state election officials, helping

homeless voters, training LWVGT members to register

voters, planning forums, work-ing on ways to increase voting

rates and improving relation-ships with local public schools.

Since a primary goal of the League is to foster informed

and active participation in gov-ernment, we consider all

LWVGT members to be part of the Voter Service team.

Monthly meetings are on the

second Tuesday from 2:00-4:00 pm at Woods Library, 3455 N

1st Ave, Tucson. All LWVGT members are welcome to par-

ticipate.

Letter from the Leadership

Mark your calendars: Election Dates in 2016

Page 5

“The ballot

is the

only

safety.”

Frederick

Douglass

February 22, 2016 Voter registration deadline for Presidential Preference Election

February 24, 2016 Early Voting begins for Presidential Preference Election

March 3, 2016 Last day to file General Election - New Party Petitions

March 22, 2016 Presidential Preference Election

April 18, 2016 Last day to register for the [May 17] Special Election

April 20, 2016 Early Voting begins for Special Election

May 2, 2016 First day to file candidate nomination petitions

May 17, 2016 Special Election [Proposition 123]

June 1, 2016 Last day to file candidate nomination petitions

July 7, 2016 Last day to file constitution & initiative petitions

July 13, 2016 Last day to file arguments for or against ballot measures (General Election)

July 21, 2016 Last day to file as a write-in candidate for the Primary Election

August 1, 2016 Voter registration deadline for Primary Election

August 3, 2016 Early Voting begins for Primary Election

August 30, 2016 Primary Election

September 29, 2016 Last day to file as a write-in candidate for the General Election

October 10, 2016 Voter registration deadline for General Election

October 12, 2016 Early Voting begins for General Election

November 8, 2016 General Election

Congratulations to our President Judy Moll, who is a finalist for the 2016 Women of Influence Award for

Community Service. More information online.

Congratulations Judy Moll

Arizona Secretary of State Elections Calendar is online.

WWW.LWVGT.ORG 6

Mary Gresham, LWVGT

Book Club Coordinator

The LWVGT Book Club is one

of LWVGT’s best-kept secrets. It began nearly 5 years ago with

Ruth Beeker as its first coordi-nator when the then-LWVAZ

president Barbara Klein sug-gested that each Arizona

League form a book club and read the same books.

But LWVGT’s free-spirited

readers soon took off on their own. Book choices varied.

Among the most liked were

The Lemon Tree about a Pal-

estinian family and its former home in Israel and Boom Bust

Boom about the copper indus-try.

Five books are chosen by book

club members each year at their November meeting.

Meetings are held at Ward 6 City Council office, 3202 E. 1st

St.

The group’s next meeting is on Wednesday, March 16, when

they will discuss In the Garden of Beasts; Love, Terror and

an American Family in Hit-

ler's Berlin by Erik Larson. LWVGT members who have

read the book are welcome.

The list of books for this year

and more information about

the book club are available

online. Members may contact

Mary Gresham at

BookClub@lwvgt.org with any

questions.

Calling all LWVGT Readers

December 12th Holiday Brunch

Thanks to our own Ms.

Claus, aka Carol West, our hostess with the mostest,

Phylis Carnahan, and all the helpers who provided food

and drink for a festive cele-bration. It may have been

stormy outside, but inside it was warm and full of good

cheer.

Page 6

No entertainment

is so cheap as reading, nor any

pleasure so lasting.”

Mary Wortley Montagu

Photos taken by Ann Eve Cunningham

WWW.LWVGT.ORG 7

Libby Whitthorne,

LWVGT member

In March 1965, Gini McGirr had just moved with her hus-

band to Worthington, Minne-sota from South Dakota. At

home with a new baby, Gini looked for a place where she

could volunteer. In South Da-kota she had been a member of

a business women’s sorority, but there was no business

women’s sorority in Worthing-ton. A friend invited her to a

League meeting. She joined, and the rest is League history.

Over the years, Gini and her family were transferred multi-

ple times. Each time Gini joined

the League, serving on local Chapter Boards and on State

Boards in Colorado, Arizona, and Nebraska. She enjoys all

League activities and feels like the organization has been a

kind of “family” in each of her new homes.

League experiences which she has particularly enjoyed in-

clude:

serving as Legislative Chair for the Arizona State

League, which involved reviewing legislative bills

to identify ones on which the League has a position

and alerting League mem-

bers to contact their legis-lators; and

preparing the Arizona State League’s “Voters’

Guide,” which explains ballot propositions and

provides pro and con statements.

Gini feels the League’s role

providing education to the public is critically important to

the communities the League

serves.

Thank you, Gini, for your fifty

years of service in the League!

50-Year Member Profile: Gini McGirr

Thoughts for African American History Month

A state law mandated that

“meetings [of social organiza-tions] including membership of

both races” have segregated seating and separate sanitary

facilities. Another law required organizations to file a member-

ship list with the Louisiana Secretary of State. And, under

a third law, teachers advocating integration in the public

schools, or holding member-ship in an organization advocat-

ing racial integration, were subject to dismissal and loss of

tenure. The combined effect of the latter two laws put both

African American and white LWVNO members employed

by the local public school sys-tem at risk of losing their jobs

if LWVNO filed a membership list that included the new mem-

bers.

This risk, along with a signifi-

cant drop in membership over the preceding year, led to the

meeting of the new African American LWVNO members

and designated Board members before the deadline for filing

the member roster. Describing

that meeting, Frystak writes:

Ultimately, three board

members and the LWVNO president met with the six

black members and asked them to resign. One mem-

ber recalled that the situa-tion was “very embarrass-

ing, but the black members tendered their resignations

‘graciously’ as they did not want to “imperil their

jobs.’” [Citation omitted.]

LWVNO characterized its

reversal of the policy of inte-grated membership as tempo-

rary. Reintegration occurred in

1963.

Today, nearly 60 years after

that meeting, let us honor the New Orleans 6. They shared

the values of the League and acted on their values despite a

hostile, potentially physically dangerous, environment. They

worked with others and reas-sessed their position, even

though it meant undoing their previous action. In sum, they

Paula Wilk, 2015-16 Voter

Editor

In mid 1956, the League of Women Voters of New Orle-

ans (LWVNO) enrolled its first African American members.

Later that same year, these six women were asked to meet

with the LWVNO president and three board members. In

Our Minds on Freedom: Wom-en and the Struggle for Black

Equality in Louisiana, Shannon Lee Frystak outlines the cir-

cumstances that led to that

meeting.

Since 1953, LWVNO leader-ship had been working to inte-

grate their League. The popu-lation of New Orleans was 46%

“colored,” and a League bylaw made membership “open to all

women of voting age.” Yet fear of loss of organizational effec-

tiveness, dissension and racism, as well as the states’ rights

response to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision,

delayed and disrupted the inte-

gration process.

The New

Orleans 6

Page 7 February 2016

Gini McGirr

(from 2015 LWVAZ

Convention)

exhibited a rare combina-

tion of courage and judg-ment in highly polarized

times, an example to re-

member and learn from.

WWW.LWVGT.ORG 8

2424 E. Broadway

Suite 110 Tucson, AZ 85719

LEAGUE OF WOMEN

VOTERS OF

GREATER TUCSON

Each year our League recog-

nizes an individual from our membership whose contribu-

tions to the League clearly go "above and beyond." In the

August 2008 Voter, then LWVGT Secretary and a 2007

Leaguer of the Year Judith Fischer noted that:

The custom of honoring,

at our annual meetings, members who have filled

special needs during the concluding year began

early in our organization's history. Throughout our

sixty years, individuals' contributions have been

recognized and sincerely thanked.

LWVGT records reflect that

the naming of Leaguer of the Year began in 1987. The

LWVGT.ORG

President - Judy Moll

1st. VP (Membership)- Freda Johnson & Pat

Wiedhopf 2nd. VP (Program)- Nancy

Pfafflin 3rd. VP (Voter Service)-

Marilyn Smoler Secretary- Dorothy Riley

Treasurer- David Horr Money in Politics Study-

Janice Murphy Education Finance Study-

Jen Darland Communications- Roxanne

Housley Social Policy- Lori Parker

Voter Editor- Paula Wilk

CONTACT US

Contributors to this issue:

Ann-Eve Cunningham, Sue DeArmond, Betty Bengtson,

Judith Fischer, Joe Fran-nea, Mary Gresham,

Roxanne Housley, David Horr, Freda Johnson, Joan

Kaltsas, Beverly Kloehn, Jen-nifer Lohse, Roxie Lopez,

Gini McGirr, Janice Murphy, Judy Moll, Lori Parker, Nancy

Pfafflin, Marilyn Smoler, Carol

West and Libby Whitthorne

Voter Advisory Board: Sally Davenport, Grace Evans,

Betty Geehan, Gini McGirr

and Libby Whitthorne

At our December 12th Holiday Brunch, spirits were high and good will was in the air. Unfortu-

nately not all members could make it, but the season’s generosity was not limited to a single day. Member support for LWVGT and its activities was apparent before, during and after the brunch.

Here’s the report from LWVGT Treasurer David Horr of total member donations from Decem-ber 1, 2015 through January 11, 2016:

OPERATING FUND $1,675.00

EDUCATION FUND 1,235.70 ENDOWMENT FUND 4,400.00

TOTAL DONATIONS $7,310.70

As we all know, the work of the League depends on both financial grants and donations and the activities of volunteers. Our mem-

bers contribute in both ways, and they are at the heart of our successes.

Member Support for LWVGT

2016 Leaguer of the Year: Who should it be?

MEMBER Alert Regarding Directory

The LWVGT Membership Directory on our Members Only website (lwvgt.org) is updated monthly

with corrections and new information. If you do not have the password for the Directory, please call

the League office at 520-327-7652.

award has been given to one

or more board and non-board members in recognition of

outstanding accomplishments deemed vital to the success of

various goals and purposes of the League of Women Voters

of Greater Tucson.

Recipients during the award’s first decade include three cur-

rent LWVGT members, Freda Johnson, Betsy Zukoski and

Betty Geehan. Betsy Zukoski was recognized a second time

in 2006 and is our only double honoree.

At this year's annual meeting,

we will name another out-standing Leaguer of the Year.

You can help 2014 Leaguer of the Year Roxanne Housley as

she begins the selection pro-cess. Please forward the name

or names of members whose

contributions deserve recogni-tion, together with the rationale

for your choice, to Roxanne Housley.

Twice Leaguer

of the Year Betsy Zukoski

Thank you

Member

Donors!

LWVGT Mission Statement

Our Mission and Roles

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan political organization encouraging informed and active

participation in government. It influences public policy through education and advocacy. We never sup-

port or oppose any political party or candidate.

Phone: 520-327-7652

E-mail: League@lwvgt.org