League of Women Voters of New Castle, NY
P.O. Box 364, Chappaqua, NY 10514 lwv.newcastle@gmail.com
The LWV of New Castle's updated website is now being displayed from a different server. For the latest information go to https://sites.google.com/site/leagueofwomenvotersofnewcastle/ and bookmark it when you get there.
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ABOUT THE LWV HOW YOU Read New York State LWV's newsletters VOTING INFO ENVIRONMENT LOCAL OBSERVER NOTES |
A Conversation with Susan Carpenter, New Castle Town Supervisor
Newly elected Town Supervisor Susan Carpenter spoke with the community on Monday, March 19, 2012 at a League-sponsored event held at the Chappaqua Library. Ms. Carpenter is the Supervisor and chief fiscal officer of the Town of New Castle. She establishes agendas, presides over Town Board meetings, signs all agreements and contracts on behalf of the Town and is responsible for maintaining financial stability of the Town of New Castle. Topics discussed included the Town budget, Chappaqua Crossing, the development of Chappaqua and Millwood hamlets, the Fair and Affordable Housing Settlement and property revaluations. Several noteworthy discussions included exploring the possibility of a grocery store at Chappaqua Crossing and the town’s interest in renting out the Chappaqua train station building, possibly for a restaurant. To view Susan Carpenter’s discussion in its entirety, click here United Nations Visit March 28 for Members and their Guests - A Few Spaces Still Available! There are a few spaces available on our trip to the United Nations on March 28th. You can participate in the tour only, tour and briefing only, or tour, briefing and lunch--whatever works best for your schedule. Trip Details Carpool into NYC or take 8:44 train to Grand Central Payments-please make check payable to LWVNC-CEF If you are interested in joining the trip, email Jennifer Mebes Flagg as soon as possible at LWVNC Community Expo March 9 at HGHS
The League of Women Voters of New Castle is excited that over 20 students volunteered to help the League with its ongoing efforts to educate the community on political and social issues. These students volunteered at the Community Service Expo held this past Friday, March 9th, at Horace Greeley High School. Opportunities for the students include website development, assistance at Candidates Nights and development of educational materials. Any students interested in volunteering should contact Jennifer Mebes Flagg at jenmebes@gmail.com.
Tim Bloom to Attend League of Women Voters' Students Inside Albany Conference in March Tim Bloom, an 11th grade student at Horace Greeley High School, has been chosen by the League of Women Voters of New Castle to attend this year’s Students Inside Albany Conference, organized by the League of Women Voters of New York State. This twelfth annual Students Inside Albany Conference will take place from March 25-28, 2012, and will bring together approximately 40 students from across the state to Albany to get a first-hand education about their state government. The program is designed to increase high school students' knowledge about the process by which public policy is proposed and enacted, and awareness of their responsibility in representative government. The four-day conference provides students with the information, motivation, and skills to become informed voters and engaged citizens. While at the conference, students will join their peers in a hands-on learning experience about how state government works. Students will participate in a series of interactive lectures on topics such as the state budget process, the role of lobbyists in the legislative process, citizen rights to access government information, the role of media in politics, and the move to reform state government. The students will have an opportunity to tour the state’s Capitol. The highlight for most students will be the opportunity to shadow their Senators and their Assembly member for an afternoon, with many students getting the opportunity to attend session on the Chamber floor. For more information on the program please send an email to Lea Barth at lwv.newcastle@gmail.com. League Disappointed with Latfor Process The League is extremely disappointed that there has been no change in the legislatively-controlled LATFOR process that produced the proposed state legislative district lines. The League for decades has called for an independent commission to draw fair lines devoid of partisan gerrymandering. Competitive elections are the lifeblood of democracy and these proposed lines are drawn to ensure political incumbency of the parties in power for the next decade. It is therefore no surprise that they have been the subject of so much criticism given the inherent self-interest of the process. One of the first, and clearest, critiques of the lines comes from our colleague Bill Mahoney at NYPIRG, who looked at a rising population inequality among all the districts. His analysis makes evident that the process has resulted in even more gerrymandered lines in the state Senate than those produced through previous cycles of political gerrymandering. There is a link on the State League website to the LATFOR website on which people can view the proposed lines (http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/maps/). We have also provided a link to a website in which people can enter their own address and see the current and proposed lines for their own Senate and Assembly districts (http://data.lohud.com/dist_web/address_stateredist.php).
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CALENDAR Wed. Mar. 28 UN Trip details at left. Wed. Mar. 28 Information meeting on running for Board of Education, Bell Schoo Library, 7:30pm. Details below. Wed. May 16 LWVNC Annual Luncheon with speaker Lauren Pesso, Human Trafficking Fellow at My Sister's Place Join the League of Women Voters of New Castle Online New -- now you can pay online via PayPal or your own credit card. These prices include the $3 processing fee for using the online service. To join by mailing a check (without the online fee), go to our Join Us page for the application form. For individual membership ($68) click here For family membership ($98) click here To make a tax-deductible donation click here Not sure if you have renewed? Email Lea Barth, Membership Chair at barthpetrillo@gmail.com. Want to Know What's Going on in Albany? Read the State League's blog, Capitol Beat Observer Notes Board of Education Jan. 12: Download pdf (3 pgs) Observer Notes Town Bd. Feb.7: Download pdf (1 pg) Have you ever considered running for the Chappaqua Board of Education? The Chappaqua PTA and the League of Women Voters of New Castle have joined together to host an informational meeting on Wednesday, March 28th in the Bell School Library at 7:30 p.m. You will find out about how to become a Board of Education candidate, and current or past Board of Education members will be making a presentation on the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Interested in Learning More About Fair and Affordable Housing in Northern Westchester? By Ally Kuhn (Ally is a junior at Horace Greeley High School who volunteers her time as a student intern with the League of Women Voters of New Castle) Recently the League of Women Voters of Westchester and the League of Women Voters of Bedford, Lewisboro, and North Salem held a forum at Bedford Town Hall to discuss the controversial 2009 housing settlement agreement between Westchester County and the Federal Housing and Urban Development Agency and its impact on local communities. At issue are plans to carry out an agreement between HUD and the County to build 750 units of fair and affordable housing in 31 communities identified as having little or no minority representation. The forum, entitled “Everything You Want to Know about Fair and Affordable Housing: Who’s Involved? Why Here? Why Now?” was held on February 29, 2012, and featured a panel of key players on the local, regional and national levels. Moderated by Westchester County Legislator Peter Harckham (District 2 - Katonah), panelists included James E. Johnson, Federal Housing Monitor; Janet Hostetler, Senior Advisor to HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity; Mary Mahon, Special Assistant to Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino; Norma Drummond, Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester Planning Department; Thomas McGrath, Chairman of Blue Mountain Housing Development Corporation; and William G. Balter, President of Wilder Balter Partners Inc. Speaking to a large audience, panelists discussed their role in implementing the Federal Fair Housing Settlement. The panel presentation was followed by an energetic question-and-answer session. Topics addressed by the panelists and the Q & A included County progress in implementing the settlement; sticking points between the Federal government and the County; income levels for Fair and Affordable Housing; funding streams; impediments to fair housing; exclusionary zoning; environmental challenges in Northern Westchester; affirmative marketing; and paving the way for incorporating more lower income families in Northern Westchester communities. Each month the Board discusses areas of local concern, makes plans for future LWV events, and conducts League business. If you are a member or interested in what the League does, please join us. The League of Women Voters of New Castle is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages citizens to play an informed and active role in government. At the local, county, state and national levels, the League works to influence public policy through education and advocacy. We do not endorse candidates. Membership is open to women and men who wish to participate in these efforts. The League is part of a county, state and national organization, the League of Women Voters of Westchester, the League of Women Voters of New York and the League of Women Voters of the United States. More info about this league below LWV Meetings: Board meetings are held on the second Wednesday morning of each month to conduct the business and planning of the League. All members are welcome to attend. Other meetings, to receive a report from a study group, or to inform the public about an election, or local issue, are usually held in the evening in a public building. Study groups meet at times agreed to by the participants, usually in the home of a member. NCCMC: Many of the programs we host are available for viewing on NCCMC. LWVNC shows can be seen on channel 75 (community access station) and on channel 78 (government station). See http://www.nccmc.com/ for current schedules. For more information, or if you are interested in attending events, please e-mail us at lwv.newcastle@gmail.com The New York State LWV's Newsletter is now available online. Updated April 9, 2012 Many thanks to Westchester Alliance for Telecommunications and Public Access (WATPA ) & the Westchester Library System (WLS) for hosting this site. |
