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THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
OF
McLEAN COUNT Y
In this Issue:
President’s Letter
p. 2
Call for Issues to Study
p. 2
Upcoming Programs
p. 3
League Studies
pp. 4-5
Council Candidates
p. 6
Observing the County Board
p. 6
Not In Our Town
p. 7
December Wine Tasting
p. 8
The Voter of LWV of McLean Co.
is published 8 times a year
Official address of the League
of Women Voters:
1918 Owens Drive
Bloomington, IL 61701
309-663-5166
Websites of League of Women Voters:
McLean County www.lwvmclean.org
State of Illinois www.lwvil.org
National www.lwv.org
President
Maureen O’Keefe
309-258-4233
[email protected]
PresidentPresident-Elect
Kathy Nicholson-Tosh
309-530-2050
[email protected]
Membership
Joe Gibson
309-530-7561
[email protected]
Treasurer
Emily Vigneri
309-532-6932
[email protected]
Newsletter
Susan Alford
309-829-1472
[email protected]
Of McLean County
Vol. 81 No. 5
February 2015
Save the Date:
Breaking Barriers: A Community/Police Dialogue
Thursday, January 22, 6:00 p.m.
City of Refuge Church, 401 E. Jefferson, Bloomington
Not In Our Town starts conversation
Government, Taxes, & Economic Development:
Are We Getting Our Money’s Worth?
Thursday, January 29, 7:00 p.m.
Normal Public Library Community Room, 206 W. College Ave.
Mark Peterson, Normal City Manager; Mike O’Grady, BloomingtonNormal Economic Development Council; Dr. Frank Beck, ISU
Drinks & Dialogue: Affordable Housing
Wednesday, February 11, 5:30 p.m.
A Renée Wine Café, 306 N. Center St., Bloomington
Laura Furlong and Karen Major, chairs of LWV study
Californians Would Be Jealous: Water in McLean
County
Tuesday, February 24, 7:00 p.m.
Normal Public Library Community Room, 206 W. College Ave.
Report from Water Resources Study Committee
Local Candidate Forums
Bloomington Ward 4 Primary – Tuesday, February 17
Normal Town Council – Wednesday, March 11
Bloomington City Council – Wednesday, March 18
See page 6 for times and locations
Living in B-N as an Undocumented Immigrant
Wednesday, April 8
Drinks & Dialogue and viewing of the film Documented
From the Desk of Our President
Welcome back to the second half of our League year; we’re hoping everyone celebrated a wonderful holiday
season. It’s apparent many Leaguers are already geared up and continuing their efforts to ensure our local
government works for everyone. The Observer Team, led by Glen Ludwig, has been extremely active this
year in providing a comprehensive approach to observing our local government entities in action. Our Voter
Services function is busy coordinating public forums in March, just in time for upcoming contests for seats
on the Bloomington City Council and Normal Town Council.
Does League matter? I’m reflecting upon a recent email exchange between several Leaguers concerning
the merits of city governance and how debate and procedures occur differently in Council meetings in
Normal and Bloomington. I applaud Mary Lynn Edwards who provided a thoughtful response by comparing
and contrasting the two modes of governance. She concluded, “I believe the League’s role in all of this is to
provide an in-depth look at the important issues and promote debate on them in the general citizenry and
to make our positions known to our elected officials.” I couldn’t agree more.
All of which reminds me that this year, 2015, is a special one for the League of Women Voters as we
celebrate the 95th Anniversary of Carrie Chapman Catt’s great idea for promoting a mechanism to
encourage informed and active citizen-led participation in government. In 1920, six months before the 19th
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote was ratified, she was successful in
enacting the great experiment we now know as the League of Women Voters.
This spring, early in May ahead of our Annual Meeting, our League will host a special celebration for our
membership in honor of the League’s 95th Anniversary. More information will be published in the Voter and
on our web site as these plans are finalized.
So, as we continue the important work of League here in McLean County, I urge all of our many new
members to become active in League in any way that meets your interests, whether it’s working on Voter
Services, participating on the Observer Team, joining our Board, or lending your talents to the studies we
sponsor.
Sincerely, Maureen
Call for Issues to Study
Is there a particular issue of local or state importance you believe we need
to study as a League? In 2013-14 our League studied mental health
services in McLean County, and during 2014-15, we’ve been studying
water resources and affordable housing in McLean County.
What do you think our League should take up for study and debate?
Send your suggestions to Maureen O’Keefe ([email protected]) or
Kathy Tosh ([email protected]) and they will ensure the Committee
receives them for consideration at our Annual Meeting in May.
Please forward your suggestions to Maureen or Kathy by March 1, 2015.
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Join Us for Great Upcoming Programs
Breaking Barriers:
A Community/Police Dialogue – Jan 22
Government, Taxes, & Economic
Development: Are we getting our
money’s worth? – Jan 29
In the news locally and nationally, relations between
the police and the community will be the focus of a
public forum on Thursday, January 22, from 6:00
to 8:00 p.m.at the City of Refuge Church, 401 E.
Jefferson St. Bloomington. Pastor William Bennett
will moderate this conversation about police
practices and procedures.
This event has been several months in planning by
the Not In Our Town (NIOT) Community Engagement
Committee and is cosponsored by: the NAACP; Minority
And Police Partnership; the League of Women Voters;
the Bloomington, Normal, and ISU police departments;
the McLean County Sheriff’s Office; the McLean County
State’s Attorney; the Bloomington Normal Trades and
Labor Assembly (AFL-CIO); and 100 Black Men. See
page 7 for more information about NIOT.
Want to know more about government’s role in
economic development? Come to this informative
program presented at the Community Room of the
Normal Public Library on Thursday, January 29, at
7:00 pm.
Panelists include Dr. Frank Beck, Associate
Professor of Sociology and Faculty Director of the
Stevenson Center at ISU; Mark Peterson, Town of
Normal City Manager; and Kyle Ham, CEO of
Bloomington-Normal Economic Development
Council. Glen Ludwig will chair.
Bring a friend and join us as we explore
government’s role in promoting economic
development and assess the strengths and
weaknesses of its efforts.
--Laurie Bergner
–Susan Alford
Californians Would Be Jealous:
Water in McLean County – Feb 24
Drinks & Dialogue Explores Local Issues
How easy do you think it is
to find affordable housing in
Bloomington/Normal?
What’s it like to live in
Bloomington/Normal as an
undocumented immigrant?
To get answers to these
questions join us for informative and lively
discussions at Drinks and Dialogue.
On Wednesday, February 11th at 5:30 p.m.
Drinks & Dialogue will feature a discussion on
affordable housing at A. Renée Wine Café. Laura
Furlong, CEO of Marcfirst will facilitate and be joined
by Housing Study co-chair Karen Major of the Baby
Fold. Watch your email for a reminder with
background information for you to read before our
discussion.
On Wednesday, April 8th, Drinks & Dialogue
will join with the Program Committee to have an
informative evening on undocumented
immigrants. We’ll start the evening with our
discussion and then view the film Documented at
the Normal Theater. Look for more information in
future editions of the Voter as the location for
Drinks and Dialogue may move to accommodate the
viewing of the film.
What’s the state of our water resources in McLean
County? Are the supply and quality going to be able to
meet our demands?
Find out when the Water Resources Study reports
its findings on Tuesday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m. in
the Normal Public Library Community Room. See
page 4 for details about the extensive research the
group has done and come to this meeting to learn
about their conclusions.
Redistricting Works
Last month, CHANGE Illinois released “Redistricting
Reformed,” a brief paper summarizing events in
California and Arizona where nonpartisan, transparent
redistricting became a reality. Working with CHANGE
Illinois, national redistricting experts Nicholas
Stephanopoulos (University of Chicago Law School) &
Ruth Greenwood (Chicago Lawyers’ Committee) led a
team which culled academic literature and data down
to accessible key points. Follow the link to read:
http://www.changeil.org/blog/redistricting-reformed/
--Camille Taylor
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Reports from Local Studies
Update on Housing Study
With 20+ group members, the Housing Study has
had several large group meetings that have
explored the United Way Assessment feedback on
housing; local community needs as seen by various
providers; shared research from ISU experts; and
supportive/public housing education from our local
Bloomington Housing Authority. The study group
has learned much and feels that the issue is real for
our local community. In order to explore key areas
more thoroughly there have been two study groups
developed:
1. Data Group - The purpose of this group will be
to look at a baseline for our community on
homelessness, housing needs and on-going
data on housing. This will be used to look at
community need and resources for the
community. Jeremy Hayes from the
Bloomington Housing Authority will lead this
small group.
2. Best Practices Group - The purpose of this group
will be to look beyond McLean County at
housing best
practices to address community needs and
develop long term solutions for our community.
Angela Franzen from Mid-Central Community
Action will lead this small group.
The Housing Study Group has been fortunate to
have many shared resources from various
participants. A few of these include:
1. Stevenson Center Research on Housing –
2010: A Community in Bloom: An affordable
housing needs assessment of West
Bloomington
2. 2003: Experiencing Homelessness in
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois: Resources and
Needs for Shelter and Supportive Services
3. United Way Community Assessment
Dashboard
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services Article on Children
Our next meeting will be Thursday, February 5,
2015, 11:30 – 1:00 p.m., Keller Williams Realty,
2401 E. Empire, Bloomington, IL.
--Laura Furlong
Update on Water Study
Last spring as a League Board-appointed committee
pondered ideas for new local League studies, Carol
Reitan proposed that this might be an appropriate
time to investigate issues pertaining to water
resources in McLean County. Several decades ago,
the McLean County League had done a water
conservation study, prompted by the serious
drought that afflicted this region in the late 1980s.
However, the focus of that study was rather narrow
and Carol reasoned that it was time to examine the
broader questions related to the adequacy of
regional water supplies, as well as to water quality
issues. As Carol pointed out, “Over and over again
we hear that water will be a major resource that
people will be worried about—
about—or starting wars
about.”
Water shortages and the fear of “water wars”
certainly rank high on the list of international
environmental concerns, as well as in the American
Southwest and even in parts of Illinois—several
northeastern counties in particular—as urban areas
continue to grow and climate change accelerates.
Water quality has also been a high national priority
for decades, and while increasingly strict
regulations governing “point source pollutants”
have greatly reduced the amount of pollutants
entering waterways from industrial facilities and
sewage treatment plants, they’ve been much less
effective in preventing overland runoff (“non-point
source pollutants”) from agricultural lands, city
streets, and suburban lawns. Although most
Illinoisans are probably unaware of this fact, Illinois
farmland runoff contributes approximately 15% of
the nutrient-laden sediments flowing into the Gulf
of Mexico, resulting in the continued expansion of
the notorious “Dead Zone” that is devastating
marine life in that once-highly productive body of
water.
As if the present situation doesn’t provide
sufficient cause for alarm, we also should be aware
of scientists’ warnings that as global warming
accelerates in the decades ahead, more frequent
droughts and extreme weather events— more
intense storms, flooding, etc. — could have serious
adverse effects on local water resources.
-- Cont. on p. 5
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Water Study from p. 4 –
With all this in mind, our League study
committee (Becky Anderson, Roger Elm, Gretchen
Monti, Meredith and Juergen Schroeer, and Anne
Nadakavukaren) set out to learn as much as we
could about the existing situation regarding water
resources in our county and the readiness of our
municipalities to meet the challenges that lie
ahead. In this context, we’ve conducted interviews
with the following individuals/agencies: Angelo
Capparella (Audubon Society and ISU Assoc.
Professor of Biological Sciences); Richard Twait
(Superintendent, Bloomington Water Treatment
Plant); Mike Swartz (McLean Co. Farm Bureau);
John Hendershott (McLean Co. Health Dept., Div. of
Environmental Health); Mark Peterson and Steve
Gerdis (City Manager and Water Treatment Plant
Director, respectively; Town of Normal); Dr.
Catherine O’Reilly (ISU Asst. Prof. of Geography/
Geology); Dir. Randy Stein and Jake Callahan
(Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District);
and Robert Kohlhase (hydrological engineer,
Farnsworth Group).
In addition, we were given extensive tours of the
Bloomington Water Treatment Plant at Lake
Bloomington and the new BNWRD wastewater
treatment plant, as well as the latter’s engineered
wetland, recently developed to provide an enhanced
level of treatment for the already-high quality
effluent discharged from BNWRD’s facility. Roger
Elm and Anne Nadakavukaren also were able to
attend a half-day workshop sponsored by the county
Soil & Water Conservation District to provide an
update on the Mackinaw River Drinking Water
Partnership project.
Subsequently, committee members have been
conducting telephone interviews with water
department officials in many of the smaller
communities throughout McLean County, collecting
information on their water supply outlook—both
current and long-term—and whether they have any
issues of concern pertaining to the quality of their
drinking water.
The results of our conversations, observations,
and investigations will be presented at the League
Program on Tuesday, February 24, at the Normal
Public Library Community Room, at 7:00. We look
forward to sharing what we’ve learned; we won’t
give away our conclusions in this article (we want
you to come to the meeting!), but we can tell you
this much: you won’t go home feeling depressed!
--Anne Nadakavukaren
Mental Health Study Sets Goals for 2015
At their January 19th meeting, members of the LWV
McLean County Mental Health Study outlined their
goals for the upcoming year. Chair Judy Buchanan
reports that their work isn’t done. The group has
moved from research to actively educating the
community and providing guidance to public and
private agencies which serve the mentally ill.
5. Engage Mental Health America and the National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) to promote
Mental Health Day/ Week in area high schools
COMMUNITY GOALS:
1. Proactively encourage collaboration among local
entities and agencies regarding the recruitment
of psychiatrists
2. Monitor the development of crisis beds at
Chestnut, their availability, utilization and needs
by end of 2015
3. Work with LWV Study Group on Housing, ensure
provisions recommend permanent housing for
those with a mental health need
The Study’s goals for 2015 are:
LWV GOALS:
1. Make ten (10) presentations of Mental Health
Study for local organizations, churches,
employers, others
2. Promote Mental Health First Aid Sessions to a
wide range of communities (i.e. clergy,
educators, etc.)
3. Review and comment on McLean County Board
final Mental Health report and
recommendations, with particular attention to
funding and sustainability
4. Review and comment on County Board
Recommendations regarding expansion of
McLean County Detention Facility
LONG RANGE ISSUES:
1. Continue education of community and
employers – improve understanding of issues
and reduce stigma
2. Continue to observe, monitor and comment on
McLean County Board of Health behavioral
health grants and creation of a Mental Health
Advisory Committee
--Judy Buchanan & Susan Alford
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Council Candidates Square Off Before April Election
Bloomington Ward 4 Primary – WGLT will broadcast a
live forum on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:00 p.m. with
a rebroadcast at 11:00 a.m. on the 18th. This highlycontested primary forum will be moderated by Mike
McCurdy as five candidates (Amelia Buragas, Jeremy
Kelly, Chip Frank, Dan Metz (write-in) and Ron Schultz)
vie to replace Ward 4 Alderman Judy Stearns who is
stepping down.
The Ward 4 Primary will be held on Tuesday,
February 24, with early voting beginning on Monday,
February 9. Two candidates will advance to the
Consolidated Election on April 7. Residents of
Bloomington Ward 4 belong to precincts 1, 9, 22, 24,
27 and 28.
Normal Town Council – LWV presents a forum for
Trustee candidates on Wednesday, March 11 at the
Normal Town Hall (11 Uptown Circle) at 7:00 p.m.
Three trustees will be elected for four-year terms to
expire in 2019. Normal trustees serve at-large and do
not represent a particular geographic area of the town.
Bloomington City Council – LWV holds a forum for
Alderman candidates on Wednesday, March 18,
at 7:00 p.m. in the Osborn Room of the
Bloomington Police Department (305 S. East St.)
In 2015 Bloomington’s even-numbered wards (2, 4,
6, and 8) are up for election on the April 7 ballot.
Only Ward 4 has a primary this year.
--Susan Alford
Observing at the County Board
Comparative Observations: Prior to moving to
In the last several months our Observer Team has
ramped up our activity at the McLean County Board.
We started late last summer with observing only at
the executive committee meetings but we quickly
learned that meeting was mostly a process for
determining what would be placed on the full Board
meeting agenda the following week. Thus, observing
at that level was not very productive.
Due to the standing committee structure used
by the County there is typically not much robust
discussion in the full County Board meeting (held on
the third Tuesday of the month at 9:00 a.m.)
Typically that meeting is a process of approving the
recommendations that have been propagated by
the various committees. The assumption seems to
be that the committees have fully vetted the issue
and thus the full board typically rubber stamps the
recommendations. I often wonder if this is where
the temptation begins for voting for or against a
proposal that one hasn’t read.
Recently we have added more observers to our
team and are doing much of our observing at the
committee level (the grass roots of our local county
government). McLean County has five standing
committees which our observer team does well in
covering: Finance, Justice, Land Use, Property, and
Transportation.
McLean County my family lived in Livingston County,
where I independently pursued monitoring the
Livingston County Board and committees. It’s
interesting to compare how the two governments
function. One major difference is in McLean County
we have a County Administrator (Bill Wasson) and
his staff. In Livingston County they have no
administrator, thus the County Board Chair and an
administrative assistant carry the load. This seems
to limit bureaucracy and committees do more of the
work.
Livingston meetings embraced public comments
years prior to the recent change in McLean County
to do so. In McLean where we have 14 Republican
and 6 Democrat members we seem to have limited
discussion and many unanimous decisions.
Livingston, which has been primarily Republican for
years, had more active discussion and many split
votes. It was more interesting to attend Livingston
County Board meetings as there was more to learn/
hear from the robust discussion. With a population
of 38,000, Livingston County government appears
more transparent than our county government
which serves a population of 175,000. It’s fair to
say each of them could learn from the other.
--Glen Ludwig
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Not In Our Town & League Work Together
The Not In Our Town (NIOT) Bloomington Normal
movement began in 1995. After viewing the PBS
film, Not In Our Town, which featured a story of a
hate crime in Billings, Montana, a local group of
citizens began a grassroots movement. The goal
was to inoculate Bloomington/Normal against hate
and acts of violence. Marches, rallies, forums, film
viewings, and pledge card drives in local schools
were some of the activities over the years. When
people like Matt Hale, the leader of the Church of
the World Creator and Rev. Fred Phelps, of the
Westboro Baptist Church, came to preach hatred
and recruit people to their causes, NIOT rallied with
a diversity fair and a “shield against hate”
demonstration using umbrellas to shield hateful
signage about gay people. After a few years of
decreased activity, NIOT was revived last spring with
a local viewing of the latest film documenting the
massacre at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek,
Wisconsin.
A Not In Our Town national gathering was held in
June 2014 to commemorate 20 years of Not In Our
Town since the Billings incident. Representation was
requested from Bloomington/Normal due to the
history of our involvement. I attended the gathering,
along with Suresh Krishna and Dontae Latson, both
members of the Bloomington Human Relations
Commission. The three of us shared the story of the
B/N Not In Our Town, attended workshops and
trainings, and networked with NIOT activists from
around the country. We returned invigorated and
shared the information we learned. Multiple
meetings ensued with many of the original founders
of the movement as well as new activists who then
developed a focus, a mission, and vehicles to
accomplish the work.
The vision for Not In Our Town is to eliminate
hate, address bullying, and create a safe, inclusive
community. Not In Our Town now has a steering
committee as well as five working committees: Arts
and Culture; Community Engagement; Education;
Marketing and PR; and Finance and Fundraising.
The Marketing and PR committee has
created new pledge cards, and a NIOT website,
www.niotbn.org. Posters can be seen on the
Connect Transit busses and electronic billboards
along Veterans Parkway. First Christian Church
donated money to have a NIOT quilt made which is a
visual display and a “metaphor for security, comfort,
and the diverse parts joined into a harmonious
whole.” This quilt and the marketing posters were
displayed at the formal “launch” of NIOT which was
held at the YWCA on December 10th. Over 125
people attended and showed their support including
Maureen O’Keefe, president of our LWV McLean
County.
This week, the Community Engagement
committee has organized a “Communiry/Police
Dialogue” on Thursday, January 22nd from 6:00 to
8:00 p.m. at the City of Refuge Church at 401 E.
Jefferson St., Bloomington. The League of Women
Voters is a co-sponsor, along with other groups such
as the NAACP, Minority and Police Partnership,
McLean County State’s Attorney, and the
Bloomington & Normal Trades & Labor/ Assembly.
This event is free and open to the public and will
give local citizens the opportunity to ask questions
and get answers about police practices and
community relations. It will hopefully raise
awareness and influence change where needed
while creating an opportunity to dismantle
stereotypes and mistrust.
Also, the Education committee is working with
local schools to establish Not In Our School
events/practices. The Arts and Culture Committee is
planning an International Fair event for later this
year. Finance and Fundraising has established a
website to submit donations at:
https://www.crowdrise.com/NotInOurTownBlooming
tonNormal. To date $2,200.00 has been raised. Our
desire is to be housed at the YWCA (pending Board
approval) and gain 5013c status.
The League is interested in other ways we can
work with Not In Our Town, and discussions will be
on-going to accomplish this goal.
--Camille Taylor
7
Leaguers & Friends Make December Wine Tasting a Success
8