Norwood League of Women Voters

The Carillon NORWOOD LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 BULLETIN

October 2014

4 – Sat. Yom Kippur 5 – Sun. Membership Kickoff Meeting, Morse Meeting House, 1285 Washington St., South Norwood. 2:00 pm (see flyer, page 3) 7 – Tues. Board Meeting at Anne Fratalia’s, 84 Cameron Rd., (781-769-8259) 22 –Wed. Candidates Forum, Memorial Hall, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. (see flyer, page 5) 25 – Sat. Massachusetts LWV League Fall Leaders Lunch

31 – Fri. Halloween

November 2014

3 – Mon. Board Meeting 7:30 pm at the home of Susan Quinn, 11 Belmont St., (781-440-9057) 4 – Tues. Election Day 11 – Tues. Veterans Day 18 – Tues. Committee Meeting for Education Study at the home of Mary Anne Kenney, 4 Robinwood Rd., 7:30 p.m. (781-769-2032)

27 - Thurs. Thanksgiving

PLEASE RUN OFF AND POST YOUR BULLETIN AND AD PAGE!

President Carol MacLeay, 617-510-1139, [email protected] Vice President: Susan Quinn, 781-440-9057, [email protected] Membership: Toni Eosco, 781-769-7865, [email protected] Bulletin Editor: Mary Anne Kenney 781-769-2032, [email protected] Website: www.lwvnorwoodma.org Post Office Box: P.O. Box 275 206D Bahama Dr. 617-510-1139 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – Carol MacLeay

Welcome to Fall!!! And Welcome to a new League Year! We have so many exciting things happening, it’s hard to know where to begin. But I’ll give it a try…

We started the year with Norwood Day on September 13th. What a great day! We had beautiful weather. We registered 12 new voters, one of whom had become a citizen just two weeks before. We sold dog biscuits, we distributed Norwood surveys and received 58 completed surveys, and we distributed Chateau tickets. It was a very successful Norwood Day thanks to the many members who volunteered their time.

School Open Houses started Tuesday, September 16th. We conducted Voter Registration drives at the High School, the Middle School, and the Oldham School. We registered 9 new voters at those schools.

Then came National Voter Registration Day. We held Voter Registrations at the High School, at Universal Technical Institute (UTI), at the Farmers Market, at ITT Tech, and at the Willett School. We registered 33 new voters at those events. Our total so far is 54, with more to come.

Coming up are Open Houses at the Prescott, the Balch, (10/1), the Callahan, (10/2), and the Cleveland (10/7) Schools. We still need volunteers for the ones with dates next to them.

I want to thank all of you for your willingness to help with all the Voter Service events we have going on this Fall. Your enthusiasm and commitment to Voter Service is so exciting.

There are a couple more very important events looming and we need as much participation and help as possible.

On October 5th, we have our Fall Kickoff. Susan Clare from Together Yes will be speaking to us at the Morse House about sustainability issues for our community. I hope you will come, and bring a friend. If you know of anyone who might be interested in learning more about our League, give their contact info to Toni, and she will send them an invitation.

We will be holding a Candidates’ Night the week of October 20th in preparation for the November 4th election. If you can help with that, let Mary Anne know. And please plan to attend. The date of that has not been confirmed due to the candidates’ schedules.

I met with representatives of the Norwood Junior Women’s Club this week. We are planning to collaborate on hosting a Non-Profit Fair in February. Anne and I will be on the planning committee for this event and I need another volunteer to work with us. If you are interested in this, please let me know as soon as possible. Planning and initial steps will start at the beginning of October.

Please come to the next Board Meeting on October 7th at Anne’s house. There is so much more I want to tell you about and I’ve run out of room. See you then.

-2- NORWOOD LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS FALL KICKOFF/SOCIAL

League Members & Guests, Please join us at the historic Morse House as we listen and learn about another local grass roots organization -“Together Yes” - with guest speaker, Susan Clare, Director. A retired teacher, activist, and grandmother, she will share her ideas on sustainability issues for our community. A light lunch buffet is included. Norwood League information will be available for interested guests.

October 5, 2014 (Sunday) 2:00 p.m. George H. Morse Meeting House 1285 Washington Street, South Norwood League Members $5 Guests: Complimentary

RSVP to Toni Eosco, Norwood LWV Membership Chair Phone: 781-769-7865 or email: [email protected]

-3- THE OBSERVER CORPS – Peggy Kenney, Chair,

League members attend town or city board commission and committee meetings to observe the proceedings and report back to their local League about those meetings. Under the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law, citizens have the right to attend open sessions of such entities and may take notes. The local Observer Corps get first-hand information on matters facing the community. Please call me at 781-769-3556 to take part in the program.

(League observers do not speak at meetings and do not present the League’s position on the issues being discussed. Only the local League president or a designated spokesperson may present the League’s position on an issue before the board. The Observer may alert the local League board about any issues that the League has a position on and may want to comment or take action. It is an excellent way for new members to learn about the structure of local government and current issues facing the community.)

October Meetings – (IF you have a question about the meeting you would like to attend, call the Town Clerk’s office at Town Hall- 781-762-1240, or call me, Peggy Kenney, at 781-769-3556 or email [email protected]..

October 7 - Board of Selectmen , Rm. 131,132, 7-8 p.m., Selectmen’s Chambers October 7 – Zoning Board of Appeals, Ext. 185, 7:15 pm, Thurs. Rm 12 October 8 – School Committee, 7 pm, Savage Educational Center, 781-440-5821. October 14 – Library Board of Trustees, 7:30 pm, Trustees Rm. Memorial Library 781-769-0200 October 14 - Board of Selectmen , Rm.. 131,132 7-8 p.m., Selectmen’s Chambers October 20 – Planning Board, Rm 12, Ext.164, 7 pm, Thurs. October21 - Board of Selectmen , Rm 131,132, 7-8 p.m., Selectmen’s Chambers October 28 - Board of Selectmen , Rm 131,132 7-8 p.m. , Selectmen’s Chambers October 29 – School Committee, 7 pm, Savage Educational Center, 781-440-5821.

Mary Anne Kenney and I attended the Conservation Commission’s Meeting on Wed., Sept. 17th. After opening the meeting, the Chair announced that the Commission would go into Executive Session regarding a matter that Selectman Bill Plasko had on the agenda. They were in executive session for about 45 minutes and were in compliance with the Open Meeting Law rules for going into Executive Session.

This is the first time I have seen a committee go into Executive Session. As we waiting to go back into the Committee Room, Mary Anne explained that there specific rules for going into Executive Session in the General Laws of Massachusetts, Chapter 39, Municipal Government, Section 23B, Open Meetings of governmental bodies. The League has a copy of this law and if anyone would like to have a copy, please call me. To date, the minutes of the meeting have not been posted on the Commission’s website so we cannot explain the reason for the session as we did not hear the reason stated by Cheryl Roberts, Chair. Peggy Kenney

-4- NORWOOD LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS WALPOLE/WESTWOOD LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS Candidates Forum Norwood Town Hall – Memorial Hall Wednesday, October 22, 2014 7:30 p.m. All local and regional candidates representing the towns of Norwood, Walpole and Westwood Please come and hear from the candidates! A Ballot Question panel discussion will be presented on the cable channel with advocates for and against the questions. An email will be sent out giving the date and time for each viewing.

CANDIDATES INVITED:

Opposed:

State Representative John H Rogers and Tim Hempton County Commissioner: Peter H. Collins and Michael J. Soter

Unopposed:

U.S. Representative in U.S. Congressman Stephen F. Lynch State Senator Michael Rush Councilor Robert L. Jubinville State Representative Louis L. Kafka State Representative Paul McMurtry State Representative Shawn C. Dooley Clerk of Courts Walter F. Timilty, Jr. Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey Register of Probate Patrick W. McDermott County Treasurer Joseph A. Connolly

Please be sure to read your “red book” sent out by the Secretary of State’s office which has a listing and explanation of each ballot question with comments for and against

-5- Membership Kickoff Guest Speaker. Susan Clare, - TOGETHER YES

On Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m., the Norwood League will be holding a Membership Kickoff Meeting at the historical George H. Morse Meeting House on 1285 Washington St., South Norwood (see flyer, page 3).

Our Guest Speaker is Susan Clare, founder of the Norwood organization “Together Yes”. Director Clare is a retired teacher, activist and grandmother and Sunday she will talk about her organization which is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to sustainable living in Norwood. She has had many articles in our local papers talking about the problem of spraying insecticides on our bee population, protecting our ecosystem and using our retirement for doing some good things we did not have time for while working and raising a family.

She studies and learns about things that threaten us and our home and Earth with death and loss. Sunday we will have the opportunity to ask questions and share our thoughts.

Please make an effort to attend. Our membership Chair, Toni Eosco is preparing a nice light lunch buffet and this will be chance for most of us to see the Morse House and learn about its history. Also, please bring a friend and neighbor and family members to enjoy it with us.