VOTER The League of Women Voters of New Castle County, Delaware January 2014 www.lwvdelaware-newcastlecounty.org Vol. 20, No. 4 The Mission of the League of Women Voters is to empower citizens to shape better communities. More Details for Fun Lunch on page 2. The League of Women Voters of NCC invites all to January’s FUN LUNCH CO-PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Monday, January 20, 2014 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Dear Leaguers, Michael’s Restaurant Thanks for all you’re doing to keep the 1000 Churchmans Rd, Newark, DE 19713 League thriving. Many League members (302) 368-4230 expended great efforts to register voters January’s Hot Topic – General Manager Eileen P. this past year, in spite of it not being a Fogarty will share her vision for New Castle major general election year. It took a County’s Department of Land Use veritable village of Leaguers working behind the scenes to provide the support for a standing room only event which provided the opportunity for a civil and vibrant exchange New Castle County hired Eileen among candidates for the office of Mayor in Newark. Fogarty in August, 2013, to head its Land Use Department. She Opportunities in 2014 include responding to League of has accumulated 30 years of Women Voters of the U.S. consensus questions in experience in urban land use agriculture, and responding to LWV Delaware consensus planning, zoning and development questions on education. Agriculture will actually be the focus of this year’s League Day in Dover. The Governor has review, transportation planning, made initial steps in response to our requests for a climate and economic development. She most recently change policy but we’ll want to see more definitive action in served as Director of Planning & Community terms of sea level rise adaptation, as well as mitigation of Development for Santa Monica, Calif. from 2006 to the excessive carbon dioxide which set the whole process in 2011. motion in the first place. We want to know if anything is needed to enhance the Coastal Zone Act beside better At the time of her appointment, Ms. Fogarty said, enforcement of the current law and regulations. New Castle County has a new Land Use Department General “I’ve been in Alexandria and Santa Monica, where Manager, and we’ll want to learn about any possible shifts the issues were citizen distrust of the process and in policy in that direction. Some of our members will be a lot of growth pressures. Also, a lot of the working through the Advocacy Committee of the State community was left out of all of the process and League to get rid of the state’s barbaric death penalty. We left out of the prosperity. I’ve had tremendous have need of observers for Wilmington City Council success in turning agencies around and bringing meetings, for County Planning Board hearings and enthusiasm and motivation to the agencies..” meetings, and for school board meetings. The biennial Convention of the League of Women Voters of Ms. Fogarty has already begun to make her mark by the U.S. will take place this June 6-10 in Dallas, Texas. Our spearheading the effort to broadcast on Comcast League has limited funds to aid attendees from our local. Channel 22 and Verizon Channel 29 all meetings of Please check out this link for additional information: the County Planning Board and the Board of http://www.lwv.org/member-resources/council-and- Adjustment, beginning in January of 2014. She has convention Our own Climate Committee plans to do a also set in motion several improvements to the carbon pricing caucus at the National Convention. County’s new Villages and Hamlets ordinance. (Continued on page 2 Co-president’s Message) 1 (Continued from page 1 Co-president’s Message) THE LEAGUE PRESENTS NEWARK MAYORAL All of these efforts would greatly benefit from your help. CANDIDATES’ FORUM Please let Joyce or me know if something mentioned here sounds intriguing in terms of your direct involvement. You can reach Joyce at 655-3411 or at [email protected]. Nearly 400 Newarkers stood or sat in rapt attention for the You can reach me at 235-7182 or at League of Women Voters of New Castle County Mayoral [email protected]. Candidates’ Forum on Thursday, November 14. Candidates responded to a wide range of topics in questions posed by We look forward to a splendid 2014! members of the audience. Following a warm welcome by Co-President Joyce Johnson, Carole Walsh deftly handled Sincerely, the questions brought to her by League members Danielle Emerling, Vicky Kleinman, Judy Taggart, and Emily White. Coordinator of the Voters’ Service Committee which organized the event was Helen Hoffman. Letty Diswood helped to register attendees. Peggy Schultz Continued from page 1 Fun Lunch. Join us for a buffet luncheon and discussion. Great food choices and the price of $14.00 per person covers lunch, beverages and gratuity. Please bring cash to pay for the lunch. The purpose of this FUN LUNCH is to become informed on a wide variety of topics and check in CANDIDATES: Donald DelCollo, Jr., Robyn Harland, Mark with current and longtime friends, make new Morehead, Rebecca Powers, Amy Roe, Polly Sierer, Matthew Vento, MODERATOR: Carole Walsh friends, and invite (your friends, neighbors, colleagues) to experience the League in an informal Transparency in government, budget, town and gown setting. issues, and the proposed Data Center were included in the topics covered by the questions. Donald DelCollo objected Please RSVP at [email protected] or 302-571- to the excessive use of water by the proposed Data Center 8948 by Saturday, January 18, so the restaurant and says he will do something about Newark’s traffic. knows how many to expect. If you need a ride, Robyn Harland says that neither the University nor the Data Center have been forthcoming in presenting the facts. leave a message on the League Office phone or e- Mark Morehead said he would be the one to “frame the mail when you RSVP. question,” and urged a strong voter turnout. Rebecca Powers would like to see better enforcement of laws FOR CAR POOL- CALL 302-571-8948 AND LEAVE regarding student rentals, and noted the importance of A MESSAGE. improving communication among City departments. Amy Roe noted her experience in advocating for residents’ rights Directions: Michael’s is located at 1000 Churchmans in the past, and said that if she were mayor people could Road, Newark. See http://michaelsde.com/directions/ expect to be treated respectfully. Both the Wilmington News Journal and WHYY covered the GREAT DECISIONS 2014 event. You can follow these links to read their detailed comments. Both the 2nd Thursday and 2nd Monday Great Discussion http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20131115/NEWS0 Groups will begin activity again in February, the 2nd 2/311110078/Seven-Newark-candidates-make-their-case- Thursday Group on February 13th and the 2nd Monday mayor Group on February 10th. Please call the LWVNCC office (302-571-8948) for information on the 2nd Thursday Group http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicon and Vicky Kleinman (302-731-4590) for information on the tent/item/61924-newark-mayoral-candidates-take-center- 2nd Monday Group. The calendar on the last page of this stage-?Itemid=1 Voter also has information on the meetings. 2 MEMBERSHIP UPDATE Welcome to New Members: Rosalyn Chasin, 302-478-1610, [email protected] Emma Way, 302-738-1022, 302-650-9805 cell, [email protected] Steven K. Dentel (2nd household member with Carol Post) 302-737-3939 Thank you to all our members who have renewed their memberships in the LWV. Your continued support is vital and appreciated to keep this organization working for you and the public. If you haven’t had a chance already, please take a look at the amazing new video posted on our website’s “JOIN LWV” page. You’ll find it here: http://www.lwvdelaware-newcastlecounty.org/JointheLeague.html You’ll see Kloppy Klopfenstein, Co-President Joyce Johnson, Joann Hasse, Chad Tolman, Letty Diswood, Judy Taggart and Vicky Kleinman tell their own stories about why they love the League. Kloppy and Letty had the idea of the video, which they then asked former LWVNCC President Nancy Breslin (pictured at right) to work out for them. And did Nancy ever work it out! Nancy did a superb job with the video, really getting at the heart and soul of why we do what we do. Thanks to all those involved in this innovative new way to let people know about the League! If you have an idea about how you might serve the community and the League, please let either of us Co- Presidents know, either by phone or by email: Joyce Johnson ([email protected], 655-3411) or me ([email protected], 235-7182). League Members Welcome New Citizens at the NATURALIZATION CEREMONY held Thursday, December 5 at Clayton Hall, UD. At each ceremony a folder of civic information is provided to each new citizen by the League. Other groups also provide flags and the constitution to new citizens. Thank you to Connie Georgov, coordinator for LWV, Letty Diswood, and Nancy Lopez who helped out at this ceremony. Above: Foreignborntakingtheoathtobecome Above: LeaguememberNancyLopezafterhanding citizensoftheUnitedStates. outfolderstothenewcitizens. ATTENTION!! Reminder: The LWVs of Delaware and New Castle County have a new email: [email protected] and [email protected]. Please delete the [email protected] and [email protected] emails from your address books. Other contacts: 302-571-8948. 3 NOVEMBER FUN LUNCH HIGHLIGHTS KAY GALLOGLY, Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) and Boiling Water WHO SHARES NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION Reactors (BWRs).