THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
OF
McLEAN COUNTY
In this Issue:
From Our President
Florence Fifer-Bohrer Award
Programs, Voter Services, &
Observer Team
Local Studies
Prayer Vigil
ISU Election Seminars
People You Should Know
Important Voting Dates
Around & About
p. 2
p. 2
p. 3
p. 4
p. 5
p. 5
p. 6
p. 7
p. 8
The Voter of LWV of McLean Co.
is published 9 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
Kathy Nicholson-Tosh
309-530-2050
[email protected]
President-Elect
Emily Vigneri
309-532-6932
[email protected]
Membership
Joe Gibson
309-530-7561
[email protected]
Treasurer
Olemuel Ashford
309-310-2691
[email protected]
Newsletter
Susan Alford
309-829-1472
[email protected]
Vol. 83 No. 1
October 2016
Save the Date:
Fall Membership Event
Tuesday, September 27, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
 Moses Montefiore Temple, 102 Robinhood Lane, Bloomington
 ISU Political Science prof. Dr. Lane Crothers tells us, “Thank You for Not
Voting: Winners and Losers in the ‘Just Stay Home’ Campaign”
 Presentation of Florence Fifer-Bohrer Award & more
 RSVP to Joe Gibson (309-530-7561) [email protected]
Drinks & Dialogue: Women and Voting
Wednesday, October 12, 5:30–7:00 p.m.
 Michael’s Restaurant, 110 W. Washington, Bloomington
 Prof. Sandra Harmon (ret.) and Prof. Kyle Ciani of ISU on “The History of
Suffragettes and the Current Impact Women are Having on the
November Election”
After the Hanging Chad
Wednesday, October 19, 5:30 p.m.
 Normal Public Library Community Room
 McLean Co. Clerk Cathy Michael and Bloomington Election Commission
Director Paul Shannon discuss “Success and Failures in Our Elections”
 See page 3 for details on all programs
General Election
Tuesday, November 8, 6:00 a.m.--7:00 p.m.
 For information about McLean County voting go to:
http://www.mcleancountyil.gov/elections.
 For the city of Bloomington go to: http://www.becvote.org/wordpress/
The Changing Media Landscape: Is It Good for
Democracy?
Wednesday, November 16, 7:00 p.m.
 Normal Public Library Community Room
 Panel members TBA
4th Annual Wine Tasting & Social Fundraiser
Tuesday, December 6, 5:30 p.m.
 McLean County Arts Center, Bloomington
 Enjoy fine wines and tasty hors d’oeuvres along with Holiday Treasures
From Our President
As we enter the fall of 2016 we are very excited that
our membership has reached 187!!! How wonderful is
that? While the membership is large, we would love to have
everyone involved in the many activities and events this
year promises – AND- as you might guess, we will need ‘all
hands on deck’ as we face the November election and
attempt to get voters registered, educated on voter issues,
and to the polls! Our voter services co-chairs, Katie Pratt
and Phylis VerSteegh, are not only attempting to schedule
everyone for voter registrations, they are working with two
high schools in the area to conduct mock elections.
Needless to say, they are extremely busy.
September 27th is also National Voter Registration Day
and the League will be partnering with several other
community organizations – the NAACP, YWCA, NIOT, and
the Bloomington-Normal Trades & Labor Assembly – to
register voters at several sites throughout this month and
the beginning of October, and door-to-door on Saturdays
leading up to the 27th. If you are available and would like
to help, please contact either Phylis VerSteegh at
[email protected] or Katie Pratt at [email protected]
We hope all of you will be attending our reception on
September 27th for members and friends at Montefiore
Temple from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. The 2016 Florence FiferBohrer Award recipient will be announced as well as
‘Leaguer of the Year’ (2015-2016), and ‘Project of the Year’
(2015-2016). Please RSVP to Joe Gibson, our membership
director, at 309-530-7561 or [email protected]
Our annual board retreat was held on August 30th.
We welcomed two new Board members, Katie Pratt (Voter
Services co-chair) and Vickie Smith (Observers chair).
We will continue to conduct studies, provide community
education, and partner with other organizations and
associations to address the wide range of interests of our
membership. Two studies were approved at our annual
meeting last May. These include: 1) a look at the impact of
felonies on the defendant, their families, and the broader
McLean County community; and 2) the practice and impact
of school resource officers in our schools.
In closing, three of us were very fortunate to attend the
National Convention of the League in June. It was an
amazing experience for us as it truly demonstrated the
significance of the League at the national, state and local
levels and the respect the League has among authors,
political analysts and major public figures. We were
extremely proud to represent you all and humbled by the
fact that we had that opportunity. During the convention
we heard a young Muslim woman with three young
daughters tearfully describe the difficulty of this past year
for her family and community and the hatred they have felt.
As we look to the final months of the election season and
debates/forums become a focus of our community, state,
and nation, it is our hope that the League and our
partners continue to be successful in fostering civility,
equity, and kindness as we learn and attempt to
understand different perspectives and ideals. Since the
League does not support any political party or candidate,
combined with providing education and advocacy, it would
appear to be a perfect role.
The MCLP (Multi-cultural Leadership Project) has
selected the League for one of their projects this year.
Our project grant application focused on the need to
increase the diversity of our membership – age, racial/
ethnic background, and gender. Over the next year, we will
be working with 5-6 MCLP participants to identify and
implement strategies to increase the diversity of our
membership.
September Activities
Please look at the calendar for the months of September and
October. As we do every fall, we walked in the Labor Day
Parade on September 5th. On September 27th, in
conjunction with our member reception, we will have our
first speaker of the season, with the topic of Thank You for
Not Voting: Winners and Losers in the "Just Stay Home"
Campaign presented by Dr. Lane Crothers, ISU Professor.
We look forward to seeing you on the 27th - if not before!
Kathy
FFB Nominations Due Next Week
Last week a notice was sent out asking for nominees for the Florence Fifer-Bohrer Award which is given annually to a
community member who is devoted to community service and making a difference. If you would like to nominate
someone, please send his or her name to Kathy Tosh at [email protected] or 8954 Tam-O-Shanter, Bloomington,
IL 61705. Please include responses to the following questions:
1. In what activities is this individual involved, both professionally and in volunteer capacity?
2. What makes their involvement / engagement special and important to the McLean County community? What
impact has their involvement had?
3. With what organization(s) is this individual involved and in what capacity?
4. Feel free to provide additional reasons for this individual to receive the Fifer-Bohrer Award.
Nominations will be accepted until Saturday, September 24, 2016.
2
Fall Programs: Things to Do, People to See
After the Hanging Chad, October 19
Drinks & Dialogue, October 12
The LWV of McLean County is presenting two timely
programs this fall. The first, “After the Hanging Chad:
Successes and Failures in Our Elections” will have Kathy
Michael, McLean County Clerk, and Paul Shannon,
Executive Director of the Bloomington Election
Commission, talking about issues with elections this year
– financial challenges, same-day registration, early voting,
etc. This will be presented at the Normal Public Library
Community Room at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday October 19. This
is a special time to allow everyone to watch the
presidential debate being televised that night.
We're back! Thanks to Diana Hauman for hosting our first
ever summer Drinks and Dialogue with Diane Zosky, who
facilitated a discussion on pay equity. We'd love to hear
from you if you have a topic you'd like to learn more about
and discuss.
Our dates through February are the second
Wednesday of each of the following months: October,
December, and February. April's date is TBD!
October 12th's Drinks and Dialogue will feature retired
Professor Sandra Harmon and Professor Kyle Ciani from
ISU. They will lead a discussion about “Women and
Voting: The History of Suffragettes and the Current Impact
Women are Having on the November Election.” Please
join us at Michael's Restaurant, 110 W. Washington St.,
Bloomington for a Social Hour from 5:30–6:00 p.m. and
the discussion from 6:00–7:00 p.m. Feel free to bring a
friend! Hope to see you on Wednesday, October 12th!
The Changing Media, November 16
The second fall program, “The Changing Media
Landscape: Is It Good for Democracy?” will deal with
what’s happening with media: election coverage,
newspapers losing money, the rising number of bloggers
and the effect on journalism. The Changing Media
Landscape will be at the Normal Public Library
Community Room at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 16.
--Becky Hines [email protected] and
Camille Taylor [email protected], Co-Chairs
--Laurie Bergner, Community Education
Voter Services Activities
Registering Voters
The days from today through October 11 are about the
most important days of the year for League of Women
Voters. We need to do everything we can to help citizens
become registered voters.
Those members who have trained at the Bloomington
Election Commission know exactly how to help voters.
Those of you who have not completed training can still
help us. Here's how --
LWV of McLean County is joining with several other groups
to help register voters before October 11. Groups include:
YWCA, NIOT, NAACP, Bloomington Housing Authority, ISU,
IWU, Trades and Labor, West Bloomington Revitalization
Project, and others. We are trying to co-ordinate efforts so
that we cover as many areas as possible and do not
duplicate efforts. This is a great community effort!
You can help LWV in several ways! From community
events to mock elections and poll watching, we have
many activities that we need volunteers for. For a list of
events, dates & times, and to sign up, click here
(https://goo.gl/forms/1iEpQZuoUkPvbxI92).
If you have any questions about any of this, please
contact Katie ([email protected]) or Phylis
([email protected]). Thanks for your help!
EVERYONE can help people register to vote in one of 3 ways:
1. Fill out the yellow cards. Registrars do this, have the
voter sign, and the voter receives the white copy. This
method requires 2 forms of ID. Return yellow cards to
County Clerk's office.
2. Have the voter fill out the one-page mail-in form. They
provide their own ID information. It's best to have
them sign it and return it to you. We then return the
forms to the County Clerk's office.
3. Instruct them to register online by going to
https://ova.elections.il.gov. If they have a Smart
phone, they can do it while you are helping them.
The County Clerk's office will get Bloomington
registrations to the Bloomington Election Commission.
Stay tuned for the release of the 2016 Voter’s Guide
with information about the local elections. Our goal is to
help everyone to be registered AND informed voters!
If you have any questions, please contact Katie
([email protected]) or Phylis ([email protected]).
We thank you!!
--Phylis VerSteegh & Katie Pratt
Observer Team Needs You
We are looking for 6 LWV members who would like to
attend the Normal Town Council (1st and 3rd Monday
nights) or Bloomington City Council (2nd and 4th
Monday nights) or McLean County Board (3rd Tuesday
morning plus more) to learn more about how local
governments work. Two volunteers would share the
responsibility of attending the monthly meetings and
complete a short form describing what happened.
If you are interested or would like more details, please
contact Vickie Smith at [email protected].
3
News from Local Studies
Exploring Government Initiative
Housing Study
Members of the LWV Exploring Government Initiative (EGI)
study committee met May 10, 2016 for an in-depth
discussion of the results of 45 interviews with local
government officials which were conducted over the past
several months. A great deal of detail was covered, and
study committee members are enthusiastic about the
process and the knowledge we have gained.
The team leaders reporting were: Vickie Smith,
townships; Joe Gibson, Assessment function; Alexis
Kalish, Villages, Towns, Mayors, and City Managers; Mary
Beth Taylor, special districts that deal with water;
Maureen O’Keefe, Others (Library, Park, Fire and Street
Lighting); and Carol Straka, Economic Development and
Regional Planning.
The EGI study committee will continue to work on
various aspects of this effort, including writing a final
report. There may be potential for some improvements in
McLean County. We are also watchful for any legislation
that may come out of Springfield that may affect this
study.
--Sally Rudolph, Committee Chair
After the work that has been done by the LWV Housing
group, the community has begun real dialogue on housing
and how to address affordable, supportive and permanent
housing in our community.
The McLean Country Regional Planning (MCRPC) team
is working on a project to assess housing needs and gaps
in our community using an external group. This study will
have a direct relation to the suggestions and work the
LWV put together over the past two years. The MCRPC will
be sharing their comprehensive results with the
community, including governmental entities, with the
focus on developing systems to enhance and maintain
affordable housing. The results of this community
assessment will be completed in mid-year 2017 and will
be the first comprehensive assessment done in McLean
County on housing. We appreciate that the LWV has
brought the housing issue to light for our community.
As co-chairs, Karen and I have spoken to several
groups recently including Sunrise Rotary. The community
is quite responsive to the issues surrounding housing and
there is a genuine interest in addressing housing needs
locally.
--Laura Furlong and Karen Major
Mental Health Action Committee
The League’s Mental Health Action Committee will now
turn its attention to advancing several goals included in
the McLean County Mental Health Action Plan. With
continued community focus around issues of behavioral
health, it seemed timely to take this next step. Valerie
Parker and Rachel McManus will meet with the McLean
County Board Chairman, John McIntyre, to discuss the
League’s involvement in community forums. Our mission
continues to be threefold - raise awareness, provide
information, and reduce stigma. Special thanks go to the
Speakers Bureau members Debi Brownstone, Judie Bey,
Judy Buchanan, Rachel McManus, Valerie Parker, Sally
Rudolph, Mary Anne Schierman and Phylis VerSteegh for
completing nearly 40 presentations, as well as the entire
committee which has always been there to plan,
strategize and support.
In Other News:
The McLean County Behavioral Health Coordinating
Council meets quarterly to assist the County Board with
policy direction. Its members include representatives
from business, healthcare, education and behavioral
health. They are reviewing utilization data for local
services and initiatives to create data driven decisions.
The McLean County Board of Health is expected to
make their funding decisions in the near future. Seven
local agencies have submitted behavioral health
proposals totaling over $1 million dollars.
–Judy Buchanan
Bloomington, IL: Dr. Lane Crothers says,
“Thank You for Not Voting!” Actually, you
can hear his entire talk, “Thank You for
Not Voting: Winners and Losers in the
‘Just Stay Home’ Campaign” at our annual
Fall Membership Event
Tuesday, September 27
5:30 p.m.
Moses Montefiore Temple
102 Robinhood Lane, Bloomington
Awards Presented
Food & Drink Provided
Please RSVP – Joe Gibson [email protected] 309-530-7561
4
Leaguer Reflects on July Prayer Vigil
The news has been depressing. Black men being killed by
White policemen after routine traffic stops. White
policemen being killed by a Black sniper.
Of course in some communities the news is
interesting, but hardly depressing because, “We don’t
have any of ‘those people’ in our community.” In other
neighborhoods the news is not depressing because,
“That’s just more of the same thing that’s been going on
forever.”
I’ve lived in this community for about ten years. One of
the first things I noticed here were those little signs, “Not
In Our Town.”
I attended a prayer vigil a couple of months ago
sponsored by the “Not In Our Town” folks. The vigil was
held to offer fellowship at the time of White cops shooting
Black men after routine traffic stops. Fellowship also for
White cops gunned down by a Black sniper. Local police
attended and were applauded as defenders of our
community. Fellowship was offered by local leaders of
different religions and ethnic backgrounds: a Muslim
Imam, an Indian Pujari, a Jewish Rabbi, a Baptist Minister,
and two Pastors from the First Christian Church where the
vigil was held.
Although held in a church, none of the religious men or
women who spoke expected God to answer the prayers by
coming down and waving His hand to make the whole
troubling conflict disappear. These days God isn’t into
parting the Red Sea or making the sun stand still.
The good news, however, is that God does have people
here on earth whose have been given the task of Making
Things Better. Those people are you and me.
If you attended that vigil or another like it, then Thank
You. That’s great. But it’s not enough. If you went home
and discussed the vigil with your family, then Thank You.
That’s even better. But it’s still not enough.
We have been given the task of Making Things Better.
Showing fellowship is a start, but you have to tell people
what you did. You have to tell people why. You have to tell
people that it is possible for people who are different to
find those differences interesting rather than threatening.
You have to talk to the people at work, the people at your
club. Maybe even write a letter to the newspaper. If you
did something like that, then Thank You. That’s a start.
And, by the way, if you wrote that letter and “never got
around” to mailing it, well, Life happens. But it’s not too
late. Send the letter. Tell someone now.
--Joseph Alford
ISU Election Seminars
Looking for a different view of the presidential election?
See the Fall 2016 International Seminar Series at Illinois
State University, entitled “The U.S. Presidential Election:
Global Implications and Comparative Perspectives.” The
free seminars are offered at noon in the Bone Student
Center. Coming up next are:
 Foreign Policy: What Challenges Will the New
President Face? presented by ISU University
Professor of Politics and Government Ali Riaz in the
Prairie Room, Wednesday, September 28, 12:00 p.m.
 East Asian Agenda for the Next U.S. President,
presented by ISU Professor of Politics and
Government T.Y. Wang, also in the Bone Center
Prairie Room, Wednesday, October 5, 12:00 p.m.
These free seminars are open to the public and run
over the next 3 months, concluding with a talk November
9, the day after the election. They are co-sponsored by
the Office of International Studies and the department of
Politics and Government.
For more information please go to ISU’s website at
https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2016/08/internationalseminar-series-to-focus-on-u-s-presidentialelection/?utm_source=Relay&utm_medium=Email&utm_
campaign=REPORT_AUG232016. Or, contact the Office
of International Studies and Programs at 309-438-5276.
--Susan Alford
4th Annual
Wine Tasting & Social
Fun Fundraiser
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
at the
McLean County Arts Center
610 N. East St., Bloomington
Sample Fine Wines &
Tasty Hors d’oeuvres
Catered by Biaggi’s
5
People You Should Know
Vickie Smith
Katie Pratt
Vickie Smith, one of our two new board members, has
come full circle in her involvement with the League.
Vickie started out a few years ago as a court observer,
learning about how the justice system works and helping
to determine how it could
be improved. In her new
role on the board, she will
now coordinate the
League’s Observer
program. As part of that
program, League
representatives report on
proceedings at the Normal
Town Council, Bloomington
City Council, McLean
County Board and other
governmental bodies.
She takes over that duty from former board member
Glen Ludwig, who did an excellent job in recent years of
revitalizing that important League effort.
Vickie says she joined the League “because I was
interested in participating in the studies that the League
does.” She was a member of the Exploring Government
Initiative, which looked at the work of various local
governmental bodies. That committee conducted
interviews with dozens of public officials over the past
year in an effort to learn about the functions of these
governmental bodies.
“I found out how little I knew about the over 200 local
government entities in McLean County. I also got a
chance to meet other members of the League and was
impressed with the expertise that they bring to the table.
I wanted to learn more so when I was asked if I would
organize the Observer Program, I jumped at the
opportunity,” Vickie said.
Vickie is currently the pro bono coordinator at Prairie
State Legal Services, which offers legal assistance to
those who cannot afford representation. She was
previously director of the YWCA’s highly respected
Stepping Stones Rape Crisis Program, a position she held
for five years. She also taught junior high school in
McLean County for 25 years.
Vickie earned both her bachelor and master degrees
at Illinois State University. She says that in her free time,
she enjoys reading, cooking, gardening – and of course,
volunteering.
--Judith Valente
New board member Katie Pratt says she has been
interested in politics ever since she was in high school.
She served as an election judge for the first time when
she was just 18.
While she remained
interested in political affairs
throughout college, Katie says
she had to sideline her
activism while she completed
her studies at Illinois State
University. Now, however, “I
have become more aware of
the importance of being a
politically engaged citizen in
this community I now call
home,” she says.
An alumna and employee of Illinois State University,
Katie was introduced to the McLean County League by our
president-elect Emily Vigneri, who is also one of her
colleagues at ISU. “She thought I’d enjoy being a part of
the group, so I decided I'd give it a chance. I'm glad I did!”
Katie adds, “The passion and interest from all of the
members I met my first year helped to re-ignite my interest
in being politically engaged.”
Harking back to her earlier experience as a teenage
election judge, one of Katie’s first interactions with the
League was to attend an Observers team meeting.
Although she was unable to join the observers team at
that time, she says, she met the board’s Voter Services
coordinator Phylis VerSteegh at the meeting.
Now Katie will be working as a board member with
Phylis coordinating this election year’s important Voter
Services functions, including registration and poll
watching. “I am thrilled to learn more about the work of
the League as we launch into such an exciting time of the
year with the election season,” Katie says. “My hope is to
help the League be more visible and spread the
awareness and work of this group to help dispel any myths
that exists about our work.”
Katie was born in Chicago and grew up in Mississippi
before returning to Chicago, and then settling in McLean
County. She says she “loves being able to find comfort” in
calling both Mississippi and Illinois home.”
In her free time, Katie enjoys reading, knitting and
“binge-watching” Netflix. She also enjoys learning about
different cultures and hopes to one day become fluent in
Spanish.
Anyone who meets Katie knows she is a person of
humor who, in her own words, loves “putting a smile” on
the faces of those around her. She says she is
“passionate” about leadership and community
involvement and strives daily “to make a positive impact
on the lives of others.”
--Judith Valente
6
Meet Your LWV of McLean County
Board Members for 2016-2017
Important Voting Information
President: Kathleen Nicholson-Tosh
309-530-2050 [email protected]
President-Elect: Emily Vigneri
309-532-6932 [email protected]
Action Chair: Sally Rudolph
309-663-5166 [email protected]
Community Education: Laurie Bergner
309-454-3113 [email protected]
Community Outreach: Rickielee Benecke
309-310-8785 [email protected]
Drinks & Dialogue Co-Chairs:
Camille Taylor
309-310-9852 [email protected]
Becky Hines
309-828-6140 [email protected]
Fundraising Chair: Dianne Williamson
309-662-6129 [email protected]
Membership Chair: Joe Gibson
309-530-7561 [email protected]
Newsletter/Communications: Susan Alford
309-829-1472 [email protected]
Observers Team: Vickie Smith
309-838-1060 [email protected]
Programs & Positions: Maureen O’Keefe
309-258-4233 [email protected]
Public Relations: Judith Valente
309-824-0614 [email protected]
Secretary: Alexis Kalish
309-808-0281 [email protected]
Treasurer: Olemuel Ashford
309-310-2691 [email protected]
Voter Services Co-Chairs:
Phylis VerSteegh
309-824-1508 [email protected]
Katie Pratt
312-217-3165 [email protected]
Early Voting Dates & Times
7
Around and About… What Were You Doing this Summer?
Laurie Bergner (with husband Ray)
receives McLean County Bar Assoc.
Citizenship Award on May 4, 2016
Rickielee Benecke and grandson
Kaden Kemp at the 2016 Labor Day
Parade
Who’s that with Corny on July 7?
Bob Grosse and Maureen O’Keefe.
Carlo Robustelli, Sheena Keating, Joe Gibson, Kathy Tosh,
Justin Vickers, Allie Browning, and Gaynett Hoskins gather
for a MCLP group meeting, September 10
Hunter the Hawk visits Leaguers at their July outing at the
Corn Crib – thanks to Sarah Diel-Hunt & Colleen Reynolds
Parade marchers: (l-r front) Kathy Tosh, Mayor Tari
Renner, Laurie Bergner, Kaden Kemp, Diana Hauman, &
Carol Baker; (l-r back) Rickielee Benecke, Susan Alford,
Joseph Alford, Mo O’Keefe, Alexis Kalish, Bob Grosse,
Marilyn Huizinga, & Vickie Pratt
Joseph and Susan Alford, Rose Marsaglia, and Marilyn
Huizinga (Susan’s mom) encourage voters at the Labor
Day Parade, September 5, 2016
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8