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President
Lois Huff, 985-9702
loishuff@lwv-cc.org
Secretary
Margaret DeVille, 992-8450,
ellived@msn.com
Treasurer
Velma Luna-Budd, 881-8022 Ext 4237,
813-4040, saintsvl2@stx.rr.com
Vice
President, Program
Patricia Mattocks, 991-9480, 855-4215
pmattocks@marchofdimes.com
Vice
President, Community Relations
Elia Gutierrez, 852-6779
gutierrezelia4149@sbcglobal.net
Co-Vice
Presidents, Member Services
Linda Allen, 949-7869
LALLEN1@stx.rr.com
Jo Ann Carpenter, 852-5476
meemowjccw@yahoo.com
Directors
Ann Jaynes, The VOTER,
852-7942 Jaynesann@aol.com
Elizabeth Stewart, 994-1212,
stewartep@sbcglobal.net
Marjorie Walraven, 992-8031
wilraven26@yahoo.com
Off-Board
Chair
Pat Parr, Voter Service, 855-3664
PATGPARR@aol.com
Nominating
Committee, 2005-6
Pauline Clarke, Chair
Jane Bachman
Carol Scott
Elizabeth Stewart
JoAnn Carpenter
Webmaster,
www.lwv-cc.org
Linda Allen, 949-7869
webmaster@lwv-cc.org
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League of
Women Voters
317 Peoples
Street, Suite 404
P. O. Box
8276, Corpus Christi, TX 78468-8276
361-993-7851,
lwvcc@lwv-cc.org
www.lwv-cc.org
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March Luncheon Meeting
Thursday, March 17, 11:30 a.m.
Seaman’s Center, 1501 Mesquite
RSVP 853-9642 by Monday Evening 3/14
Speaker (12 noon): Teresa Carillo
Coastal Bend Bays Foundation
Local Water Issues
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Celebrate the Green
Our March meeting falls on St. Patrick’s Day! So as we celebrate the “ GREEN” it almost seems poignant that our presentation topic will be Local Water Issues.
LWV-US supports:
- Water resource programs and policies that reflect the
interrelation-ship of water quality, water quantity, groundwater and
surface water and that address the potential depletion or pollution of
water supplies;
- Measures to reduce water pollution from direct point-source discharges and from indirect nonpoint sources;
- Policies to achieve water quality essential for maintaining
species populations and diversity, including measures to protect lakes,
estuaries, wetlands and in-stream flows;
- Stringent controls to protect the quality of current and
potential drinking-water supplies, including protection of watersheds
for surface supplies and recharge areas for groundwater.
We are very fortunate to have as our guest speaker, Teresa
Carrillo. Ms. Carrillo is the Executive Director of the Coastal
Bend Bays Foundation. She received her Master of Science degree
from Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi in 1999, the same year
she took the position as Executive Director. Teresa’s
responsibilities include coordinating the monthly free Coastal Issues
Forums, Site 16 of the TGLO Adopt-A-Beach program, the annual Earth
Day-Bay Day celebration and the newest annual event, the Environmental
Awards Banquet.
Ms. Carrillo will be discussing water issues in the Coastal Bend and
South Texas, a topic about which she is both knowledgeable and
passionate. She is an active member/appointee of the Coastal Bend
Regional Water Planning Group, the CBBEP Human Uses Implementation
Team, the new Oso Watershed Advisory Group, Coastal Bend Sierra Club,
and many other organizations/clubs/groups.
Hope to see you on the 17th,
Pat E. Mattocks
Vice President, Program
Home: 991-9480 Work: 855-4215
Email: pmattocks@marchofdimes.com
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President’s
Message
Dear Readers:
Education is high on the list of priorities for LWV-TX, as it is for
Coastal Bend residents. Employers recognize the need for a future
workforce capable of handling complex situations, and most citizens
agree that educating our young people is one of our highest priorities.
It has been interesting, watching C-Span and seeing Bill Gates
address the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, hosted by
Achieve, Inc. and the National Governors Association in Washington,
D.C. on February 26-27. The three "R"s have been re-defined by
Mr. Gates, to Rigorous, Relevant and Relationships.
As he pointed out, we no longer have jobs requiring little or no
special skills widely available, as in the past. We must
have education and training that is relevant to our surroundings, and
expecting students to perform rigorously, to do their very best, will
not only help us, it will help them. As I continued my personal
learning experience, I had the chance to visit with a friend who was
very knowledgeable in learning disabilities. She pointed out
that many of the advance-ments/knowledge in neural path-way
deficiencies, and how to compensate, are simply not covered in
education or special education classes.
This friend made me pause and reflect how many young people become
labeled as problems and directed into non-challenging futures because
of our inability to help them (and us) cope with their special
hidden "learning disability(s)" and highlight their special
strengths. Possibly this is the Relationship "R."
As our world and job market continue to change, we cannot afford to
allow our children to do any less than achieve their own personal
best. Dropping out and underachieving are results we can no
longer afford in our country or in Texas. It is time to fund
education, to fully fund education, and to prepare our state, and our
country, for the future. If one chooses to look at schools
as profit and loss centers, where athletic departments are often
rightfully described as profit centers, then let us take a very
long-term look at other areas in education and identify the long-term
gains that will happen when we fully fund education.
There are many political issues that we must deal with. Please
join us and help us fulfill the mission of the League of Women
Voters, to encourage informed and active participation of citizens
in government and to influence public policy through education and
advocacy.
Lois Huff, President, League of Women Voters - Corpus Christi
Observer Corps
We would welcome reports from members who attend city council,
county commissioners, or other governmental bodies’ meetings.
Anyone can be an observer. All it takes is the willingness to
commit a few hours a week or month to attend and report on what our
elected officials are doing. E-mail your reports to The VOTER at
Jaynesann@aol.com.
Visit our website!
http://www/lwv-cc.org
Program Notes
The Program Committee is asking for your input for our 2005-6
Program. The League stands out among other advocacy groups for
having a program that originates with the membership, not the
leadership. For the bottom-up process to work, we need to have as
many as possible involved in the initial process and in the Program
Review at the April luncheon meeting. Proposed program items will
be listed in the April VOTER, discussed at the April membership
meeting, and voted on at the annual meeting May 19. It is
important that we have an annual review of our program to refresh our
understanding of the current agenda and to plot our course for the next
year.
The Program Committee has suggested some items for your consideration:
1. Develop a strategic plan for LWV-CC revitalization and expansion.
2. Continue to monitor the current Bayfront Master Plan for compliance
with the League’s Statement of Position.
3. Study the City/County health and human services delivery system.
4. Local Water Issues.
The first three items are suggested as refinements of and replacements
for Items 1 through 3 voted on at the 2004 annual meeting. We
recommend that last year’s Item 4 be dropped. Item 5 was
completed in 2004 and action taken at the state and national
levels. The League will continue to study this subject as the
need arises. Please send your suggestions to Pat E. Mattocks,
Vice President, Program, at pmattocks@marchofdimes.com.. This is
your League. Make your voice heard.
THE LEAGUE AND THE VOTERS
MAYOR/CITY COUNCIL ELECTION APRIL 2
LWV Candidates Forum Rescheduled
Questions Wanted
We have changed the dates of the candidates' forum to March 22 at 6:30
p.m. at City Hall council chambers. If you can't come down to view
it live, there will be a replay of the forum on March 26 at 8:00
p.m. We are still looking for questions to ask the
candidates. Actually, if you would just suggest a topic, that
would help. There doesn't seem to be a hot topic for this
election, but there are many questions that the citizens would like
answered on many areas, ranging from metro government, affordable
housing, to privatization of city services, etc.
COME, LISTEN AND VOLUNTEER TO HELP.
LWV-CC Co-Sponsors Candidates' Forum
The League joined the Coastal Bend Bays Foundation and the Coastal Bend
Chapter of Surfrider Foundation for a forum on environmental issues on
March 7 at the University Center Ballroom at Texas A&M. The
League has strong positions on protecting our environment, so this
seemed like an appropriate alliance. The candidates were asked about
their position on land development and its impact on our natural
environment, the Open Beaches Act and the Coastal Barrier Resources
Act, and what can be done to protect freshwater inflows and improve
water quality in our bays and estuaries.
Get Out the Vote
We are looking for more volunteers to help with the distribution of the
Voters Guides. Suggested sites have been the Malls or Half Price
Book Store. Actually we're open to any good area. Visit our
web site for more information (www.lwv-cc.org). The distribution
point for people to pick up the guides and deliver to various locations
will be at Ann Jaynes’s house, 4014 O’Grady Drive in Congressional
Townhouses. Ann’s house is just off Weber between Killarmet and
O’Grady. Call her at 852-7942 if you need directions.
For a sample ballot and complete voter information go to the League web site
www.lwv-cc.org.
Pat Parr, Voters Service
855-3664 or
PATGPARR@aol.com
Democracy Agenda
On the 85th anniversary of its founding, The League of Women Voters of
the United States launched an advocacy and public education effort to
strengthen and renew the basis tenets of American democracy….”Years of
band-aid solutions and neglect have allowed the mechanisms of many of
our government systems to become weak and in some cases break down
completely. The Democracy Agenda presents viable solutions to
help overcome these persistent weaknesses and educate communities on
how to make things better,” stated Kay J. Maxwell, LWVUS
President. “Now is the time to get to work,” said Maxwell.
“Democracy is at risk when long lines and faulty voting processes keep
Americans from voting and having their votes counted.”
Legislative Priorities
The three areas in which LWV-TX will concentrate efforts during the
legislative session are: recorded votes, public school and
government finance, and protection for Texas children. Priorities
have been identified for 11 other issues as well.
LWV believes that
Texas needs a constitutional amendment requiring
the legislature to record votes by legislators’ names and make them
readily accessible to the public.
To protect Texas children in 2005,
LWV-TX supports preventive health
care for children; accessible, affordable, quality child care; and
child abuse prevention and detection.
LWV-TX believes that Texas should not continue to make draconian
cuts in state services, should take a serious look at ways to increase
state revenues, and must adequately and equitably finance public
schools.
Social Security
February 17, 2005
TO: Members of the U. S. Congress
From: Kay J. Maxwell, President, LWVUS
“The League of Women Voters is deeply concerned over proposals to
privatize the Social Security system. We believe that any
Congressional debate must address the broad social needs the system now
meets, the long-term future of the system and the financial risks that
privatization could place on individuals and on government….Social
Security is one of the most successful social welfare programs of the
20th Century—one that has contributed to unprecedented economic growth
and the stability of the U. S. economy….We must recognize that Social
Security is not merely a retirement program—it is a social insurance
program with broad effect.”
The VOTER