HOT TOPICS LUNCHES
are the 2nd Wednesday each month at
Sorosis Club, 501 E. Livingston St.
$20 members with reservations
and $35 all others.
Program only (no lunch) is
$10 for members and $15 all others.
EVENTS CALENDAR
Saturday, Jan 26
“Steer the Course”
Annual Planning Meeting
Help set LWVOC Program 2013-2014
8:30 a.m. to noon
Winter Park Community Center
721 W. New England Ave.
Breakfast Reservations Required
Wednesday, Feb 13
Hot Topics:
The State of the County
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs
will give us an update on issues ranging
from what is being done to address
mental health needs to ethics, police
protection for schoolchildren, and more.
Reservation Deadline:
Monday, Feb 11
Events Calendar continues below
The eVOTER
THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF ORANGE COUNTY
www.lwvoc.org
Volume 2012-2013
Issue 7
Jan-Feb 2013
P.O. Box 536208
Orlando FL 32853
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK…
Mark your calendars. The all-important Planning Session during which members pick the
issues that LWVOC will study, explore and take action on in the coming year is scheduled
for Jan 26. Issues must require action by some level of government, and of course be of
interest to members.
This grassroots, community based planning process is what makes the League different very different
from most organizations. Our members determine the focus and direction of each local League.
The priorities you set at this session will form the basis for the “Recommended Program” or plan of work that the Board will disseminate to all members in mid-March. Then at the Annual Meeting in April,
members will be asked to approve the Recommended Program, although it will still be subject to
discussion and amendment before it becomes the 2013- 2014 Program of the League of Women Voters of
Orange County. The Program also includes ongoing positions, which must be approved annually as well.
And it all starts at the Planning Session. This year’s Planning Session will kick off with registration and a healthy breakfast at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Winter Park Community Center. Cost is $10.
During the next hours we’ll break into teams and choose the local issues to study and take action on. VP1 Michele Levy and Advocacy Chair Caroline Emmons-Schramm will guide us through the process. Last
year, three priority Program areas selected for the 2012- 2013 Program were government, education and
social policy. These areas covered subjects ranging from taxation to election law, ethics, immigration,
health care, education funding and equal rights.
Want to help make those decisions? Make your reservation now and let your voice be heard.
Ann Hellmuth,
LWVOC President
Wednesday, March 13
Hot Topics
To Be Announced
Annual Election Meeting: April
Keep your dues current,
attend and vote!
Saturday, Feb. 16
Speak Up Wekiva
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka
Speakers include former U.S. Sen. Bob
Graham, newly elected Seminole County
Commissioner Lee Constantine and other
experts. Nature walks, tram rides, kayak
and canoe rentals, cookout style foods,
film presentations and an art display will
make a fun filled day for the whole family.
See page 6 for more.
LWVOC Board Meetings
Jan 14
Feb 11
March 11
2nd Monday of the month at 4 p.m.
919 Lake Baldwin Lane, Orlando
(at G-E-C offices, parking lot at rear)
Contact: annhell@aol.com
Events Calendar continues below
President’s Letter
Lately, I often find myself muttering the words of 19th century poet William Henry
Davies, What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.
Like many of you, I’m sure, I feel as if I should be “doing something” every moment -answering emails, writing “thank you” notes, organizing my taxes, following up on
League requests etc. etc. Yet I’m frequently glad for the time I spend simply staring off into space, which can be unexpectedly rewarding and even productive.
And I’m grateful to all of you who worked so hard in 2012 to make the Orange County League one of the most successful in the country. I know there must have been days when you just wanted to stand and
stare, but remained committed to completing the projects you had undertaken.
Let’s not slack off now. In the coming weeks Kaia Forget, head of the LWVOC Nominating Committee, will begin putting together the League’s team for 2013-2014. Let us know if you are interested in serving!
We need a secretary to record the minutes and help put together agendas for meetings. Our Education
Committee Chair Terry Gillam will be looking for members to serve on the committee. And there are
many other spots where you can serve according to your interests!
The more hands on deck the more fun it is…
Ann Hellmuth,
LWVOC President
Terry Gillam to Join Board as New Education Committee Chair
Terry (Teresa) Gillam is the new chair of the Education Committee. This is the committee
for you if you are interested in important education issues and want to learn more, even
lobby legislators and the school board. Please send an email to Terry if you are interested
in the Education Committee: tsgillam@yahoo.com. She will contact you about an initial
meeting to discuss focus issues and activities for the coming year. Terry replaces Roger
Pickar, who has resigned in order to devote his time to fundraising for the State League.
Terry Gillam worked as an elementary school library media specialist for over 20 years in Orange County
and San Antonio, TX. Her final two years were spent at the OCPS district office as District Media
Specialist. Most recently as a League member, she has served on the Membership Committee, helping to
plan activities and welcome new members.
Committee Meetings
Communications Committee
Feb 6, March 6
1st Wednesday of each month at 8 a.m.
Lake Eola Panera, downtown Orlando
Contact: sara.isaac@gmail.com
Immigration Committee
Working Committee: 1st Wednesday of
each month at Hope CommUnity Center,
1016 N. Park Ave., Apopka
Feb 6, March 6
Advocacy Committee: 3rd Thursday of
each month at FOCUS,
416 E. Amelia/Broadway, Orlando
Jan 17, Feb 21, March 21
Contact: Sister Teresa McElwee
TMCEL43280@aol.com
Government Committee
Jan 17, Feb 21
3rd Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m.
Rollins Philanthropy Center
New England Ave., Winter Park.
Contact: Michele Levy MRLevy@cfl.rr.com
Membership Committee
Monday, Feb. 4 at 11 a.m.
Rollins Philanthropy Center
Contact: Sandra Powers evieada@aol.com
Natural Resources Committee
Last Thursday each month at 6 p.m.
Inter-Vision Home, Inc.
555 Winderley Place, Ste 300, Maitland
Contact: Chuck O ’Neal lwvocnr@aol.com
Join us on Wednesday, February 13 at the Sorosis Club
501 E. Livingston Street, from 11:30am – 1:00pm
Lunch is $20 for members with reservations, $35 ALL OTHERS
Reservation deadline: Monday, Feb. 11
THE STATE OF THE COUNTY
with Mayor Teresa Jacobs
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs will give us an
update on issues ranging from what is being done to address
mental health needs to ethics, police protection for schoolchildren, and more.
Mayor Teresa Jacobs was sworn into office in Orange County on January 4, 2011. Prior to being
elected Mayor, Jacobs served two terms as an Orange County Commissioner from 2000 to 2008.
During her eight years in office, she was elected to numerous state and regional boards, which she
still serves on as Orange County Mayor.
She is known as a champion of ethics reform, and is a strong advocate of public participation in the
governmental process. Her first priority as Mayor was to improve the culture of Orange County
Government by establishing a set of core values: professionalism, integrity, strong work ethic,
innovation, fairness and accountability. Mayor Jacobs is committed to giving citizens better access to
open and responsive government services and building a fiscally conservative operation in which
taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.
Mayor Jacobs graduated Cum Laude from Florida State University with a degree in economics and
had a successful nine-year career in banking prior to entering politics. Mayor Jacobs and her husband
Bruce have been married for 29 years and are the proud parents of four young adults.
RSVP by Monday, Feb. 11 to leagueorangecounty@gmail.com
or call 407-505-1664. Please leave a number where you can be reached.
Reservations canceled after Monday, Feb. 11 will be invoiced.
REMINDER:
Please bring a jar of peanut butter to stock the food pantry in a local school!
Volunteers Needed to Interview Lawmakers
It is that time again. The LWVOC will shortly begin interviewing state lawmakers from Orange County about their priorities
for the 2013 Legislature, which begins in March. If you are
interested in being part of the interviewing team, please contact
Caroline Emmons-Schramm at carolinees@cfl.rr.com.
Caroline has been busy putting together questions for the legislative interviews, as requested by the state League. She said
that one of the questions she has asked the Florida League to
consider putting to lawmakers is “Do you support or oppose
repealing HB1355?” Caroline said that while Tallahassee puts together the final list
of League questions and distributes the list to the local leagues,
“we can pick the ones we want to ask.”
From the December Hot Topics Lunch:
The Future of the Arts in Central Florida
The December Hot Topics program on the future of the arts in
Central Florida was both entertaining and enlightening!
JANUARY HOT TOPICS
KICKING OFF THE NEW YEAR WITH ANOTHER HOT HOT TOPICS!
Some 130 people turned out to hear experts discuss Florida's Imperiled Waters.
The event was organized by Natural Resources Committee member Leslie Poole,
who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida in environmental studies.
The moderator was Sister Patricia Siemen (at left) of
Barry Law School and the panelists were Deseret Ranch's
Erik Jacobsen, author Cynthia Barnett, and Robert
Teegarden of OUC.
Erik Jacobsen is vice President and general manager for
Deseret Cattle & Citrus in St. Cloud. He currently serves
as the 2 nd vice president on the Florida Cattlemen’s Association Executive Board. He is originally from Lakeland and grew up working on small cow-calf operations in Polk County.
Cynthia Barnett is a long-time journalist who has reported on freshwater issues
from the Suwannee River to Singapore. She is author of the new book Blue
Revolution: Unmaking America’s Water Crisis, which calls for a water ethic for
America.
Robert D. Teegarden is vice president for water resource policy, planning and
permitting at the Orlando Utilities Commission, the 16th largest public power
utility in the United States.
Moderator Matt Palm gleefully introduced several “Random Acts of Culture” that were representative of the performing and
visual arts flourishing in our community.
Chelsea Appel, a senior music major at Rollins, started things
off with an operatic aria. She was accompanied by Nancy
Pfingsten on piano.
Continued on page 6
See more on page 10.
Be Involved -- Shape the Future -- Join one of the LWVOC’s committees.
It gives you the opportunity to shape the League’s position on issues as well as make new friends and learn to influence people.
Where does your interest lie?
ADOPT A PRECINCT: Chair Laurie Wack allwack@earthlink.net
This is one of the main money raisers for the LWVOC and although there
won’t be an election until 2014, it is never too early to sign up and learn
how to help the League by working at the polls on Election Day for a half
or a full day.
ADVOCACY: Chair Caroline Emmons-Schramm carolinees@cfl.rr.com
Help arrange meetings with lawmakers. Help develop and advocate for
League’s positions on local and state issues such as Constitution and
Charter review, election laws, education, environment and finance and
taxation.
COMMUNICATIONS: Chairs Sara Isaac sara.a.isaac@gmail.com and
Laurie Wack allwack@earthlink.net
Get the word out about the League and its events via newspapers,
magazines, e-mail, Facebook, blog, Twitter and other promotional avenues
including Central Florida Spotlight.
EDUCATION: Chair Terry Gillam tsgillam@yahoo.com
Study important education issues and take action by lobbying legislators
and the school board.
GOVERNMENT: Co-chairs Michele Levy MRLevy@cfl.rr.com and
Andrea Kobrin lulubelle@cfl.rr.com
Learn about issues relating to local government such as citizen access,
ethics and consolidation. Research best practices and advocate for
improvements. Be part of the Observer Corps by attending government
meetings and reporting to members. Local political figures often address
monthly committee meetings.
IMMIGRATION: Chairs Eli Garcia and Sister Teresa McElwee
TMCEL43280@aol.com
Studying immigration issues and being prepared to support LWV’s recommendations.
MEMBERSHIP: Co-chairs Sarah Goodwin sgoodw222@bellsouth.net
and Sandra A. Powers evieada@aol.com
Expanding the League membership and planning events.
NATURAL RESOURCES: Chair Chuck O’Neal lwvocnr@aol.com
Study environmental issues and take action by lobbying legislators, county
and city commissions. Also be part of organizing events that focus on the
need to preserve Florida’s imperiled waters.
NOMINATING: Chair Kaia Forget kwforget@cfl.rr.com
Every year the committee puts together a slate of officers and board
members to be approved by LWVOC membership at the annual meeting in
April.
SPEAKERS BUREAU: Contact Adrienne Katz Katz
adriennekatzkatz@hotmail.com
Talk to schools and other groups about the League, Civics and other issues.
THE VOTER newsletter: Contact Ann Hellmuth abhellmuth@gmail.com
Help produce the newsletter, which is sent out in hard copy and on-line.
TRANSPORTATION: Chair Lynn Eberly leberly@hdrinc.com
Learn in depth about transportation issues and what solutions are working
around the country. Help lobby legislators to effect change.
VOTER SERVICES: Chair Carol Davis ccdavis31@mac.com
Prepare for 2014 elections -- it is never too early. We need to be familiar
with key issues and come up with ways to keep voters informed and
impress on them the need to register to vote.
Do you have other ideas for League activity?
Contact president Ann Hellmuth abhellmuth@gmail.com or VPs
Michele Levy mrlevy@cfl.rr.com or Sandra A. Powers evieda@aol.com
From December’s Hot Topic: The Future of the Arts in Central Florida
(continued from page 3)
Top Left: Robin Olson and Jenna Kirk, currently appearing at the Mad Cow Theater in
Tracy Letts’ award-winning play “August: Osage County,” read Howard Starks’ poem of the same name, on which play is based.
Top Right: Artist Thomas Thorspecken sat on the sidelines and sketched the proceedings,
producing a colorful work of art by the conclusion of the program.
The artist Kyle exhibited one of the works in his “House Series,” at right.
Left: League member Laurie Wack donated a flag-themed work
to be raffled off. It was fun!
Bottom Right: Renee Schneider showed some of the art made by young
people participating in “Art Works,” an outreach of St. Luke’s Episcopal Cathedral that uses art to raise the self esteem of children in foster care situations
and help those who may have been the subject of abuse tap into their feelings.
Exposure to arts education in the schools encourages creative thinking, but surveys
of high seniors have also shown that arts education improves grades across the board.
Panelist Flora Maria Garcia of United Arts noted that Orange County schools do a pretty good job in this regard, while
some other local school systems could do better.
Join Senator Bob Graham and Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine at
Speak Up Wekiva, a call to action to protect and restore the impaired Wekiva River, the
troubled springs that feed it, and all of Florida’s treasured waterways. This educational event will give
you the chance to learn and take action along with other concerned Floridians through discussions,
nature activities, presentations, and music. Saturday, February 16 from 10am to 4pm.
Join the call to protect and restore Florida’s waters. Water is the lifeblood of Florida’s economy and essential to our health and quality of life.
We must stand up and speak out for our waterways, or we risk losing them.
FEBRUARY 16, 2013
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wekiwa Springs State Park
1800 Wekiwa Circle, Apopka, FL 32712
Join us for breakfast followed by a morning of decision making.
Voting rights, education, immigration, government, the environment -these are just some of the topics LWVOC members will be considering on
Saturday, Jan. 26, as we get together and choose our priorities for study and action in 2013-2014.
STEER THE COURSE FOR 2013
Winter Park Community Center, 721 West New England Avenue
Registration and breakfast starting at 8:30 followed by business from approximately 9:00 to 12:00
Cost: $10. RSVP to leagueorangecounty@gmail.com by Wednesday, Jan. 23, or leave a message at 407-505-1664.
LWV OF FLORIDA - STATEMENT OF 2013 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
The LWVF board has selected Legislative Priorities for the 2013 Regular Session of the Florida Legislature. The priorities were selected us ing
input from local Leagues and the LWVF Board. A summary statement of the LWVF's position on each priority is included.
GOVERNMENT IN FLORIDA
Promote an open government that is responsive to the people of the state.
Finance & Taxation: Support a state fiscal structure that is equitable in
its distribution of the tax responsibility and responsive to public needs.
Ethics: Promote the strengthening of the Florida Commission on Ethics
including the areas of independence, subpoena power and ability to levy
fines and initiate an investigation.
Election Law: Support greater flexibility in the selection of early voting
sites. Restore early voting days to pre-2011 legislation. Allow address
updates at the polls. Provide a uniform number of early voting sites
based on county population
SOCIAL POLICY
Secure equal rights and equal opportunity for all. Promote social and
economic justice, and the health and safety of all Americans.
Health Care: Support implementation of the Federal Health Care
Reform Law in Florida, emphasizing access for all and control of costs.
Immigration: Support the rights of legal immigrants to prevention or
reduction of poverty, a minimum basic level of health care at affordable
cost, the well-being of children and families and access to free public
schools with federal and state financial assistance to communities disproportionately impacted by immigration
Justice: Review sentencing guidelines. Support restoration of voting
rights for ex-felons.
EDUCATION
Support a free public school system for Florida with high standards for
student achievement and with equality of educational opportunity for all
that is financed adequately by the state through an equitable funding
formula.
Promote the extension of public school testing of student achievement to
private schools, charter schools and any institutions that receive state
funding.
From December’s Hot Topic: The Future of the Arts in Central Florida
Panelist Terry Olson, Orange County Arts and Cultural
Affairs Director, noted that he attends well over 30 art
events a month and is still unable to get to everything
that he would like to see! The state of the arts in Central
Florida does not lack for talent or diversity – Orlando’s
arts scene is a vibrant one – but new arrivals to the
community as well as others who have just not explored
the possibilities need to be made aware of that.
So go, and bring a friend!
All three panelists mentioned that the transient nature
of the Central Florida community means that “home” is elsewhere for many residents, so their charitable
giving may also be directed elsewhere.
this is the tee shirt for you!
Hot Topics Panelists Kathy Ramsberger,
Terry Olson, and Flora Maria Garcia
stand in front of a painted canvas by
Orlando artist Nancy Jay.
But Katherine Ramsberger, president of Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center, noted that the
new Performing Arts Center has achieved unprecedented community support. The ultimate
goal is to build a “mixed use” development including an office tower on 9 downtown acres. She suggested that the high profile and the high quality of this development could foster the
civic pride that often leads to philanthropy.
Flora Maria Garcia, president of United Arts of Central Florida, agreed that civic engagement and financing for the arts were problem areas. She also noted that Central Florida is
home to many talented artists of all kinds (theme parks employ many talented performers, for
example) and her organization can get the “creatives” together to think about what kind of community they want to live in and how to get there.
A “State of the Arts” program has become the traditional December Hot Topics presentation
and it was both entertaining and informative. Also traditional at our Hot Topics luncheons are
the donations of peanut butter for the food pantry at Evans High School, especially important
just before a school vacation, during which school lunch will not be available. Making their
donations are LWV president Ann Hellmuth and Laurie Wack (shown at right).
LWVOC 2013 Hot Topics
Proudly Sponsored by:
Gregory L. Hess
Wealth Management Advisor
407-646-6758
If you’ve ever felt like SuperWoman – or wanted to –
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Another contact point with our elected delegates:
On Monday, Dec. 17 Orange County's Legislative Delegation gathered for
a public meeting at the county commission building. I was 21st in line to
speak on behalf of the LWVOC and with each speaker allotted three
minutes to present their case and then take questions from the delegation,
I reckoned it would be at least 90 minutes before I was called to the
podium.
Boring, I thought irreverently as I settled into my seat, accompanied by
board members Michele Levy and Caroline Emmons-Schramm.
But instead of yawning, I found myself taking notes as speaker after
speaker made a compelling case on issues ranging from cracking down on
banquet halls that are being turned into all-night clubs, to license plate
redesigns, 100,000 people in Orange County either uninsured or underinsured, the plight of the St. Johns River, 300% interest rates on pay-day
loans, funding the arts, helping the poor and afflicted, affordable health
care, and the need to increase nursing levels in long-term care facilities.
Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles made a pitch for more early-voting
sites, pointing out that 28 percent of voters lived east of 436 where there
were only two libraries which could serve as early-voting sites. “We have to find better location options," Cowles told the delegation. He also called
for a 75-word limit on ballot amendments or “more restraint" on the
number of proposed amendments on a ballot.
The hearing had begun with state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a League
member, being elected chair of the Orange County delegation -- the first
African-American woman to hold the position. Her election, the senator
said, gave young women the chance to see that "barriers are being
eliminated … and for ethnic groups my election has significance."
Sen. Darren Soto was elected vice-chair and Rep. Karen Castor Dentel
secretary. The first action of the delegation was to agree that they would
not text during the hearing!
It was after 5 p.m. when I got to speak, and you could sense the need to
make the presentation "short and sweet." Which I did, coming in at less
than 2 minutes. Here is what I said:
Good afternoon. My name is Ann Hellmuth and I am president of the
League of Women Voters of Orange County, which I am proud to say is
now the second largest League in the country. We just have to catch
Seattle to be No.1 but we’ve shot ahead of New York and Los Angeles.
The 2012 election -- with 6-hour lines and returns delayed for days -proved once again that there is much to be done in Florida in order to
ensure that all eligible citizens are able to conveniently exercise their
right to vote. As I'm sure you've heard over and over again -- nearly 8.5
million votes were cast. More Floridians voted early and cast absentee
ballots than voted on Election Day, but the logistics of validating absentee
ballots was enormous and supervisors were hampered by lack of funds.
Among the League's suggestions for election reform:
 Instituting a uniform number of early voting sites in each county,
based on population.
 Create an early voting schedule that runs TWO FULL WEEKS at a
minimum.
 Allow Elections Supervisors more flexibility in choosing early voting
sites.
 Establish a permanent Florida voter registration system, so that
Floridians who have moved within the state may easily update their
address at the polls on Election Day and still cast a regular ballot.
Another legislative priority of the League of Women Voters is taxation and
revenue. The League, along with many other organizations, supports the
collection of taxes on Internet sales. Not only would this increase the
state's revenue for education and other important services, but it would
also create a more competitive business environment for Florida's own
brick and mortar stores.
In the area of education, the League supports a free public school system
with high standards for student achievement, which is financed adequately
by the state. We oppose the implementation of policies such as the socalled parent trigger that would turn public schools over to private, forprofit companies, and we suggest that any private or charter school that
receives state funding be held to the same standards for testing and
student achievement as public schools.
Thank you for listening. The League is currently contacting Orange
delegation members to set up one-on-one meetings so that we can further
discuss our goals for the 2013 session. We hope that you will be able to
meet with us!
By Ann Hellmuth, LWVOC President
Faces from the January Hot Topics: Florida’s Imperiled Waters
Clockwise from top left: Panelists Erik Jacobsen, Cynthia Barnett and Robert Teegarden; LWVF
President Deirdre Macnab and guest Denise Vasquez; Natural Resources Committee members
Daryl Flynn and Gabrielle Milch with chairman Chuck O’Neal; League members Barbara Siry,
Caroline Emmons- Schramm and Susan Beversluis; Natural Resources member Leslie Poole,
who coordinated this event; Carla and Jim Christianson; Pamela Stewart, Peggy Amos and
Barbara Granade; Judy Watson Tracy and Sara Segal; Geraldine Bailey; Desta Horner and
Andrea Kobrin; Mike and Marty Haddad.
Left to right below: Carol Lenhart, Mitzi DeLuca and Anna McGill; Joan Erwin and Jim Erwin, both on the Natural Resources Committee; and
Joan Bradley, Pat Southward, Sharon Lynn, Carole Hinshaw and Jeanne Morris, all on Seminole County LWV’s Natural Resources Committee.