voter september 2011

8/4/2019 VOTER September 2011

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Non-ProfitOrgnizationUSPostgePAIDLawrence,KSPermit#12

LeagueofWomenVoters

P.O.Box1072

Lawrence,KS66044-1072

AddressServiceRequested

Calendar.............................................................................................. 1Note from the President ............................................................. 1

League Day Schedule & Sign up ............................................... 2Save the Dates ................................................................................ 3Brown Bag Lunches ....................................................................... 3Educational Policy Consensus Process .................................. 3Public Education Events ............................................................... 3Social Supper & Ravitch Lecture ............................................... 4Public Forum on Redistricting .................................................... 5Local Members Participate in State Training ........................ 5League Testifies Before Legislative Committee .................. 6Civility Project Talks With Lawrence Residents ................. 6Observer Reports .......................................................................... 7LWV-US Council Report ........................................................... 9Highlights of the July Board Meeting ..................................... 10Land Use Committee Reports ............................................... 11

Membership Form ....................................................................... 13

September 2011

Want to see this VOTER in living color? Visit our website at www.lawrenceleague.com or [email protected] to receive it in PDF format by email.

Kansas Sesquicentennial Issue(the first)

Inside This Issue: Identify the Famous Peopleand Their Connections to Kansas

(answers in next months VOTER)


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Advocacy is a high priority at all levels of the League local, state and national. Examples of the

League taking action are reported in this issue of the VOTER.

The LWVL-DC Land Use Committee advocates by writing letters to the Planning Commission.

That sounds easy, but it is not! Committee members must analyze the Planning Commission

agenda and reach a consensus as to what issues warrant our comment, if any. Land Use Com-mittee meetings are held on Saturdayevening. It takes real commitment to go to committee

meetings at that time of day. The Committee Chair, Alan Black, and the committee members are

to be thanked for their dedication to Land Use Committee and Betty Lichtwardt for her techni-

cal expertise.

The Kansas State League advocates by presenting testimony to legislative bodies. For example, I testified for the State

League at a public hearing on the topic of legislative redistricting. A story about the hearing is printed elsewhere in this

newsletter.

September 2011 page 1 Kansas Sesquicentennial Issue the First

TheVOTERBulletin of the LWV of Lawrence-Douglas County, KS Volume 59 No. 3

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization encouraging the informed andactive participation of citizens in government and influencing public policy through education and advocacy.

Friday,September 16th

10:00 AM Naturalization Ceremony & Voter Registration. Dole Institute of Politics, 2350 Petefish Dr.

Saturday,September 17th

10:00 AMLWV Public Forum: What is the Role of the Government in K-12 Public Education? Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont

Saturday,September 24th

8:30 AM -3:30 PM

Fall League Day. Capital Plaza Hotel, 1717 Southwest Topeka Boulevard.TopekaSaturday,September 24th

7:00 PM Land Use Committee Meeting. Community Mercantile Meeting Room,901 Iowa St.

ThursdayOctober 13th

7:00 PMLWV-L/DC Board Meeting. First Methodist Church946 Vermont St. All League members arewelcome to attend.

SaturdayOctober 15th

9:00 PM VOTER Article Submission Deadline. Please send submissions to [email protected].

Saturday,October 22nd

7:00 PM Land Use Committee Meeting. Community Mercantile Meeting Room,901 Iowa St.

SaturdayNovember 5

10:00 AM 3:00 PM

Education Study Consensus Meeting. (Members only)Fire Station # 5, 1911 Stewart Ave. SeeArticle on page 4.

President:: Kay Hale 843-2784 kayhale @ sunflower.comMembership: Carrie Lindsey 766-8561 [email protected] Editor: Ruth Lichtwardt 841-5419 lightwatcher @ gmail.comLocal League: http://www.lawrenceleague.com National League: http://www.lwv.orgState League: http://www.lwvk.org [email protected]

A Note from President Kay Hale on Informed andActive Participation

LeagueCalendar
http://www.lwvk.org/mailto:[email protected]://www.lawrenceleague.com/http://www.lwv.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.lwvk.org/http://www.lwvk.org/http://www.lwv.org/http://www.lwv.org/http://www.lawrenceleague.com/http://www.lawrenceleague.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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The League of Women Voters of the U.S is advocating for Clean Air in an exciting new way. League members are asking

members of Congress to promise to protect the health of children and families from pollution. The Clean Air Promise is

an issue campaign aimed at changing the debate over the Clean Air Act to one focused on protecting public health.

In addition to advocacy, the League encourages political responsibility through becoming informed.

Currently our local League is involved in a LWV-US study: The Role of the Federal Government in K-12 Education. Study

materials are conveniently located on our website: www.lawrenceleague.com I urge you to review the materials and to

participate in a community forum on this topic to be held September 17th. The forum is intended to prepare us to respond

to consensus questions at a meeting on November 5th.

Your local Board is also closely watching the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its involvement with Kansas

l e g i s l a t o r s a n d g o v e r n m e n t o f fi c i a l s . To l e a r n m o r e a b o u t A L E C , g o t o t h e l i n k

http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/07/10883/about-alec-exposed

8:30 Emerald Room 2 -- Donuts and Coffee or Tea

9:00 Emerald Room 1 Kansas TaxesWho Should Pay (LWVK Study) Panel of Experts / Questions and Answer10:00 -- Break

10:15 Emerald Room 1 -- Kansas TaxesWho Should Pay Small Group : How would the elimination of income tax affect Kansans11:15 - Break

11:30 - Emerald Room 2 -- LuncheonLuncheonSpeaker-- Role of the Federal Govt in PublicEducation?

Dr. Diana Cubbage Retired Superintendent and Educ. Consultant12:30 Emerald Room 1 -- Grow YOUR Dynamic

League

LWV Is Needed in These Times - Ks Leader ship Coaching Team2:30 Adjournment (LWVK Bd Meeting following)

League Day Sept 24, 2011 Send Checks to LWVK, PO Box 2366, Topeka Ks. 66604

Payment Check(s) Amount $30 each x ___________________ League name ________________________________________________PARTICIPANT 1.____________________________________________________________________

PARTICIPANT 1.____________________________________________________________________

PARTICIPANT 1.____________________________________________________________________

PARTICIPANT 1.____________________________________________________________________

September 2011, page 2 Kansas Sesquicentennial Issue the First

League of Women Voters of KansasFALL LEAGUE DAY 2011Saturday, September 24, 2011, 8:30 AM 2:30 PM

Capitol Plaza, Hotel, 1717 SW Topeka Blvd., Topeka KS 66612

Just for Fun:In celebration of Kansas Sesquicentennial, identify the Famous People pictured in this VOTER

and their connections to Kansas. Answers in the October issue.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/07/10883/about-alec-exposedhttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/07/10883/about-alec-exposedhttp://www.lawrenceleague.com/http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/07/10883/about-alec-exposedhttp://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/07/10883/about-alec-exposedhttp://www.lawrenceleague.com/http://www.lawrenceleague.com/


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LWVL-DC is participating in the LWV-USconsensus process on national K-12 education policy.Our local consensus meeting with be held from

10:00-3:00 on Saturday, November 5th.

Format: alternating presentations and discussion.

Location: Lawrence fire station at 19th and Iowa.

A mixed salad lunch will be provided by Board mem-

bers.

December 17, 2011 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

At the home of Rita Spradlin3144 Campfire Drive, Lawrence, KS

Do you want to reconnect with League friends or

meet new friends? Or do you want to educate your-

self on issues of importance to our community?

Brown-bag lunches offer an opportunity to do both.

The first lunch is planned from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.,

Wed., Oct. 12, at the recently renovated Carnegie

Library, 9th and Vermont. Our guest speaker (begin-

ning promptly at 11 a.m.) is Lawrence City Manager

David Corliss who will speak on the citys priorities,

the 2012 budget, and how the city applies its funds to

meet those priorities. There will also be time for ques-

tions.

Afterward, at noon, there will be

time to visit with friends or tour

the Freedom Frontier NationalHeritage Exhibit which is housed

in this building.

Please bring your own brown-

bag lunch and the League will

provide drinks and dessert. The

former Carnegie Library is now

fully accessible: Use the ramp

on Vermont St. and then take

the elevator to the first floor

in the new addition where

the meeting room is located.

We look forward to seeing

you and please feel free to

bring a fr iend. The League always welcomes potentianew members. - Bonnie Dunham

LWV/LDC is continuing to participate in the LWVUS

consensus process to develop new policy on the fed-

eral role in preK-12 policy. We are proceeding on

three tracks:

Information and education on education foLWVL-DC members and the general public;

Developing an internal consensus by the study

committee; and

Developing an LWVL-DC consensus at meetings

of the membership and the board.

The issuesLWVUS has developed 13 very specific questions we

are expected to respond to. These questions are di-

rected to the following general issues:

use of national standardized tests of students to

evaluate teachers and school districts and to

help determine federal funding;

expanded federal funding and mandates; and

use of funding and mandates to influence fairness

for underserved populations and to encour-

age pre-kindergarten education.

For a list of detailed questions and background mate-

rials, go to our website http://lawrenceleague.com/

The committee processThe core committee currently includes David Burress

(chair), Kay and Gary Hale, Marjorie Cole, and Mar-

lene Merrill, but others have attended some sessions

New members and attendees are welcome at any

point. The committee has had several meetings and

expects to complete a draft committee consensus


ImportantEvents-SavetheDates!

K-12EducationPolic

AfternoonwiththeLegislators

Brown-BagLunchesOfferLearningandSocializing

TheEducationalPolicyConsensusProcessContinues
http://lawrenceleague.com/http://lawrenceleague.com/


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statement at its next meet-

ing, to be held at 7-9 PM,

Wednesday, September 21,

at 912 Holiday Drive

For further information,

contact David Burress at

7 4 9 - 1 2 1 8 o r

[email protected].

LWVL-DC is sponsoring one public education event

and is encouraging attendance at another.

1. A public forum on education policy will be held at:

10:00-11:30 AM (coffee at 9:45)

Saturday, September 17Lawrence Public Library

Topic: The Federal Role in Public Education K12Ctoo

big, too small or just right?

Panel discussion moderator is Shannon Kimball, USD

497 School Board member.

The panelists are:

Mark Tallman, Associate Executive Director, Kan-

sas Association of School Boards

Marlene Merrill, Former teacher and Director of

Grants and Assessments; former USD 497

School Board memberKathy Cook, Executive Director, Kansas Families

for Education.

(Cosponsored by Lawrence Education Association.)

2. LWV/LDC is sponsoring a League social on Octo-

ber 18 to encourage attendance at the following Hall

Center public lecture by education critic Diane

Ravitch (details elsewhere in this Voter).

The LWVL-DC consensus processThe League membership consensus process will cul-

minate in a membership meeting at which:

The committee will provide background informa-

tion

The committee will present its proposed consen-

sus statement

The membership will debate and adopt a mem-

bership consensus position.

The consensus meeting will be held at 10:00-3:00

Saturday, November 5, at the 19th and Iowa fire sta-

tion.

There will be two 2-hour sessions plus one hour for

lunch.

A potluck salad lunch will be provided by Boardmembers.

After the meeting, the membership position will be

formalized by the committee and presented to the

LWV/LDC Board for ratification at its November 10

meeting. - Bonnie Dunham

6:30 PM: Join us for an informal supper at the Kansas

Memorial Union.

Meet in the 4th floor lounge (main floor off Jayhawk

Boulevard).

Food is available at the adjacent Hawk Shop.

Park in the ramp north of the union or in the lot just

across Jayhawk Boulevard.

Sponsored by the LWV/LDV Educational Policy

Committee.

7:30 PM: If you have time, stay for the Diane Ravitch

Lecture,

in Woodruff Auditorium, 5th floor of the Union.

Diane Ravitch is a nationally ac-

claimed school reformer, most

recently the author of:

The Death and Life of the

Great American School Sys-

tem:How Testing and Choice are

Undermining Education.

Sponsored by the Hall Center

Lecture Series

http://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectu

reseries.shtml


PublicEducationEvents

LWVL-DCSocialEvent:SupperandRavitchLecture

Tuesday,October18
mailto:[email protected]://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectureseries.shtmlhttp://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectureseries.shtmlhttp://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectureseries.shtmlhttp://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectureseries.shtmlhttp://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectureseries.shtmlhttp://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectureseries.shtmlhttp://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectureseries.shtmlhttp://www.news.ku.edu/2011/may/20/humanitieslectureseries.shtmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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The Educational Policy Committee recommends this

lecture as background information for our consensus

process on national preK-12 education policy.

Wednesday October 19

10:00-11:30 AM: Ravitch will also give a seminar at the

Hall Center Conference Hall

(http://www.hallcenter.ku.edu/~hallcenter/cgibin/i

ndex.php/calendar/event/dianeravitchaconversationwithdianeravitch).

There is good and bad news for 2012 redistricting,

according to a guest speaker at the League-sponsored

forum, held Aug. 6, at Lawrence Public Library.

The bad news is that our community lost 12,000people in the adjustment of the U.S. Census popula-

tion count, according to Burdett Loomis, KU professor

of political science. He adds that Kansas is the only

state that removes students and military personnel

from the local count and, if they choose, reassigns

them to their home community. Counties with the

big universities, such as KU and K-State, are the big-

gest losers and it essentially reduces our representa-

tion. Based on the adjusted census, the countys repre-

sentation remains unchanged from 2000.

Loomis says that the good news is that gerrymander-

ing is really not as big an issue as league types might

suspect. In fact, he said that since Lawrence is divided

into the 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts, it could

potentially mean more support for the university, both

in Lawrence and KCK.

Responding to a question from the audience, Loomis

said that 13 states use redistricting commissions. But,

he added that commissions

do not necessary eliminatepartisanship and some still

tend to be political.

Our other guest speaker,

Corey Carnahan, research

analyst for Kansas Legislative

Research Dept., explained

that the public can visit the

Topeka office and test differ-

ent redistricting plans on a

computer, using statistical

data, and submit it for consid-

eration.

In addition to population

equality, recommendationsfrom the Redistricting Advi-

sory Group state that the

final redrawn plan should:

Not dilute minority voting strength.

Be compact and contiguous.

Preserve existing political subdivisions.

Recognize similarities of interest (legislative) and

communities of interest (Congress).

Avoid contests between incumbents.

President Kay Hale concluded the meeting by statingthat the Leagues goal for the process was transpar

ency and she asked that the public be kept informed

throughout.

For further information, visit ballotpedia.org or the

Kansas Legislative Research Departments website at

ksleglislature.org/klrd - Bonnie Dunham

Four members of the local LWV attended Instate

Training on Membership and Leadership Develop-

ment, Aug. 26-27, in Manhattan, Kansas.

President Kay Hale served as state coach for four

League members from Johnson County. After assisting

them in developing several plans of action, she will

follow their progress via monthly conference calls

James Dunn participated in the training along with

other members of the LWV Kansas State Board.

Carrie Lindsey, who chairs the membership commit-

tee, and Bonnie Dunham, who handles publicit

trained along with two LWV members from Salina

Our State Coach Gwen Elliott will track progress of

our local chapter. Our goals are increasing local mem-

bership, involving inactive members and restarting a

series of brown-bag lunches.


LWVL-DCHoldsPublicForumonRedistricting

LocalMembersParticipateinStateTraining
http://www.hallcenter.ku.edu/~hallcenter/cgibin/index.php/calendar/event/dianeravitchaconversationwithdianeravitchhttp://www.hallcenter.ku.edu/~hallcenter/cgibin/index.php/calendar/event/dianeravitchaconversationwithdianeravitchhttp://www.hallcenter.ku.edu/~hallcenter/cgibin/index.php/calendar/event/dianeravitchaconversationwithdianeravitchhttp://www.hallcenter.ku.edu/~hallcenter/cgibin/index.php/calendar/event/dianeravitchaconversationwithdianeravitchhttp://www.hallcenter.ku.edu/~hallcenter/cgibin/index.php/calendar/event/dianeravitchaconversationwithdianeravitchhttp://www.hallcenter.ku.edu/~hallcenter/cgibin/index.php/calendar/event/dianeravitchaconversationwithdianeravitchhttp://www.hallcenter.ku.edu/~hallcenter/cgibin/index.php/calendar/event/dianeravitchaconversationwithdianeravitch


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Funding for the training came from the

LWVUS Ruth Shur Memorial Fund. LWVUS

staff Carol Reimers and Sara Richman, along

with National Coach Penney Van Vleet, led

the two-day presentation. Kansas is among

thirty-two states that will eventually receive

the training, aimed at ending national mem-

bership decline. LWVUS research shows that

the League is highly respected . . . However,while there was great name recognition of

the LWV, there was limited awareness about

the value that the League membership of-

fered to potential members.

Our success involves all members, so please watch for

opportunities to mentor new members and to invite

potential new members to special events.

LWVL-DC President Kay Hale was among those pre-

senting testimony before the Kansas Legislators Redis-tricting Committee hearing Sept. 2 at the Dole Insti-

tute for Politics.

For decades, the League of Women Voters has advo-

cated for transparent and accountable redistricting.

However, the drawing of the Legislative district

boundaries and creating new districts continues to be

among the least transparent process in American

Democracy, she said.

Members of the redistricting committee are traveling

the state to hear public comments. Committee Co-Chair Tim Owens said the group would make 15

stops to present information about the redistricting

process and to hear public comment before drawing

any official maps. Co-Chair Mike ONeal

explained that the challenge is to equalize

districts by adding population to the

mostly rural 1st Congressional District

where census figures declined, and to re-

duce the size of more urban districts

where population growth occurred.

About 70 attended the event, including

other area legislators, state school board

members, county commissioners and

community leaders.

Kay called on the state committee to disclose

committee timelines and asked that proposed

maps be available for public comment prior to

completion. To reiterate, representative de-

mocracy depends on preserving the principle

that voters freely choose their elected offi

cials.

In general, the consensus of testimony favors

reuniting Douglas County into a single Con-

gressional district. Douglas County Commissioner

Nancy Thellman said Republican, Democrats, conser-

vatives and liberals had testified and overwhelmingly

asked the committee to please make us whole.

Sen. Anthony Hensley, ranking minority member on

the Senate Committee, made a presentation that in

cluded agreeing with the LWVs concern about a lack

of transparency. He called the decision 10 years ago

to divide Douglas County absolutely unnecessary.

Once again, he said, the committees greatest need is

to balance the needs of urban and rural communi-

ties.

Population information, provided by the Kansas Legis-

lative Research Dept., shows a census count of

2,688,418 in 2000 and 2,853,118 in 2010 (a 6.13%

increase).

Ideal district sizes are: 713,280 for Congress; 70,986for State Senate; 22,716 for State House. The goal is

to deviate as close to zero as possible from the idea

sizes. The Kansas Supreme Court automatically re-

views the maps drawn by the House and Senate

Committees. - Bonnie Dunham

This summer, the Consensus Consulting

team met with Lawrence residents in

series of seven focus groups on civility

The focus groups add depth to findings

from another 15 focus groups the team

conducted in metro Kansas City, and wil

be reported out when the team presents

its findings at the Dole Institute on Sep-

tember 27, 2011.


LWVTestifiesBeforeLegislativeRedistrictingCommittee

TheCivilityProjectTalkswitLawrenceResidents


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The seven focus groups included Chamber of

Commerce members, the League of Women

Voters, school site committee members, a rural

focus group, neighborhood leaders and senior

citizens. Originally, the team had planned just

one focus group with businesspersons, but

when more than 75 individuals RSVP'd in re-

sponse to the Chamber's invitation, we added

another. "We were so impressed with the levelof thinking we encountered in Lawrence, and in

people's sincere interest in the topic of civility in

public life," said Mary Jo Draper, a partner with

Consensus Consulting.While many of the find-ings echoed what we heard in metro Kansas

City, some aspects were quite distinct. To learn

more, download the focus group report.

The focus groups were part of an exploration into

whether Lawrence might be the site of a pilot test of

The Civility Project. With the help of local leaders,Consensus Consulting invited some 20 key commu-

nity members to two meetings. After thoughtful con-

sideration, the group determined that the pilot test

wasn't feasible in Lawrence at this time. "The fact that

almost everyone we contacted was willing to engage

in the conversation made a big impact on us," saidJennifer Wilding, a partner with Consensus Consulting.

"We appreciated their willingness to engage with usand help us engage their citizens."

Present: Joan Golden Vice-chair, Fran Devlin

Secretary/Treasurer, Chris Burger, Terry Leibold, Ursula

Minor, and Kate Harding Pohl.

Library Staff Present: Director Bruce Flanders, Kath-

leen Morgan, Library Foundation Executive Director,

Ed Quick, the Friends of the Library Board and other

Staff

Absent: Chair Deborah Thompson.Guests: Steve Clark and Jane Huesemann,

Gould Evans, Carleen Roberts, Executive

Director of Douglas County Senior Serv-

ices, Elinor Tourtellot, League of Women

Voters.

Director Bruce Flanders provided informa-

tion on library trends as outlined by the

Lawrence Public Library administrative team

He identified seven key trends:

1. Flexibility: have different formats and focus

on content creation versus content consump-

tion.

2. Expanded opportunities for self service

eliminate the traditional checkout desk, have

more self service options, provide a general

information desk, and streamline the checkout/check-in process.

3. Retail model: have a coffee shop, provide

displays for the collection, utilize roving refer-

ence staff, and reduce noise on the floor.

4. Community anchor: human scaled building

in which the library has the customer in mind

through comfortable and welcoming social areas, all

age seating, and meeting rooms,

displays of local history and museum collection, and a

plaza area for community

programs.5. Expanded opportunities for learning and literacy

expand the childrens room,

discovery zones, programming spaces dedicated to

youth services, lifelong learning

classes and programs for the public.

6. Implement green technologies: reduce operation/

utility costs, have comfortable and healthy spaces, and

educational opportunities for green building.

7. Maximize customer convenience: after-hours access

to meeting rooms and restrooms,

popular reading collection, drive through service.

Steve Clark from Gould Evans Architects presented

the updated project schedule and reviewed

previously discussed drawings that outline requested

adjustments. While reviewing the interior

and exterior drawing developments, Steve discussed

the transparency and flexibility of the design. H

stressed that it is important to neighbors of the

library that the plaza be open with a gentle rise and

have an accessible route. He added that the City

wanted restrooms, event storage, and akitchen area in the parking structure in

support of community activities. Events

would take place on the hard paved south

side of the plaza next to the garage. This

space could be used to show movies on

the garage, for live bands, book sale, seating

etc. He explained that much of the design


LawrencePublicLibraryBoardofTrusteesMeetingJuly18,2011
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can still change. The Senior

Center Director Charlee

Roberts pointed out that

the only windows in the

Center's building are next

to the parking. She re-

quested that the seniors be

kept in mind when the ga-

rage is being built.

A motion passed to ap-

prove design images for

public distribution and for

the architects to move

forward to the next design phase.

Susan Brown, Marketing Director reviewed the three

objectives of the marketing plan: (1) the development

of a uniform professional image for the library includ-

ing the logo and tagline. The tagline is "Your Spot", (2)

a change in publication of librarys newsletter from

monthly to weekly and (3) enhanced traditional and

new media exposure.

Library Foundation Executive Director Kathleen Mor-

gan reported that the tax credits have been received

and has spurred new donations. A donation of at

least $1,000 is eligible for tax credit. She stated the

Foundation would like to have a sneak peek event

to offer a first look at the plans on July 24 at the

library. The actual public campaign begins in the fall.

Director Bruce Flanders discussed the closure of the

SRS office and its impact on the library. When the

closure was announced, local public libraries were

listed as sites for people to use as a resource. The

library will refer people to other professionals to get

help.

Meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m. - Elinor Tourtellot

Board Members Present: Deborah Thompson Chair,

Joan Golden Vice-chair, Fran Devlin Secretary/

Treasurer, Terry Leibold, Ursula Minor, and Kate

Harding PohlLibrary Staff Present: Director Bruce

Flanders, Adult Programs Librarian Rachel Smalter

Hall, Library Foundation Executive Director Kathleen

Morgan, and Staff.

Absent: Chris Burger, Ed Quick, Friends of Library

Board.

Guests: Elinor Tourtellot, League of Women Voters.

Director Bruce Flanders is developing partnerships

with Steve Novak, the Director of the Watkins Mu-

seum of Community History, Saralyn Reece Hardy, theDirector of the Spencer Museum of Art, to place dis-

plays in the renovated/expanded library facility. Flan-

ders is planning a meeting in September with inter-

ested organizations including the Natural History Mu-

seum and university libraries.

The best federal grant funding opportunities for the

library are with the Institute of Museum and Library

Services (IMLS), and specifically the "National Leader-

ship Grants". Community partnerships with other

libraries and museums would greatly increase thechances for obtaining grants with IMLS.

Bruce, Kathleen Morgan, Judy Keller and the Adminis-

trative Team are working to develop a grant request

for the Lawrence Memorial Hospital to develop a

named health and wellness center in the expanded

library.

Kelly Fann, Technology and Network coordinator, is

leaving to become the Director of the Tonganoxie

Public Library. Interviews to fill this position will be-gin soon.

The library website is being upgraded to have a more

streamlined and uncluttered appearance, and to have

navigational links that make the site easier to under-

stand and use.

Bruce has worked

with staff and mem-

bers of the local Ki-

wanis Club to developan institutional mem-

bership for the library.

Kiwanis Club is an ap-

propriate service or-

ganization for a library

affil iat ion as their

members have pro-


LawrencePublicLibraryBoardofTrusteesMeeting

August15,2011


10/14

vided legwork for the library's

home delivery service for over

30 years. The membership cost

$80 annually.

Foundation Director, Kathleen

Morgan reported that the

Library Foundation Board voted

to move its endowed funds tothe Douglas County Community

Foundation (DCCF). DCCF cur-

rently is offering a special pro-

gram that provides a 25% match (up to $10,000) for

any new endowment funds invested with them. The

Capital Campaign currently has received pledges to-

taling $621,000. The Foundation hopes to launch the

community phase of the capital campaign in conjunc-

tion with the Friends October 6th book sale. The

Lawrence Social Media Club "adopted" the capital

campaign as its non-profit of the month in August. Itwill find ways to inform the community of the capital

campaign.

A Foundation fundraising event, "Librarians on the Big

Screen: A Tribute to Nancy Pearl", is scheduled for

November 2. Nancy Pearl is a regular commentator

on books on NPR's Morning Edition. The cost of

admission to the event will be $25 or $40 for a ticket

and signed copy of Pearl's latest book, Book Lust. KU

Libraries has agreed to serve as the event sponsor. To

promote this fall fundraiser, the library is partneringwith the Eldridge to offer a four part series featuring

"Librarians on the Big Screen" on Friday nights in Oc-

tober, 7 p.m. at the Eldridge. Library patrons who

show their library card will be eligible for happy hour

specials from 5-7 p.m..

Rachel Smalter Hall, Adult Programs Librarian, re-

ported that the library has partnered with Lawrence

Magazine and local artist Jason Barr to distribute "John

Brown Paper Doll & Disguise Kits"

at our three "Civil War on the Western Frontier" events Mid-

August. The fall author book signing

lineup includes Tessa Gratton,

Blood Magic; Candice Millard, River

of Doubt and Destiny of the Re-

public; and Stanley Lombardo,

award-winning translator of

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. Meeting adjourned at

5:30 p.m.

- Elinor Tourtellot

Carol Jacobson attended the LWV-US Council and-

submitted the following report to the LWVL-DC

Board. The meeting took place June 1720 and wascalled The Big Picture: Anticipating the Future The

Difference is Leadership. The goal for 2012 is Be

Visible and be Effective. It was a three-day working

meeting with the state representatives developing

their states plan for advocacy and education through

use of social media for the 2012 election. The target

population is younger voters college age and high

school. Celinda Lake, President of Lake Research

Partners provided a presentation on the Big Picture

(economy, health care, the environment, and education) and Tammy Gordon, AARP Senior Advisor and

Director of Social Communications and Strategy cov-

ered media, especially how to get out your message

and the ins and outs of social media. The business end

of Council dealt with strategies for increasing Leagues

effectiveness at the state level, increasing voter regis-

tration, increasing League membership, and fund rais-

ing.

Some other hot issues were discussed, as well

The opening session was devoted to addressing tele-

vision ads targeting Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO)and Scott Brown (R-MASS) for their lack of support

for Clean Air legislation. Both voted on April 6 for an

amendment authored by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-

WV) to suspend any action by the Environmenta

Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act regarding

carbon dioxide or methane for two years, except in

respect to auto emissions. The League has supported

the enactment of clean air policy since the inception

of EPA. It has used action alerts to all LWV members

asking for support and sent dele-

gations to Congress to lobby forclean air legislation. LWVUS

would have targeted all senators

who opposed the bill, but did

not have the money. McCaskil

and Brown were chosen be-

cause they were seen as backing

away from their initial support of


LWV-USCouncilReport


11/14

the EPA position on clean air, at a time when hard-

fought for legislation on many LWVUS positions is

being eroded. After National gave their rationale for the ads,delegates spoke in an open microphone session. The

LWV Mass. president stated they were caught com-

pletely off guard and submitted several directions to

the board requiring prior notice of such ads. Some

state representatives expressed dismay at the new tactic. Others supported the action because the ac-

tion was non-partisan and focused on the issue. New

Mexico delegates said they do not name individuals,

but send out voter information stating, Your Senator

voted against National apologized for the lack of

notice to Massachusetts and Missouri and said they

will develop a process and work closely with state

presidents. They acknowledged the press results were

mixed but air pollution issues

were in the news. Benefits

from the ads include visibilityof the LWV as a supporter

of clean air and contacts

from other Senators and

House of Representative

members seeking to work

more closely with the

League in the future. The

donors who funded the ads

will be named along with

other donors, as usual, in the

year-end repor t.

PRESENT: Kay Hale (President), Marjorie Cole (Treas-

urer); Directors: David Burress, James Dunn, Bob Du-

ver, Chris Lempa, Ruth Lichtwardt, Caleb Morse (Sec-

retary pro-tem), Milton Scott. ABSENT: Bonnie Dun-

ham, Melinda Henderson, Carol Jacobson, Carrie Lind-

sey. LWV L-DC MEMBERS PRESENT: Nancy Dunn,Gary Hale.

The meeting took place on July 14 in Rm 203 of the

First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont St. Kay

called the meeting to order at 7 pm.

TREASURERS REPORT. Marjorie reported total in-

come for May of $150 and expenses of $172.36. She

also noted that we need contributions to the Educa-

tion Fund, in which there is only $175.48. The first in-

stallment of the 2011-12 PMP will be due at the end

of August. In the past we have had enough in the Ed

Fund (from contributions) to cover half the LWVUS

per-member-payment, but unless we receive dona-

tions to the Ed Fund of at least $150, we will have topay the full amount of the first quarter PMP from our

checking or money market account. Marjorie also re-

ported that there has also been a satisfying response

to the gentle reminder letter mailed by Mary Lou

Wright to members (about 30) who had not yet paid

2011-2012 dues.

As of July 1, balances in various accounts are as fol-

lows:

Checking = $1946.12

Money Market = $4387.09Stucky = $7849.00

Judiciary grant = $1288.58

Dues scholarship fund =

$255.00 (subset of our

checking account)

PRESIDENTS REPORT.

Closure of Lawrence SRS

Office. Kay reported on

League actions in regard to

the planned closure of the Lawrence SRS Office. Withhelp from Carol and Carrie, Kay had written a letter

to Governor Brownback asking him to rescind the

decision to close the Lawrence SRS office, and re-

ceived a form letter acknowledging receipt of our

communication. The League had also organized a

meeting of contact point agencies identified by SRS

and plans to convene a community forum on July 23

at the Lawrence Public Library.

Redistricting Report. Kay reported that a Special Re-

districting Committee of the Legislature will hold apublic hearing in Lawrence on September 2. Citizens

are invited to testify. In preparation for this hearing

League has scheduled a public forum on aspects of

the redistricting process on August 6 at the Library

Corey Carnahan, research analyst with the Kansas

Legislative Research Department, and Burdett Loomis

September 2011, page 10 Kansas Sesquicentennial Issue the Firs

HighlightsoftheJulyBoardMeeting


12/14

professor of political science at Kansas University, will

speak at the forum.

Civility Project. As previously reported, Kay had par-

ticipated in a process to determine the readiness of

Lawrence citizens for a Civility Project. She volun-

teered the League to sponsor a focus group. Several

board members volunteered to attend.

Judiciary Grant Funds Update. In response to our

Leagues request to repurpose the Judiciary grant

funds, we were asked by LWVUS to provide a plan

for how we would use our updated website to high-

light League work on the grant Quest for a More

Diverse Judiciary. Kay provided plan to feature some

of the achievements of the grant project in Kansas

and current news about the Kansas judiciary.

ACTION ITEMS.

Visioning the Future of Lawrence. Kay met with HankBooth and Tom Kern about this Lawrence Chamber

of Commerce initiative, which they are undertaking

with training provided by the Kansas Leadership Cen-

ter. The Chamber has expressed interested in collabo-

rating with League on events geared toward this end.

Caleb (Chris) moved to invite Kern to come talk at a

future meeting; motion carried.

Updates to LWV-L/DC Membership Directory. Kay

asked about how to convey updates to the member-

ship directory to members and still do a reasonablejob of protecting their privacy. After some discussion,

Caleb (Ruth) moved to update the roster, and (have

Chris) post it on the website for a limited time and

with access limited to members; James clarified that

this should done printing an announcement in the

next Voter; motion carried.

Calendar update. Kay re-

ported that our annual Af-

ternoon with the Legislators

is planned for December 17at the home of Rita Spradlin.

Rummage sale delayed. Ruth

reported that the manager

of Checkers has some con-

cerns about rummage sales

in the store parking lot and

had nixed the sale League

was planning for Labor Day

weekend. Ruth is back to

the drawing board on this,

but the sale is now at least

delayed until next spring.

Committee Reports:

Show and Tell: Transition to

League Easy Web. Chris

gave us a tour of the new website, which is ready to

go live, and asked for contributions from some com-

mittees.

Voter Services Committee. Caleb reported that the

Voter Service Committee met at the Library on June

13 to discuss past and future activities.

Federal Role in Public Education Study CommitteeDavid reported on the committees activities thus far

They are meeting monthly to discuss the issues ad-

dressed by the consensus questions and are planning

a forum on the issue for September 17 at the Library

The question essentially boils down to Should the

role be bigger, smaller, or just the same? Marlene Mer-

rill has joined the committee.

ADJOURNMENT. The meeting adjourned at 9 pm.

The Land Use Committee (LUC) met at 7:00 p.m. on

Saturday, July 23 in the community meeting room at

the Merc. We discussed the July Planning Commission

(PC) Agenda, and decided to send two letters.

Our first letter was on PC Agenda Item 2, a proposed

annexation and rezoning of 67 acres of county land

from A (agricultural) zoning to the IG (General Indus- trial) District. The property is located immediate

south of the Kansas Turnpike adjacent to a tract re-

cently rezoned IG, east of the Turnpike K-10 Inter-

change. This agenda item had come up in May, but was

deferred to July to await a County Commission deci-

sion on the annexation. We had not objected to the

annexation, but reiterated several points made earlier

in our letter sent to the PC in May: the IG District is a


July-AugustLandUseCommitteeReport


13/14

kitchen sink type of industrial zoning that

could have a blighting effect on this highly

visible location. It is designated as a Minor

Gateway to Lawrence in our Transporta-

tion 2030 the transportation segment of

Horizon 2020, our Comprehensive Plan.

The timing of the rezoning is too early be-

cause there is no plan to provide urban

infrastructure, and its development nowwould be substandard because of its de-

pendence on county water and sewerage

standards. We suggested that the zoning

should be changed to UR (Urban Reserve) or IBP

(Industrial-Business Park) which would give the op-

portunity for better planning. We also attached our

May letter. OUTCOME: The PC approved the rezon-

ing with a 7-1-1 vote.

Our second letter was on Agenda Item No. 8, adop-

tion of the Inverness Park District Plan into Chapter14 (Specific Plans) of Horizon 2020. One recom-

mendation of the plan was to allow the existing

Remington Square Apartments property, located ad-

jacent to Clinton Parkway, to be rezoned from its cur-

rent RM15 zoning to an RM24 District to allow an

additional number of apartments to be built in a 5-

acre vacant tract on the eastern portion of its lot.

This apartment complex had been built up to the

maximum number of dwellings permitted under its

current zoning. We suggested that the developers

could keep the RM15 zoning and utilize the newlyadopted PD Overlay District to achieve this goal by

rezoning the Remington Square lot to RM15-PD. The

newly modified PD Overlay District superimposed on

the existing zoning would have permitted the number

of additional apartments requested while also provid-

ing better planning and open space. We also sug-

gested that there should be more trails in

the overall Inverness Park District Plan, in-

cluding pedestrian routes to the nearby

schools. OUTCOME: The PC incorporated

our suggestion for utilizing the PD OverlayDistrict for the Remington Square Apart-

ment complex into the Inverness Park Dis-

trict Plan and approved the Inverness Park

District Plan 7-1.

Postscript to July LUC Activities: On July 10

the LUC sent an email to the City Commis-

sion (CC) with attached letters that had

been sent to the PC in June on an ordi-

nance that the CC was being asked to

adopt at their July 12 meeting. The issue

involved changes to Article 6Density

and Dimensional Standards that ha

been included in the Planned Develop-

ment Article 7 text amendment ordinance

that was going before the CC for fina

adoption at this July meeting. We pointedout that Article 6 dealt with general stan-

dards that would affect all areas of the city

that had RS districts adjacent to all other

districts in terms of setbacks and height restrictions

The protections for RS districts that had originally

been in Article 6 were being removed, and this had

not been understood either by the PC or the public

OUTCOME: Before it was passed, the CC removed

the section of the ordinance that had dealt with Arti-

cle 6 and adopted only the text amendments to Arti-

cle 7. Changes to Article 6 will now be dealt withseparately and are being written by staff for the Sep-

tember PC meeting.

The August meeting of LUC was held at 7:00 p.m. on

Saturday, August 20 at the Merc. One issue on the

PC August Agenda, Item 3, was more complicated

than usual in that the Inverness Park District Plan

adopted by the Planning Commission on a 7 to1 vote

in July, with our suggested change to require the

Remington Square Apartments to be developed as a

Planned Development, was declared by the planningstaff in need of clarification, and was brought back to

the PC in August for revisions. The clarification was

actually an objection by the developer of Remington

Square Apartments to the PD Overlay District on the

basis of not wanting to create a homeowners asso-

ciation to maintain the open space. In response, the

staff created an Option 2" allowing the de-

veloper to also develop under conventiona

zoning, and added it to the adopted Inver-

ness Park District Plan. We wrote two let-

ters that explained why the developermaintenance arguments were invalid, and

also suggested that the PC should adopt

regulations governing conditioning conven-

tional zoning if they were to continue using

that practice to be able to control develop-

ments without using the PD Overlay District

OUTCOME: The PC reviewed the Plan and



14/14

adopted the staff clarification changes on a vote of 5

- 4. We might add that at least one planning commis-

sioner questioned the procedure. [Note: Unfortu-

nately, we hadnt checked to see if this change, which

actually was a substantial change, had been properly

published in the Journal-World so that the public had

been given notice that this would be on the PC

Agenda. It had not. It also was a non-public hearing,

although one of our LUC members was allowed tospeak on the issue. If this clarification process be-

comes accepted practice, everything the PC recom-

mends could be subject to change without public no-

tice and rehearing before it goes before the City

Commission for final approval.]

Our third letter sent to the PC in August was on the

developer-initiated text amendment to allow artificial

turf to be used as an alternative in landscaping. Cur-

rently it is not allowed. The issue originated in June

because in two current cases, it was used in a hoteland apartment developments contrary to our regula-

tions. The staff repor t made a compelling case for not

allowing its use and we wrote a letter in June com-

mending staff for their supporting documentation and

recommendation for denial. The PC deferred their

decision until August, and we again responded with a

letter supporting the Staff Report. OUTCOME: the

PC denied the text amendment allowing the use of

artificial turf. However, the City Commission, at its

September 13th meeting, approved the use of artifi-

cial turf on a limited scale for special circumstances as

an alternative landscaping material, and instructed staff

to rewrite the text amendment. At the same meeting the City Commission also approved the Invernes

Park District Plan with the two options included for

the Remington Square Apartment addition for one

bedroom residential units on its 5-acre vacant tract.


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