Fall 2019 Hot Topics Well Attended

LWVTV partnered with the Fairbanks Branch of the American Association of University Women and the Noel Wien Public Library to host four forums in our Fall 2019 series. 

October 29    Judicial Selection and Retention in Alaska

Alaska’s constitution established a hybrid system for choosing and retaining judges. How well is it working? Are changes a good idea?

Judge Niesje Steinkruger, Alaska Senator John Coghill,  local attorney Bob Groseclose and Bill Gordon (Board Pres. of Justice Not Politics Alaska) provided insight into the selection and retention system as well as arguments for and against any Constitutional changes. LWVTV and AAUW member Shari George moderated.

November 5   Capped and Cut

FNSB Mayor Bryce Ward and City of Fairbanks Mayor Jim Matherly and Chief of Staff Mike Meeks discussed how the tax revenue cap works, and the effects of the cap and state cuts on local budgets. AAUW Program Chair, Ritchie Musick moderated.

November 12   More than a math problem

Permanent Fund history: royalties, dividends, SB26 draw rates and Alaska’s fiscal politics. Larry Persily, Alaska Rep. Tammie Wilson and Dermot Cole led this spirited discussion. LWVTV co-president and AAUW member Sue Sherif moderated.

November 19   The Census and Why It Matters to Interior Alaska

The census is a big job and a big deal. Learn how it works and why it matters to the Interior. Liz Brooks (State of Alaska Dept of Labor and Workforce Development), Alyesha Childs (FNSB Complete Count Coordinator), Jolene Malamute (TCC Complete Count Committee) and Laura White (Census) provided a history of the Census, a broad discussion of the 2020 Complete Count and its importance to the Interior. LWVTV and AAUW member Shari George moderated.

Naturalization Ceremony

Sept. 26, 2019

Twenty-eight new citizens from sixteen countries were sworn in at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center. LWVTV members Shari George, Barbara Hompesch, Siri Tuttle, Phyllis Tugman-Alexander, Carol Ann Varner and Linda Witt were on hand to welcome the new citizens and provide the opportunity for them to register to vote. 

The FNSB Assembly Chambers were nearly at capacity on September 20, 2019 to watch and hear candidates for four local races that will be decided on Oct. 1.  Moderators Phyllis Darrah and Shari George and timers
Phyllis Tugman-Alexander and Linda Witt posed questions and kept the candidates on time. Mary Lee Guthrie,
Rebecca Heaton, Clare Hill, Helenmarie Matesi,
Jennifer Schmidt, and Sue Sherif provided all the organization and coordination for the forum. 

Special thanks to KUAC 89.9 FM for live coverage of the event! Recordings of the forum can be listened to on the KUAC and Borough websites.

LWVTV co-president Sue Sherif read the following at the FNSB Assembly meeting held on July 25, 2019, in support of establishing an FNSB climate change task force. It is based on local, state and national LWV positions. The resolution passed.

July 25, 2019

Assembly Members

Fairbanks North Star Borough

907 Terminal St.

Fairbanks AK 99701

Dear Assembly Members:

The League of Women Voters of the Tanana Valley is a nonpartisan organization that has provided voter education and voter registration services in Fairbanks for 55 years.  We do not support candidates for office; but, after a process of study and consensus, we do adopt and advocate for positions on public issues.

Our position on climate science underlies the League’s strong support for Resolution 2019-29 as presented by Assembly members Sanford and Williams. Alaskans across the state are already grappling with repercussions of climatic shifts. The proposed commission and the items of focus and action outlined in lines 45–52 are both practical and specific. And the partnerships outlined in the resolution will be necessary to create a plan leading to concrete actions. 

This matter is both important and it is urgent.  While our geographic location amplifies the effects of climate change, that same location tends to temporarily isolate us from the economic transformations underway in the energy transition. Falling costs of renewables and storage and the ever more obvious costs of fossil fuel combustion are accelerating economic shifts that will affect our households, businesses and city halls.  A sober appreciation of the risks we face is the first step toward identifying and bringing into existence the many opportunities for profitability and sustainability in our local economy, municipal revenues and household budgets.

The LWVTV strongly supports the adoption of Resolution 2019-29.

Sincerely,

Sue Sherif                               Mary Lee Guthrie

Co-Presidents, LWVTV

Voter Registration at WEIO

July 17 - 20, 2019

LWVTV helped out at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics in Fairbanks to register voters and provide information on the 2019 elections.

 Image by Fort Wainwright Public Affairs Office is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Get out the Vote on the 4th of July

LWVTV was at Pioneer Park on the 4th of July, 2019,  to register voters, help voters change addresses and provide information on the dates and deadlines for the  2019 upcoming elections.

Thanks to Linda Witt for organizing this event once again!

Celebrate Freedom Day - June 15, 2019
Noon - 5:00 PM ~ Bernice Allridge Park

Freedom Day commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas.

LWVTV registered voters and answered questions about our right to vote.

A Conversation on Redistricting with Michael Walleri

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

6:00 PM

IBEW Multipurpose Room

About thirty members and guests gathered to learn about the purpose of redistricing and reapportionment and the history and process of redistricting in Alaska. Redistricting will follow the 2020 census and Mr. Walleri spoke on the importance of the census and census challenges in Alaska.  Prior to the "line drawing" led by a Redistricting Board, there will be a Redistricting Planning Committee that works to compile and prepare information necessary for the work, secure office space/staff and technology/software to aid in the redistricting process. Mr. Walleri talked about the difficulties facing the Board given Alaska's unevenly distributed population, cultural landscape and varied socio-economic foundations. 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Opportunities on Jan. 18, 19 and 21, 2019

The King Holiday Bill was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on Nov. 2, 1983. It took until 2000 for the last state to sign a bill recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday. 

Several LWVTV members attended the Community Celebration.

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In honor of Martin Luther King Jr, the Alaska  Bar Association answered legal questions for free on MLK Day (1/21/19) in communities across Alaska. These clinics were for low income Alaskans with civil legal needs that include family,  landlord-tenant, and public benefits issues. This clinic is a public service project of the Alaska Bar Association, Alaska Court System, Alaska Legal Services Corporation, and Alaska Public Media in partnership with local bar associations.

JP Jones Community Development Center
2400 Rickert St.
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

LWVTV part of Naturalization Ceremony ~ Sept. 28, 2018

We registered 23 new citizens on Sept. 28 at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center following the always moving Naturalizaion Ceremony.

Linda Witt led our group along with Shari George, Sue McHenry and Janna Miller. Thanks to Carol Ann Varner for organizing our participation.

Municipal Candidates Forum

Elections impact every aspect of our lives, and we all need to weigh in. We are all equal at the ballot box, but only if we vote. LWVTV engages our community every year ensuring we offer information that voters need to participate in elections that determine the future of our community.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

7:00 - 9:00 PM at the

FNSB Assembly Chambers

Primary Candidate Forum

August 17, 2018 ~~ 6:30 - 9:00 PM

FNSB Assembly Chambers

The League of Women Voters of Tanana Valley hosted a candidate forum at 6:30PM on Friday, August 17^th in the FNSB Assembly Chambers for the upcoming Alaska Primary Races. Candidates from the US representative race, state house districts 1-6 and state senate seat A were represented.

For more than 50 years, local voters have looked to our League for unbiased, straightforward information about the election. Many voters rely on our forums to learn more about candidates and candidates have come to rely on our forums to get their message out to the electorate.

Juneteenth Citywide Celebration

June 16, 2018

10:00am - 7:00pm

Bernice Allridge Park

2250 Wilson St.

LWVTV registered voters and let participants know about the League's work making democracy work.

Juneteenth or Freedom Day, commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas. Congress recognized the day through Senate Joint Resolution 11 and House Joint Resolution 56 in 1997.

A Workshop on How to Run for Public Office was offered on May 16, 2018, at the Fairbanks City Council Chambers. The workshop was a collaboration with the FNSB, City of Fairbanks and City of North Pole clerks and took advantage of material created by the LWV of Juneau. LWVTV members Mary Lee Guthrie, Rebecca Heaton, Sue Sherif and Phyllis Tugman-Alexander led the charge on this event which was well-received and well-attended.

March for Our Lives Alaska

A rally at Golden Heart Plaza on March 24, 2018, highlighted the theme:  How Gun Violence affects Our Marginalized Communities. A number of LWVTV members attended the March and Teach-In.

LWVTV is a Golden Heart Meeting Ambassador

Along with 28 other local groups that led events during 2017, LWVTV was honored by Explore Fairbanks as a Golden Heart Meeting Ambassador for hosting last year's LWVAK Annual Convention.  Explore Fairbanks estimates that the Convention brought in more than $10,000 to Fairbanks! Shari George and Mary Lee Guthrie were on-hand to receive the award at a reception and dinner held at Raven Landing on February 7, 2018.

The American Association of University Women and LWVTV hosted a public meeting on November 13, 2017 at the Noel Wien Library Audotorium. The presentation highlighted Marilyn's and Joy's immersion and work in the West African culture.

Peace Corps volunteer, Marilyn Russell, and dissertation researcher, Joy Morrison, both spent time in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Marilyn in 2013 - 15 and  Joy in 1988 - 89.  They are both feminists who focused on strengthening rights of Burkinbe women. They also focused on some family/health issues, and gender equity, Marilyn - through the US Peace Corps and Joy through the Academy of Education Development. Russell and Morrison shared their experiences in West Africa using an interactive presentation, slides, and regalia/materials.

Caroline Pettit gave a fascinating and informative presentation on, "DC  Statehood - Fixing the Hole in Our Democracy," at the IBEW Conference Room on October 28, 2017. Supported by a grant to LWVUS, Ms. Pettit has been visiting Alaska (Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks) providing history and progress and building a nationwide infrastructure in preparation for a positive time to push for DC statehood in Congress. Ms. Petitt and others active in this effort will be visiting many other states over the next months. Special thanks to Phyllis Tugman-Alexander for  spearheading this opportunity.

THE LEAGUE’S POSITION

The League of Women Voters believes that citizens of the District of Columbia should be afforded the same rights of self-government and full voting representation in Congress as are all other citizens of the United States. The LWVUS supports restoration of an annual, predictable federal payment to the District to compensate for revenues denied and expenses incurred because of the federal presence.

LWVTV hosted an FNSB Assembly candidates forum on Friday, September 29, 2017, at the FNSB Assembly Chambers. League posed questions covering borough economics, education, air quality and marijuana. A wide range of questions offered by the audience rounded out the 90-minute question-and-answer session. Each candidate was also given the opportunity to explain why citizens should vote for them.

The forum was open to the public and free. Thanks to KUAC for providing online streaming of the forum for those unable to attend in person.

LWVTV joined with the Young Professionals Council to present a "Get to Know Your Candidates" forum at the FNSB Assembly Chambers on September 26, 2017. Jennifer Imus, supported by LWVTV's Rebecca Heaton and Jennifer Schmidt, posed questions developed by the Young Professionals Council and League to candidates for Seats E, F and G. Questions from the audience were also put to the candidates. KUAC live streamed the forum for those not able to make it in person.

Special thanks to Jennifer Schmidt (once again), Becca Brado (Young Professionals Council) and KUAC.

A great group of members gathered together at Raven Landing to review what the LWVTV has been doing 2016 - 2017, adopt a program and budget for the coming year and hold elections. Members were actively engaged and there were spirited discussions throughout the meeting. We were also lucky to enjoy a lively presentation by Marna Sanford (Tanana Chiefs Conference) discussing their progress, learning experiences and a look forward for the Get Out the Native Vote initiative.

Special thanks to outgoing Board members:  Donna Dinsmore, Emma Marcucci and Matthew Putnam, and, Past-President Phyllis Tugman-Alexander.

Note that Phyllis Tugman-Alexander was elected earlier this year as Vice President of the State League and Mary Lee Guthrie as a State Director; Tanana Valley is well-represented at the State LWVAK.

New School Finance Position Approved by LWV Alaska Board

November 21, 2016

The LWVTV joined with Get Out the Native Vote supporters to register voters and provide information at the Elders and Youth Conference hosted by the First Alaskans Institute and at the Alaska Federation of Natives 50th Annual Convention. Both conferences were held at the Carlson Center.

This was a wonderful chance to meet young people and encourage them to be lifelong participants in voting. It also let us show our support for the Get Out the Native Vote project.

Thanks to Linda Witt, Jean James, Caroline Wolf, Phyllis Tugman-Alexander, Ann Swift, Karen Parr, Mary Lee Guthrie, Donna Dinsmore and Shari George.

We registered 63 voters at the Go Winter! Expo.

Thanks to Carol Ann Varner, Ann McCann, Caroline Wolf, Jennifer Schmidt, Rebecca George-Heaton, Phyllis Tugman-Alexander, Helenmarie Matesi and Shari George.

A big Thank You to KO Productions for providing booth space.

The League hosted a local candidates forum on September 27 at the FNSB Assembly Chambers. Candidates for the Borough Assembly and School Board answered a series of questions posed by the League. Each of the propositions appearing on the ballot was read as well.

Following the forum, the public had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the candidates. Here, League member Mary Lee Guthrie discusses issues with candidates Matt Cooper and Shaun Tacke.

League members also made sure voters at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and Denali Center were able to cast their ballots.