April 2013 Meeting

Leadership Committee

For the upcoming year, the Princeton area League will operate under a Leadership Committee with a term of one year. League members will vote at the annual meeting in June for this committee.

Members of this team and their roles are:

    • Lee Forbes: MLD (Membership and Leadership Development); Spokesperson at state meetings
    • Frieda Gilvarg: Membership Team
    • Nancy Hall: MLD; Event Coordinator; Treasurer Team
    • Ellen Kemp: Treasurer; Directory and Email List Coordinator
    • Beverly Kestenis: Membership Team; Secretarial Team
    • Rita Ludlum: Membership Team; Advocacy Team
    • Edith Neimark: Advocacy Team
    • Chrystal Schivell: MLD; Voter Service Chair; Secretarial Team
    • Melissa Scott: MLD; Advocacy Team
    • Sandy Shapiro: Webmaster
    • Sandy Smith: MLD; Spokesperson and Convener

As a member of the Treasurer Team, Nancy Hall will have check signing privileges in addition to Ellen Kemp.

Click here for a description of the roles for the Leadership Committee.

Visit to the State House

In March, a group of our members visited the LWVNJ office and then attended a Senate session at the State House.

Kerry Butch, Executive Director for LWVNJ, provided an overview of the history of the building that houses the LWVNJ office. At the State House, we enjoyed lunch with Nancy Hedinger, LWVNJ Vice President of Advocacy. Nancy explained the advocacy process and answered questions about issues supported by the League. Sandy Matsen, member of the LWVNJ Lobby Corps, joined us for the Senate session, during which potential legislation impacting voters’ rights was discussed.

Communiversity

The League has been accepted as a participant in Communiversity to be held April 28 from 1-6 PM. Please volunteer to staff our table, which will be on Nassau Street (town side), fourth booth south of Witherspoon. A poster will be on the table to attract visitors and informational materials will be available such as “Fun Facts about the League.”

Sandy Smith and Chrystal Schivell have provided Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty costumes, which children can wear while being photographed by their parents. Children can also vote by ballot for their favorite school subject and receive an “I voted” sticker afterwards. Results will be posted on our website and perhaps in the local newspaper. We will be handing out tote bags with our logo in white against a blue background. Nancy and Chrystal will set up our table, but more volunteers are needed for the remainder of the day. Please contact Nancy at lwvprinceton@gmail.org if you can help staff our table.

NJ Convention (May 3-4)

Attending the convention will be Lee Forbes, a member of the LWVNJ State Board. Nancy Hall, Sandy Smith, and Melissa Scott will also be attending as voting delegates.

We have applied for both a Collaboration Award and a Communication Award.

Annual Dinner Meeting

The annual dinner meeting is planned for June 10 at the Salt Creek Grille in Princeton Forrestal Village (Note: updated May 2013). Penny Venetis, Clinical Professor of Law at Rugers-Newark, will speak about voting rights. Details will be sent out by email and listed on our website.

Pen

Penny M. Venetis Clinical Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Constitutional Litigation Clinic, and Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise Scholar

Prior to joining Rutgers–Newark in 1994, Professor Venetis clerked for Judge Dickinson R. Debevoise of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. She also practiced law with the firm O’Melveny & Myers for four years. While there, she worked on complex commercial litigation as well as human rights projects. Among those projects was working with the UN Special Rapporteur investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. She also investigated human rights abuses in the implementation of Peru’s anti-terrorism laws. At Rutgers-Newark, Professor Venetis specializes in civil rights and international human rights impact litigation. Among other things, she has worked on cutting edge issues concerning the human rights of political asylum seekers and immigrants detained in the aftermath of 9/11. Her work focuses on the interplay between international human rights law and U.S. constitutional law. Professor Venetis earned a B.A. and M.A. from Columbia University and a J.D. cum laude from Boston College Law School.

LWVNJ Raffle

A raffle to support the LWVNJ Education Fund will be held on the last day of the Convention (May 4). Prizes are an Apple iPod, a Kindle Fire HD, and a $100 American Express card. Please contact Rita Ludlum or Lee Forbes at lwvprinceton@gmail.org to purchase tickets for this worthy cause. Tickets cost $10 each.

Citizen’s Guides

The committee decided not to purchase Citizen’s Guides at this time. We will receive complimentary copies in the fall. Click here to order one for yourself, or check back at our website for later online availability.

Princeton Stands Against Racism

Our League is partnering with the Princeton Human Services Commission for the annual event, Princeton Stands Against Racism. This event will be held Friday April 26 in Hinds Plaza beginning at 5:15 PM, with a reception for participants from 6-6:45 PM. For more information and to volunteer, please contact lwvprinceton@gmail.org.

Monthly Meetings for 2013-2014

Meetings are being planned for the second Tuesday of the month for the 2013-2014 year. The meetings in November, December, January, February, and March will be scheduled from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM, at the Princeton Library if a room is available. Evening meetings will be held in September, October, April, May, and June from 7-9 PM at the Suzanne Patterson Center. The final schedule will be posted on our website.