League of Women Voters of the
Cooperstown Area

UPDATE 
  November 2009

Hello LWVCA League Member! This e-bulletin is generated for you

 
Editor:  Joyce Hickling jhh330@earthlink.net

President: Ellen Tillapaugh

 

 

Future Meetings
November 18, 2009
MOSA or no MOSA? 7 pm @ the Presbyterian Chapel. See article at the right. 
January 20, 2010
Program planning for our national and local League. Go to www.lwv.org > Members Section > National Program Planning 2010 - 12 to join the Program Planning Discussion List Serve.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The future of solid waste management in Otsego County

On Wednesday, November 18, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church Chapel on Pioneer Street in Cooperstown, we will be sponsoring an open meeting to inform the public about recommendations from Hans Arnold, of Gerhardt, LLC, for pulling out of the Montgomery, Otsego, Schoharie Authority (MOSA). The Otsego County Board retained Arnold to research options, and Arnold presented the report on options on March 13, 2009 (see your April eUpdate). The final draft report on Arnold's recommendations was presented to the board on September 2, 2009.
Since the final draft, there have been many meetings of the county's Solid Waste and Environmental Concerns Committee with Terry Bliss, the county's Solid Waste Management Director to fine-tune a resolution to be presented to the full board.
On November 18th, Sam Dubben, chairman of the Solid Waste and Environmental Concerns Committee, will moderate our public meeting. Dubben will begin by updating everyone on the progress to date and take questions from the audience. Also invited to the public meeting are experts on this topic: Terry Bliss and the three MOSA board members from Otsego County, Martha Clarvoe of Hartwick, Ed Wesnofske of Oneonta and David Parker of Worcester, who may field questions.
This may be the public's only chance to speak to these experts, so please copy and paste this article and send it to everyone you know who may be interested.

Climate Change
 One of the national League's 2009 priorities for legislative action is Climate Change. The McClatchy Newspapers this weekend asks, "Will US go empty-handed to world climate talks?"

"Many nations are watching to see whether the Senate will make progress on a climate and energy bill that would spell out the U.S. national emissions-reductions plan. Wtihout an offer of such cuts from the largest source of emissions that are already in the atmosphere, there won't be a global deal at the talks in Copenhagen, Denmark in December." .

Get more information on the national League's efforts at www.lwv.org. You will find links on the homepage, and contact our New York State Senators: Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Dues are due!
Please remember that we lose $2.00 on every member's dues, due to the per-member payments local Leagues collect and transfer to our state and national Leagues to pay for our memberships. Clear as mud?

You hold memberships in the LWV Cooperstown Area, LWV New York State, and LWV United States. Our Cooperstown League sends $29.20 per individual member to the LWVUS, and $18 to the LWVNYS. So you see that we make $47.20 in payments on a $45 individual dues payment. We want to keep a League membership as affordable as possible, so we use fundraisers to supplement our local activities.

We send out letters to prospective donors annually, and in the past we have sponsored community breakfasts at the Cooperstown Fire Department, sold homemade pies and frozen casseroles at the Farmer's market, and in days of yore, put on bake sales. Fundraising is a lot of time and work, so we ask that you round up your membership dues as much as possible.

The strength of belonging to a tri-level political organization is hard to value, but those who were able to attend the fall luncheon with our state League Legislative Director, Barbara Bartoletti and state League Election Specialist would call it invaluable!

Please make your check out today to LWV Cooperstown Area for $45 for an individual membership, and $65 for a household membership (on your Memo line, please mark it as Individual or Household). Send them to LWV Cooperstown Area, PO Box 426, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Full or partial scholarships are available. 
 Thank you!
Our sincere thanks to all who helped us cover Candidates Nights this fall. In District 10 covering the towns of Burlington, Edmeston, Exeter and Plainfield, Joyce Hickling was moderator and timekeeper. 

In the Town of Hartwick, there was standing room only! Maureen Murray was moderator and Nancy Potter timekeeper. In the Town of Otsego, Pamela Washburn was moderator and Jean Dewey timekeeper.
 
As president, I would really like to thank and acknowledge the efforts of these League members. Moderating a Candidates Night can sometimes be a difficult task. Feelings and tempers can be strong on the local level and moderators are often called upon to remind candidates and audience members that the forum is desighned to discuss issues and that peronal comments/attacks will not be tolerated. Great job, moderators.
- Ellen Tillapaugh President