The League of Women Voters
of the Red River Valley
PO Box 295
Fargo, ND 58107
Informing the voters of
West Fargo, Fargo, Moorhead, & Dilworth
LWVRRV Consensus Meeting on Immigration Policy
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Atomic Coffee, 222 North Broadway, Fargo
The Consensus Meeting was well attended, with 16-18 members and guests. Members came to the meeting well-studied and prepared to take positions and, when necessary, adjust to reach consensus. In the end, the National LWV office received a report that contained not only consensus positions but additional language to fortify the group's position on some of the questions. The meeting was very well-run and an amazing amount of work was accomplished on time. Kudos to the organizers!
First Friday
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 PM (Lunch available beginning at 11:30 AM)
Location: Sons of Norway, 722 2nd Avenue N, Fargo
Topic: Sustainable Development in the Red River Valley
Speaker: Linda Kingery- Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, U of M Crookston
New "Red River Valley Voter" newsletter posted today.The newsletter features the "Look Ahead" calendar and:
The newsletter is in the PDF format for easy printing or viewing with the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
First Friday
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 PM (Lunch available beginning at 11:30 AM)
Location: Sons of Norway, 722 2nd Avenue N, Fargo
Topic: The ADA Restoration Act & Disability Rights
Guest Speaker: Nate Aaland- Executive Director of Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living
Recap
Guest speakers at the March First Friday Public Meeting were Nate Aalgaard, Executive Director of Freedom Resource Center for Independent Living, and Susan Wedberg of Fargo.
Aalgaard revealed in his presentation that he was present at the historic signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). He discussed how improvements made since then in architectural, transportation, and communication accessibility have changed the face of American society, but how much more still has to be done in employment-related discrimination. Aalgaard urged support for the ADA Restoration Act (H.R. 3195 / S. 1881) as legislation necessary to restore the civil rights law’s intent that people with disabilities be judged fairly in the workplace.
Ms. Wedberg shared her personal story of living with disabilities. She spoke of struggling financially to remain in her home as none of her 24-hour custodial care is covered by her insurance company, and how out-of-pocket expenses not only exceed monthly income, but are draining her once-considerable retirement assets. Wedberg explains that the cost of living in her home with attendant care is far less than the cost of institutional care, but that governmental programs and private insurers will only pay for institutional care, thus forcing exhaustion of personal assets and eventual burden on taxpayers. She urged the audience to support legislation that allows the dollars to follow the person, such as the Community Choice Act (H.R. 1621 / S.799).
The meeting at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Fargo was well-attended by League members and the public; television media was also present.
Annual Board Meeting
Time: 8:30 AM
Meeting
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Northtown Grill, 3500 12th Avenue N, Fargo
Recap:
The League of Women Voters of the Red River Valley’s annual meeting featured presentations by Justin Schardin, Mark Altenburg and Barbara Headrick on their experiences at the 2008 Iowa caucuses.
Justin Schardin spoke of his experiences as a reporter for Campaigns and Elections that began in August 2007. He explained how candidate’s campaigns differed in how each handled media relations and how much easier it was to gain interview time for candidates lower in the polls who were seeking attention. Justin also relayed his analysis of how Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were able to win.
Mark Altenburg spoke of his experiences as volunteer for the Barack Obama campaign in Sioux City and numerous smaller towns in northwestern Iowa. He explained how the Obama campaign took a more grassroots approach to the caucuses and had to build an organization from scratch. Mark emphasized how Obama’s campaign needed to expand the electorate to bring in new participants to the caucuses in order to succeed. He also explained the level of work that volunteers face and how they go to the point of exhaustion in their efforts for their candidates.
Barb Headrick told of her more limited view of the process as a “political tourist” in Des Moines. She relayed her observations of campaign and news media activity on the day before and the day of the caucuses. Barb told how Obama’s volunteers were the most visible and demonstrated his ability to create an extensive organization in less than a year. She saw this as a demonstration of the organizational skill that has served Obama’s campaign well as the primaries and caucuses have continued.
Board Meeting
Time: 9:00 to 11:00 AM
Location: North Town Grille, 3500 12th Ave. NW, Fargo, ND
link to the agenda.
Women's Pay Equality Day Event
Time: 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Location: YWCA meeting room, 3000 University Drive South
Co-sponsored by: the AAUW Fargo-Moorhead, the Women's Network of the Red River Valley and the LWVRRV along with other groups
Board Meeting
Time: 9:00 to 11:00 AM
Location: North Town Grille, 3500 12th Ave. NW, Fargo, ND
First Friday
Time: 12-1:00 PM (lunch available beginning at 11:30AM)
Location: Sons of Norway, 722 2nd Ave N, Fargo
Topic: Current and proposed regulations on smoking in our communities
Speakers: Randy Thorson, Fargo businessman and Bette Deede, Fargo's Smoke-free Air for Everyone coalition (SAFE)