LWV-Wake Update 3/21/2022
| Dear ~~first_name~~,
Greetings from LWV-Wake.
As we continue to celebrate Women's History month, I invite you to take a scroll through our Instagram feed. Jenny Kotora-Lynch has created several posts that highlight important contributions to women's history.
Timely Topic Welcomes State Treasurer Dale Folwell on March 24th for State of the State
Our March Timely Topics will be virtual via Zoom. Please scroll down to our upcoming events section for more details about our March Timely Topics event. Also, please share the link to our program with others as this is a public event open to non-members.
Timely Topics: April 21, 2022, 12:00 PM - Registration is open!
Join us as speakers Regina Petteway, MSPH, Retired Director of WCDHHS and Michelle Laws, Ph.D., Chief Experience Officer, North Carolina Medical Society present: Intersection of Race, Stress and Health. This event will be VIRTUAL to accommodate our speaker's schedules, not in-person as originally announced in the last League Update. Scroll down for more details and to register.
Redistricting News
A new map has been chosen for Wake County Public Schools. Please scroll down for details. |
- March 24th-5:30pm - Timely Topics: State of the State - Join North Carolina State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell for a State of the State overview. Treasurer Folwell will discuss the challenges of managing the $122 billion state pension fund, which provides retirement benefits for teachers, law enforcement, and public workers; and the State Health Plan, which provides medical and pharmaceutical benefits to over 750,000 current and retired workers. Register here.
- March 25th-1:30pm - Affordable Housing Committee Guest Speaker - City of Raleigh Council Member Jonathan Melton will discuss affordable housing progress in Raleigh. Register here.
- April 19th - 3:00pm-4:30pm - League Lit Western Wake - Will discuss Our Time Is Now by Stacy Abrams. From New York Times bestselling author of Lead From The Outside and political leader Stacey Abrams, a blueprint to end voter suppression, empower our citizens, and take back our country. Register here.
- April 21st - 12noon - Timely Topics: Intersection of Race, Stress and Health - Join speakers Regina Petteway, MSPH, Retired Director of WCDHHS and Michelle Laws, Ph.D., Chief Experience Officer, North Carolina Medical Society as they present: Intersection of Race, Stress and Health. This presentation will focus on the impact stress has on the many health conditions that disproportionately impact African Americans and Hispanic/Latinx populations. Register here.
|  | Annual Meeting - Thursday, May 19th 6pm
We hope to see all our members at this year's annual meeting! Important information will be shared, including a brief update on the forthcoming 5-year strategic plan, the 2022-2023 budget, election of new board members, and table discussions. There will be a mix & mingle followed by dinner and program. Registration will open soon.
| To see all upcoming LWVNC sponsored events, please view their Events Calendar
| | Braver Angels Town Hall on Major Issues in K-12 Public Education
TONIGHT 7:00pm-9:00pm
Join a discussion with our friends from Braver Angels, along with guests, NC Sen. Jim Burgin and NC Rep. Graig Meyer, as they discuss "Major Issues in Public School Education." Ordinary citizens’ trust in their leaders has eroded in recent years, as has the ability of everyone to talk constructively across political differences. Common Ground Town Halls are designed to:
- Improve communication and trust among citizens across the political spectrum
- Improve communication and trust between citizens and their representatives
- Help develop policies that draw broad agreement across the political spectrum
- Who can come? Anyone interested in finding common ground with fellow citizens.
For more information and to register, click here.
| NCGA Ends the Longest Session on Record
Update:
NCGA ended the 2021 long session on March 11th with the passage of SJR 748. Here's an interesting article about what may lie ahead during the next NCGA short session which is due to begin May 18th after two-day sessions on April 4-6th and May 4th-6th. As the article states, it is interesting to note that the bill filing deadline occurs before the official start of the May 18th session. This may be an indication that they expect to wrap up quickly in order to allow those who may be running for re-election or involved in other races to have adequate time to campaign. |  | Local Redistricting Update
Wake County Board of Education
Map Option B4 Approved
Update:
At their March 15th board meeting, the Wake County Board of Education passed a resolution adopting a modified Option B map, now called B4, as the new district map. They also passed a resolution asking the board of elections to re-establish staggered four-year terms instead of the current two-year terms. However, on Friday, Wake County elections officials denied the school board’s request, stating they cannot implement election "suggestions". The school board instead was instructed to consult their attorney on how to proceed. Read more here.
Recap:
Feb. 23, 2022: The final virtual information session was held. Mitchell and Esselstyn presented the map options and answered many questions.
- The public hearing can be viewed here.
February 1, 2022: Mitchell and Esselstyn made a presentation including mapping criteria and three map proposals.
December 7, 2021: Attorney Adam Mitchell from Tharrington Smith, LLP, and Blake Esselstyn from Mapfigure Consulting, presented Redistricting Principles, which can be viewed here. In this presentation, updated census numbers for the districts are provided. Of the 9 districts, only districts 2 and 7 remain in compliance with a +-5% population range. Possible criteria, labeled as "discretionary principles", are also presented.
Sept. 21, 2021: The Wake County Board of Education began discussing redistricting at their work session on September 21. Attorney Adam Mitchell from Tharrington Smith, LLP, presented The Basics of Redistricting, providing information on current district sizes, legal requirements, and potential redistricting criteria. Read Mr. Mitchell’s presentation here.
|  | | Support the LWV-Wake with Amazon Smile donations
LWV-Wake is now listed as a 501(c)3 charitable organization on Amazon Smile! This means you can now select our League as your charity of choice and support LWV-Wake at no cost to you. A portion of all your Amazon purchases will be donated to LWV-Wake by Amazon. To learn more about Amazon Smile and how to sign up, click here. Once you have signed up and chosen League of Women Voters of Wake County as your charity, you can bookmark the Amazon Smile page. This is an easy way to support the League!
| Looking for information from a past newsletter? Previous League Updates can now be viewed on our website's home page. Look for the "League Updates" blue tab on the top menu.
Thank you for continuing to support the League of Women Voters of Wake County.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Tung
President | | The League of Women Voters of Wake County is a designated 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization by the IRS. Donations and membership dues are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. | |