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- The Centennial Accord: A Unique Approach to Government-to-Government Relations between Tribes and the Governor’s Office
- Thurston Conservation District Election
- From the Bellingham/Whatcom League
- Save the Date: Public Forum on Regional Fire Authority
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- “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy” Consensus Meeting
- March LWVTC Book Group
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Committee
- Join Us for Our First LWVTC Walk of 2023
- Coffee with the League
- Revisiting the Local News Crisis
- LWVTC Candidate Forums
- Meeting Your Legislators: Lobby Week 2023
- Member Spotlight: Welcome Back to the Pacific NW, Carolyn and Kay!
- In Memoriam: Dorothy Marsh
- Thank You - Thank You!
| | | | Sign-up here to subscribe to the LWVWA Legislative Newsletter for weekly updates about priority bills and how you can make your voice heard. Scroll to “The 2023 Legislative Issues” to get updates about how you can act on issues of particular concern to you. | Consensus meeting about the Decline of Local News and its Impact on Democracy Study: March 4, from 2:00-4:00 pm at Capitol Recovery Center and via zoom.
Forum on Tribal Nations and the Centennial Accord: March 9, 6:30-8:00 pm at The Olympia Center and via Zoom.
Book Group: March 14 from 2:15-4:00 pm at the Billy Frank Wildlife Refuge.
DEI&Justice Committee Meeting: March 15 from 5:30-7:00 pm. Racial Equity Challenge Planning. | Walk with the League: March 21 at 1:00 pm at Squaxin Park
Forum on Regional Fire Authority: March 29 at 6:30 pm at Thurston Community Media Studio and via zoom
Help with the 2023 LWVTC Candidate Forums (contact Karen Tvedt or Shelley Kneip for more information)
Coffee and Breakfast with the League: Tuesday mornings, 10:00 am at River’s Edge Restaurant, Tumwater | | | Where do you get your news?
By Darlene Hein, President
This is a question that I have been thinking about since reading “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy,” a League of Women Voters of Washington study. The decline in local news can be seen in the fact that there are fewer and fewer reporters doing local news stories and fewer local newspapers. The ones that are left are shrinking in size and getting more expensive.
In talking to the people around me, it is amazing how many people are not paying attention to the news at all, while others seem obsessed with it, mainly on the national level watching the 24/7 news channels. Many people are getting their news somewhere on the internet.
| | | The internet is a place where news can get blurred, there is a plethora of misinformation and misleading information and is often focused on national and international news. It’s a place where there is very little local news, and what is there isn’t always easy to find.
The loss of local news and decline in people having access to stories on what is happening in their community has tremendous impact. This includes less voting and even an increase in governmental costs because the reporters are not there to report on the projects and spending. Reduced local news means less oversight, and even fewer people running for office. We lose so much as local news coverage diminishes.
To find out more about the decline in local news and its impact, please read the “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy” study by using the link on the League of Women Voters of Thurston County website home page. | The Centennial Accord: A Unique Approach to Government-to-Government Relations between Tribes and the Governor’s Office
You are invited
to a public forum
regarding Thurston Area Tribal Nations and the Centennial Accord
Thursday March 9 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm
In person at the Olympia Center and Virtually on Zoom
Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Thurston County
The Centennial Accord is an agreement between tribes and the executive branch of the Washington State government serving the interest of tribes and the residents of our state. We will hear from Tribal Leaders and from the Governor’s Office. Tribal leaders will also share topics of interest to their tribe.
Panelists include:
- Craig Bill, Executive Director, Governor's Office of Indian Affairs
- Dustin Klatush, Chair, Chehalis Tribe
- Jeff Warnke, Director, Government and Public Relations, Chehalis Tribe
- Antonette Squally, Vice Chair, Nisqually Tribal Council
- Chay Squally, Councilwoman, Nisqually Tribal Council
- A Squaxin Island Tribe Representative to be announced
The public is invited to attend in person or by Zoom. To join by Zoom you must register in advance here. Zoom registrants will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link and information about joining the meeting.
To learn more about the Centennial Accord, see:
- Study of Thurston Area Tribal Nations (History and What We Learned chapters) available late in February on the LWVTC web site.
- Centennial Accord at: Centennial Accord | GOIA (wa.gov)
| Thurston Conservation District Election
By Julie Frick
There is still time for you to participate in the special election for Thurston Conservation District (TCD) Board of Supervisors Position 3. Two candidates are running for this volunteer position: Muhammad Ayub and David Iyall. Information about each candidate is available on the TCD website.
The Board of Supervisors for TCD is comprised of five officials, three of whom are elected for three-year terms and two are appointed by the Washington State Conservation Commission.
| | | Because elections for TCD are under different regulations than other county elections, voters must call or email TCD to request a ballot. Ballots are not available at the county auditor’s office. Call 564-669-4929 or email by March 7. Ballots can be returned by mail but must be postmarked by March 14.
Unsure what the Thurston Conservation District does? Check out their website for more information about their programs and services.
Also, if you are a gardener, you may be interested in the TCD Native Plant Festival and sale on March 4 at the Thurston County Fairgrounds. | From the Bellingham/Whatcom League
More about the Housing Crisis including Housing for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
The League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County organized a series of excellent programs about the housing crisis. Recordings are available on their website using the links below.
- September 7: Introduction. This featured Rose Lathrop of Sustainable Connections and Kate Bartholomew, from the City of Bellingham. They provided an introduction to the housing crisis and detailed information about current, past and future construction in Bellingham.
- November 12: Presenters included Blake Lyon, Bellingham's Planning and Community Development Director, Mollie Janicki, from the RJ Group, a local developer, and Cynthia Stewart, who leads the state League's efforts on housing and homelessness.
- February 4: Representative Alex Ramel and Senator Sharon Shewmake provided an update on proposed housing legislation. Addie Canlib of the American Farmland Trust explained how growth affects the availability of farmland.
- February 20: Housing for older adults and people with disabilities, featuring Karen Burke, CEO of the YWCA, Amanda McDade, Executive Director of the Northwest Regional Council, and Brien Thane, Executive Director of the Bellingham and Whatcom Housing Authorities.
Our thanks to the Whatcom League for sharing these recordings with us. We know from the recent LWVTC Program Planning meeting that these issues are of particular concern to you, our LWVTC members. | Save the Date: Public Forum on Regional Fire Authority
March 29 at 6:30 pm
In the April 25 special election, Olympia and Tumwater residents will vote on how their fire services are delivered. The ballot measure, if passed, will authorize the creation of a Regional Fire Authority (RFA) to replace the two cities’ fire departments. An RFA is a special purpose government, overseen by its own commissioners.
The League of Women Voters of Thurston County, in partnership with The JOLT News Organization (publisher of The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater), will hold a public educational forum on the ballot measure concerning the formation of an Olympia-Tumwater Fire Authority. The forum will include a panel discussion providing information and background about the proposal, and the pros and cons that voters should weigh before they cast their ballots.
The public will have the opportunity to ask questions.
The forum will take place in person and will also be available for viewing online. It will be at the Thurston Community Media Studio, 440 Yauger Way SW, Olympia, on Wednesday, March 29, starting at 6:30 p.m. Seating may be limited, so watch the LWVTC website and the JOLT website for more information about registration and ticketing.
For more information about the proposed RFA, use these links:
- City of Tumwater: Olympia Tumwater Fire Authority | City of Tumwater, WA.
- The JOLT: RFA planning committee holds public hearing on Fire Benefit Charge
- The Olympian: Olympia, Tumwater voters to decide on regional fire authority despite funding concerns
| “The Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy” Consensus Meeting
All League members are welcome when we convene on Saturday, March 4 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm to go over the consensus questions from the LWVWA “Decline of Local News and Its Impact on Democracy” study. This will be a hybrid meeting – you may attend in person or connect by zoom. It will be held at the Capitol Recovery Center, 1000 Cherry St SE, Olympia, WA 98501.
We encourage all members to read the study and the consensus questions and come prepared for discussion. You can access the report on the LWVWA home page. The report, consensus questions and more detailed information about the consensus process are available by going to Journalism Study - LWVWA Members.
Please let us know if you plan on attending in person or by Zoom by emailing Darlene Hein. | | | March LWVTC Book Group
By Annie Cubberly
The LWVTC Book Group will meet on March 14, 2023 from 2:15 - 4:00 pm at the Billy Frank Wildlife Refuge, 100 Brown Farm Rd NE, Olympia, WA 98516. We are reading "Where the Salmon Run: The Life and Legacy of Billy Frank, Jr.", written by Trova Hefferman. It is available at the library and on the Secretary of State website here.
Come early to explore the refuge. There will be a short presentation about the refuge from the ranger, and then a discussion of the book in this lovely historic setting.
For more information, contact Annie Cubberly. | | | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Committee
Join us to help form a Racial Equity Challenge on March 15 at 5:30 - 7:00 pm on Zoom. Connect with LWVTC members committed to promoting equity within the LWVTC and motivated to make our communities better places to live and work for everyone. Get the zoom link via Membership@LWVthurston.org.
Utilizing the 2022 City of Tumwater’s 21 Day Racial Equity Challenge components and potentially other sources, we’re meeting to form a program to learn more about:
- Our history
- Ourselves
- Ways of showing up for our historically marginalized neighbors
| Join Us for Our First LWVTC Walk of 2023
We’re meeting informally to connect and enjoy the beauty of Squaxin Park on Tuesday, March 21, at 1:00 pm.
This is a beautiful setting with trails, views of the Olympics, beach front, and stunning gardens. (Restrooms and benches, too.) We’ll meet at the Picnic Shelter in the rose garden. Honoring the Squaxin Island Tribe in 2022, the Olympia City Council renamed Priest Point Park. The tribe has occupied the lands in and around the city of Olympia since time immemorial through the Steh-Chass people, according to the tribe. See more information on the renaming here. | | | | Have ideas about future walks? Suggested criteria - accessible benches, restrooms, centrally located via car or bus, not too steep. Contact Carol Goss. | Coffee with the League
If you haven’t been able to attend Coffee with the League you’re missing out! Every Tuesday morning from 10:00-11:00 am we discuss local Thurston and WA state topics. Come to hear about what’s going on and ways you can influence local issues and state legislation. Contact Paula Holroyde for information about attending in person. | | | THOUGHTS ABOUT LEAGUE ISSUES
| Revisiting the Local News Crisis
By Carolyn M. Byerly, Professor Emerita, Howard University
A new LWVTC member, Carolyn brings expertise on race and gender in media policy and employment
The loss of local newspapers, characterized as a crisis by researchers and civic leaders alike, is well supported by evidence. The 2018 “Vanishing Newspapers” report from the University of North Carolina sounded the alarm by showing that between 2004 and 2018, 70 (one-fourth) of the nation’s dailies and more than 2,000 non-dailies (including ethnic newspapers) had closed. These findings were echoed by a Northwestern University study in 2020. Here in Washington state, the League of Women Voters’ 2022 report, “The Decline of Local News,” points out the grave danger to democracy this poses and advocates support for federal legislation and other measures now under consideration to strengthen local journalism. | Less discussed is that this problem was apparent by the early-1980s, as Ben Bagdikian’s exposé in The Media Monopoly (1983) revealed. He identified the cause as an increasingly deregulated market and the resulting concentrated ownership.
Today, most ignore this, pointing to an increased use of social media, changes in technology, and advertisers’ move online as causes. But journalism scholars like myself argue that federal laws (like the Telecom Act of 1996) and the FCC’s regulations based on them are responsible for the disappearance of newspapers in a highly conglomerated media industry. Media conglomeration has also squeezed out ownership and management in media companies by women and people of color. The FCC has consistently refused to address racism and sexism in spite of numerous legal challenges.
The extremely few, very wealthy moguls who control media conglomerates finance the campaigns of members of Congress to pass the laws whose texts they write. Those who advocate for more and better local journalism, and racial and gender diversity at the top, will want to look at how to break up the behemoths we rely on for our communication.
Note that the 2022 LWVWA study report referenced is currently being reviewed by local Leagues using the consensus process. Delegates at the 2023 LWVWA Convention will vote on how the results will influence League positions and advocacy. | LWVTC Candidate Forums
Help Educate Thurston County Voters
More than 50 county, city and school board positions will be on Thurston County ballots in 2023. This includes the new county and port commissioners approved by voters in 2022. Some key election dates include:
- May 19, 2023-Final day for candidates to file for office
- July 14, 2023-August Primary Election 18-day voting period begins
- August 1, 2023-Primary Election
- October 20, 2023-November General Election 18-day voting period begins
- November 7, 2023-General Election
Each year, the LWVTC partners with Thurston Community Media (TCMedia) to produce nonpartisan primary and general election candidate forums for contested races. This involves inviting candidates to join their opponents in responding to questions developed by League members and posed by the forum moderator.
We anticipate conducting primary election forums in the TCMedia studio in June. TCMedia will then make the finished videos available via YouTube and local access channels. The videos will also be posted on the LWVTC website.
Here are two major ways you can be involved:
- Participate in planning LWVTC candidate forums. This includes deciding which candidate forums we will hold, inviting candidates to participate in our candidate forums, formulating forum questions based on input from League members, developing scripts for the forums, and publicizing the availability of the videos.
- Moderate or serve as a timekeeper for one or more candidate forums. Training and support will be provided.
Please contact Karen Tvedt or Shelley Kneip if you have questions or are interested in helping plan the forums and/or serve as a moderator or timekeeper. | Meeting your Legislators: Lobby Week 2023
By Julie Frick
Lobby Week, Feb. 6-10, provided an opportunity to meet with legislators and discuss concerns. It was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Washington and Fix Democracy First. League members from each of Washington’s 39 districts attended and organized Zoom meetings with their representatives or the representatives’ aides.
Brenda Paull and Karen Tvedt arranged the meetings for the 22nd district. Amy Davis from the Mason League and Julie Frick from Thurston League worked together to organize the Zoom meeting with legislators from the 35th district.
With the Legislature in session, our representatives are busy with committee meetings, hearings and trying to garner support for the bills they have sponsored or co-sponsored. In the 2023 session over 2,000 bills were submitted for consideration. With so many bills, it is good for legislators to hear the League’s perspectives on the pros and cons of bills that the League feels are important. Meetings with legislators from their district gives the opportunity to raise concerns and focus attention on those concerns. In short, Lobby Week attendees are being citizen lobbyists.
In the 35th district we had six League members participate in the Zoom meeting with Rep. Dan Griffey. Before the meeting we had agreed which bills we wanted to discuss and who would be prepared to speak on each of the four bills. Time was a factor as the Zoom meeting was scheduled for only 15 minutes. It felt more productive to have four individual voices speak on behalf of the League concerning ranked choice voting, HB 1460 fully funding the Trust Land Transfer program, the WRAP Act, and one gun regulation bill about the purchase and transfer of firearms.
“We showed up. We indicated our support for bills we cared about. Representative Griffey now knows a bit more what his constituents think is important. And that we care enough to use our time to research and follow bills. We were kind, reasonable, and respectful” one of our League members said after the meeting.
| Member Spotlight: Welcome Back to the Pacific Northwest, Carolyn and Kay!
After a nearly 40-year hiatus from the Pacific Northwest, new members Carolyn Byerly and Kay McGraw returned in May 2022. It was a challenging move traveling cross-country for 8 days with Koda, their 11-month-old, lively Samoyed puppy!
On the right, in the picture at left, is Carolyn M. Byerly, Ph.D. On the left is Kay McGraw.
| | | Kay and Carolyn met in the PNW during the1980s, during a time of great cultural change and feminist politics. They completed their PhDs at University of Washington, Kay in Marine Biology, Carolyn in Communication. Teaching and research in various faculty positions eventually took Carolyn to Howard University, an historically black institution in Washington, D.C., in 2004. There she chaired the Department of Communication, Culture and Media Studies until her retirement in 2021. She calls this “the most important work of my life.”
Kay worked first for the Seattle District Army Corp of Engineers, and later, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) national headquarters. Between those posts, she held part-time faculty positions at Seattle University, the Gulf Coast Research Lab, and other colleges. Her expertise is marine invertebrates, particularly shellfish, and she has studied these on all U.S. coasts.
Kay grew up in Birmingham, AL. She earned her B.S. at the University of Montevallo and M.S. degree in zoology from Auburn University. Kay continues to be involved in her profession by serving on the board of the National Shellfisheries Association. While living in Seattle in the 1970s and 1980s, she studied and taught martial arts and women’s self-defense at the Feminist Karate Union. She earned her Blackbelt there.
Carolyn was born into a military family where she “grew up everywhere.” Settling in Colorado after her dad retired, she finished high school and then pursued journalism and communication studies at Colorado State University and University of Colorado-Boulder. She came to Olympia in 1976 to take a position as a public information officer in state government. She also volunteered for Rape Relief, later playing a role in its merger with the women’s shelter and to form Safe Place. She became founding administrator of Safe Place, which remains an important response center today
Returning to the PNW, where they said they still have “wonderful, welcoming friends, and a different sense of openness,” was a longtime plan. They remain politically active and are currently exploring LWVTC committees and projects related to climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion. They look forward to “getting acquainted with the local LWV and taking part, as time allows.” Perfect timing to welcome Carolyn and Kay back to Washington and to the League of Women Voters!
| In Memoriam: Dorothy Marsh
By Karen Verrill
Sadly, Dorothy Marsh died on February 20, 2023, at the age of 96. She was a wonderful, bright and kind woman. She was an active member of the League in Hawaii and joined our League soon after moving to Olympia. She served as LWVTC President from 1996-1998 and as Co-President with Sylviann Frankus Baldwin from 1998-1999. She hosted our Holiday Party at her home for more than 12 years! Dorothy was knowledgeable on a wide variety of topics and always available to help others. For information about Dorothy’s memorial service, contact me at 360-866-6187. | | Thank you - Thank you!
A grateful thank you to Julie Frick for her very generous donation to the LWVTC Education Fund. Her generosity is especially touching as it is in the name of her mother, Barbara Frank, who was an active Pennsylvania League member for many years.
Thanks also to John Gear who continues to donate, and to all who contribute above and beyond their membership dues. According to our esteemed treasurer, Leslie Williamson, between March 2022 and February 2023, 63 renewing and 32 new members donated money to cover their credit card fees for a total of $291. In addition, 16 members donated to our scholarship fund for a total of $588. Scholarship donations ranged from $5 to $172. | | | | With appreciation for your kindness and generosity! | EMPOWERING VOTERS. DEFENDING DEMOCRACY.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
Copyright © 2022, League of Women Voters of Thurston County, Washington
Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 2203
Olympia, WA 98507
http://www.lwvthurston.org/ | |