Kent County

Officers & Directors of LWVKC

Co-Presidents

Jane W. Hardy

410-639-7811

janewhardy@aol.com

Frances Miller

410-810-1518

familler@gmail.com

V.P.

Judie Oberholtzer

410-778-0426

upperwoodsman@gmail.com

Secretary

Nancy Smith

410-639-2739

nismith@verizon.net

Treasurer

Bob Naper

410-778-5926

naper@verizon.net

Directors

Sandy Bjork

Janice Dickson

Rebecca Goode

Voter Service & Mock Election

Jenn Hicks

Environmental Liason

Betty Kerr

Membership

Davy McCall

Lucia Rather

Jeanette Sherbondy

Voter Editor & Immigration

410-778-3696

jsherbondy2@washcoll.edu

George Shivers

Note from the Editor

I am honored to be the new editor for the Kent County Voter.

Many, many thinks to Jane Hardy for her wonderful work editing the Voter for the past five years. Her Voters were beautiful! I hope to be able to do as well.

I want to encourage everyone to submit information on activities and ideas. Please feel free to email or call me: jsherbondy2@washcoll.edu

410-778-3696.

Jeanette Sherbondy

Contents of this issue

Presidents’ Message page 3

New Members 4

State News (LWVMD) 5

Photos from Annual Meeting 7

Call for Observers 8

Rock Hall Parade 9

Immigration News 10

Crossing Arizona Film 12

Immigration Fact Sheet 14

Immigration Readings 17

Refugee Council 18

Presidents’ Message

Dear Leaguers,

The two of us have taken on the president's mantle together, with a view to sharing the load and also inspiring one another throughout this busy year. We are incredibly fortunate to have a stellar cohort of men and women supporting us and would like to acknowledge them with admiration and heartfelt thanks.

Thank you, thank you to: Dinah DeMoss for endless patience in her role as our "Webster" and for training a group of us about using our web groups more efficiently; Betty Kerr for her amazing art and industry; Judie Oberholtzer for representing us so well in the community and for organizing a splendid "In League" program on April 30; Bob Naper for keeping us in line fiscally; Becky Goode for taking on a daunting Voter Service load this year, including the National Mock Election; Jeanette Sherbondy for stepping up to become LWVKC Voter editor as well as continuing with the chairmanship of our busy Immigration Committee; Lucia Rather for tackling the Slots Issue; Lois Ward for her work as our historian; Ann Wilmer Hoon for observing boards and commissions on our behalf; Jenn Hicks for leading us to connect with the town of Chestertown and other groups to create a sustainable vision for the community; and Nancy Smith for agreeing to become our Secretary along with the myriad other responsibilities she takes on for us, all with good cheer and competence.

Our three newest board members, Sandy Bjork, Janice Dickson, and George Shivers have eagerly "jumped in the waters" with us, already volunteering, respectively, for communication tasks, the 2009 nominating committee and a community outreach program we are doing on July 31st. We are mighty grateful for this willing assistance.

If you haven't already seen one of our immigration film/panel discussions (and even if you have, since the film is a new award winning documentary), plan to join your fellow Leaguers and their friends on June 29th, 2 - 5 pm at the Prince Theatre in Chestertown for a screening of Crossing Arizona, a film that looks at our immigration policies vis-a-vis the Mexican border. Hats off to our co-sponsor, SOS, and the Prince Theatre for its generous support for us in this effort, and to Dan Premo, retired professor of Latin American History from Washington College; Debbie Rowe, mayor of Marydel; and Cilla Dawes, formerly of the Kent Family Center, who will discuss the film and answer questions after the screening. The event is free of charge and open to the public. Bring your friends, especially the ones who have been "learning" about the issue from pundits and hate mongers. We owe it to them and to ourselves to clear the air and get the real issues out in the open.

We are excited about a new opportunity that has come before us, to educate brand-new and potential voters about the importance of participating in the democratic process. Several of us will be teaching a group of first time voters on this topic at the Kent Family Center for a two-hour session on July 31. We are putting together a presentation that we plan to make available wherever it is requested, including local high schools and the college. Please contact us (Francie at 410-810-1518, familler@gmail.com; Jane at 410-639-7811, janewhardy@aol.com ) if you have ideas to share or would like to become a part of this "teaching team" registering new voters, for example.

Also remember that come fall and the return of students to the College, we'll be doing several voter registration drives, so plan to take the 45 minute training at the Board of Elections some time soon.

Happy summer days ahead,

Jane Hardy and Frances Miller

New Members of LWVKC

We welcome our new members and hope they will attend board meetings when they can and participate in LWVKC events!

Nancy Holland and Dick Hawkins

P.O. Box 490

Rock Hall, MD 21661

410-639-7388

holland.nlh@gmail.com

rbhawkins@gmail.com

Patricia Gates

110 East Campus Ave.

Chestertown, MD 21620

Shirley Tuthill

448 Heron Point

Chestertown, MD 21620

stuthill@atlanticbb.net

And, welcome back to:

Louise Smith

452 Heron Point

Chestertown, MD 21620

Here are some brief bios of our new members by Nancy Smith.

Nancy Holland & Dick Hawkins

Nancy Holland and Dick Hawkins have lived in Rock Hall for almost 10 years. Nancy grew up in New Jersey, and received her nursing degree from SUNY/Buffalo and her master’s from NYU. She taught nursing for a number of years and then worked as a home health nurse, primarily in management and computer systems. Dick is from upstate New York and graduated from Syracuse. He spent his working years at ATT/Bell Labs in New Jersey as a computer software specialist. The Hawkins have 2 daughters (in Michigan and Virginia) and 3 granddaughters.

Susan & John Laferla

Both LaFerlas grew up on the north shore of Boston. Susan attended Ohio Weslyan and did her graduate studies at the University of Rochester in English literature. John LaFerla is a physician with a private practice in Chestertown specializing in women’s health. He obtained his medical degree from Albany Medical School and did his residency at the University of Rochester. Currently, the LaFerlas are both involved in public health work in Talbot County, she in substance abuse and he in public health. The LaFerlas live in Chestertown. They have 5 children and a new granddaughter.

News from Maryland LWV

New Studies from the State

Two new studies will be completed and ready for discussion and consensus in the September 08-June 09 work year: The Adult Fluency and Literacy Study and theAdministration of Justice Study.

Adult English Fluency and Literacy Study

A briefing on this study will take place at the September workshop.

Administration of Justice Study

A briefing for this study will take place at the January Workshop.

All consensus report form must be turned in to LWVMD by March 6, 2009. The March 6 due date is necessary in order to compile the results and publish any new positions in the convention workbook that is mailed in April 2009.

If you are interested in joining either one of these study groups locally, please let one of our presidents know. Becky Goode is our representative to the State study group on Administration of Justice.

News from the LWV of Maryland

· Lu Pierson will represent the League on the Maryland Commission on Civic Literacy, which was formed in accordance with SB 492.

· The Board approved Lu Pierson’s role as a member of the Marylanders United to Stop Slots steering committee. This is a fundraising entity that was formed in anticipation of the November slots ballot referendum.

· The Maryland Attorney General’s Task Force on Voting Irregularities has issued its first report – available at www.oag.state.md.us. The report contains 13 recommendations for policy changes. Lu Pierson is a task force member.

· A new LWVUS publication Engaging New Citizens as Voters is available for sale at the LWVUS website store.

Help your Kent County LWV!

Calling for a volunteer to help with out publicity. Can you send out notices of our events locally and sometimes more broadly to the Eastern Shore?

We need you!

Please contact Francie or Jane if you have questions or are interested!!!!

Frances Miller

410-810-1518

Jane Hardy

410-639-7811
Our Annual Meeting

May 6, 2008

At Heron Point, Chestertown

P5050046

Lucia Rather, Lois Ward and Judie Oberholzer at the reception

P5050048

Good food!

At right Betty Kerr thanks Frances Miller for her hard work as president with a good book to read!

P5050061

Mayor Margo Bailey spoke on Greening Chestertown

P5050062

P5050067
Become a League Observer!

We need you to represent our group and the larger community by regularly attending meetings of our local (town and county) councils, boards, and commissions. All you need do is be present, wearing a League button, and listen; you will not be called upon to give an opinion or respond to questions -- your role is strictly as an observer, an "eye" for the community at large. After a few meetings not only will you find yourself more knowledgeable about local happenings, you will be "hooked" on the workings of the group you are observing and won't want to miss a meeting. This is a great chance to be a part of our democratic system.

Here are the county-level meetings, followed by a list of town meetings -- which one suits your interest and schedule? Please pick one and call Ann Hoon at 410-778-4692 to volunteer.

· County Commission: Tuesdays, 10 am, Commissioners' Hearing Room, 400 High St.

· Board of Zoning Appeals: 3rd Monday of the month, 7 pm, Commissioners' Hearing Room.

· Commission on Aging: 3rd Friday (but not in December, July or August), 9 am, Amy Lynn Ferris Adult Activity Center

· Economic Development Advisory Board: 1st Wednesday, 7 pm, Commissioners' Hearing Room.

· Historic Preservation Commission: Tuesday of the week prior to the week of the Planning Commisson Meeting, 7 pm, Commissioners' Hearing Room.

· Human Relations Commission: 3rd Thursday, 7:30 pm, Commissioners' Hearing Room.

· Board of Library Trustees: 2nd Monday of every other month, 2:15 pm, Library Yellow House.

· Local Management Board: 3rd Thursday of the month, 4:00 pm, Local Management Board Office, 118 N. Cross St.

· Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, 3rd Monday, 7 pm, Parks and Recreation Building, Worton.

· Planning Commission: 1st Thursday, 7 pm, Commissioners' Hearing Room.

· Social Services Board: 3rd Monday, 3 pm, Child Support Conference Room, 315 High St.

· Tourism Development Advisory Board, 4th Wednesday, 6:00 pm, Commissioners' Hearing Room.

Mayor and Town Council of Betterton: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 7:30 pm, Town Office, 3rd Ave.

Mayor and Town Council of Chestertown: 1st and 3rd Mondays, 7:30 pm, Town Hall, 118 N. Cross St.

Mayor and Town Council of Galena: 1st Monday, 7 pm, 101 S. Main St.

Mayor and Town Council of Millington: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 7 pm, 402 Cypress St.

Mayor and Town Council of Rock Hall: 2nd Thursday, 7:30 pm, Municipal Building, Main St.

Please help us cover as many of these groups as possible -- we need you!

Rock Hall Parade July 4th

Please join the League of Women Voters of Kent County in our annual march down Main St. USA (Rock Hall) in a fabulous traditional parade celebrating our

nation's birth. We will gather at 9 am at the Lagoon parking area on North Main St -- turn right at the blinking light in Rock Hall and proceed to the Lagoon area about 1/2 mile on your right. The parade ends about 11:00, in plenty of time for you to enjoy the rest of the day.

This year you can participate in one of two ways:

Wear comfortable red, white and blue clothing and be prepared to march with several of us carrying our lovely LWVKC Banner or individual signs encouraging viewers to become engaged in our democracy.

Wear suffragists' attire (from the era of 1900 - 1920, more or less) and march with a separate contingent of us (still with our KCLWV group) who will be marking and celebrating the 100th anniversary of women voting in Maryland. In Still Pond, right here is Kent County, women registered and voted in a municipal election in 1908. We want to remind folks of this occurrence and hope you will join us. If you are a petite person and would like to march with us but don't have a suffragist's outfit, please call Becky Goode at 410-778-1764 and she may be able to help you.

At 1:00 pm we will be screening a film about the women's suffrage movement in the U.S., Iron Jawed Angels, at the Mainstay, Rock Hall's local music venue, right on Main Street. Admission is free! Please plan to have lunch in Rock Hall and stay for the show!

Questions? Please call Jane Hardy at 410-639-7811, janewhardy@aol.com

News from the Immigration Group

· Bienvenidos in Salisbury May 14^th

George Shivers and Jeanette Sherbondy took Cilla Dawes (from our partner organization Shared Opportunity Service, Inc.) to Salisbury University for the last meeting of the semester of Bienvenidos, a group of academics, service providers, and volunteers who meet to discuss the needs of the Hispanic immigrants on the lower shore.

Ruby Stemmle, the Executive Director, and Maria Welch, the Chair, of the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs spoke to the group. They are hopeful that Gov. O’Malley will push for things to get done to ameliorate the situation of the Hispanics in Maryland. They commented that the situation is quite different on the eastern shore than on the western shore. They will return on October 15^th and hope to see at the meeting the county officials from the Eastern Shore. We will try to urge our county commissioners to attend this unique opportunity.

We also heard from representatives of the Census Bureau, service providers on the lower shore, and met the young Mexican professor at SU who is being threatened with deportation. He has submitted his visa renewal application but due to the extremely slow moving bureaucracy ICE plans to deport him before his application will be considered. SU is giving him their full support.

· Showtime at St. Paul’s May 16

We took our show on the road to Old St. Paul’s church where we screened the film “Estamos Aqui: We Are Here,” the documentary on the Guatemalan immigrants in Georgetown, Delaware. There was a dynamite discussion with our panel of four local experts: Bryan DiGregory (immigration lawyer), Cilla Dawes (S O S, Inc.), Bernie Kohl (Angelica Nursery) and Debbie Rowe, mayor of Marydel, MD. Jim Urda was so impressed that he has invited two of the panelists to speak to the Rotary Club.

· Prince Theatre June 29th

In the beautiful environment of the Prince Theatre of Chestertown we will screen the prizewinning documentary on immigration Crossing Arizona. We will also have a panel to lead a discussion, including Prof. Daniel Premo, Profesor, emeritus, of Latin American History; Cilla Dawes, service provider; Debbie Rowe, mayor of Marydel, MD.

This is a film that we will only show once so don’t miss it!

The event will begin at 2:00 pm on Sunday afternoon June 29^th in the Prince Theatre, Chestertown.

Please use the poster for the film included below tolet friends know about the screening of Crossing Arizona!

Future plans: Continue to show the documentary about the Guatemalan immigrants in Georgetown, Delaware, Estamos Aqui/We Are Here, at churches and other venues in Kent County with a panel discussion. If you have a group that would like to see it, let any us know and we will bring the show to you!