The President's Message
Dennis Mar, President, League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula
The Next Generation
On the afternoon of the February 10 general meeting, some of us went from there to the memorial service for longtime member Martha Norton. At the service we listened to friends describe Martha’s community and political activities. Seemingly, everyone there had been taken by Martha to walk precincts.
Martha did more than her part. In the future, will there be people with the same dedication to the community? Where will the people come from to fill her shoes, literally? Fortunately, I got an encouraging glimpse of that new cohort of political activists.
The organizations Leadership Monterey Peninsula and Leadership Salinas Valley organized a four evening seminar for people interested in running for political office. The course was planned for 40 people. But interest was so high that the class began with an enrollment of 50.
The financial contributors, which included LWVMP, were invited to make some welcoming remarks to the attendees. I used my three minutes first to explain what a man was doing as a president of a local League of Women Voters and then to make a pitch for participating in candidates’ forums and putting candidate information onto the Smart Voter web site.
The League provided more than financial support. Two of the people who developed the seminar curriculum, Carmelita Garcia and Robin Tokmakian, are also League members.
Nominating Committee
The nominating committee is in action. When you get a call about serving on the board or other committee, please give it serious consideration. If you are interested, don’t wait for the telephone ring. Contact the committee chair or any other of the committee members.
By joining the board or a committee, you will be a leader in an organization that has effect. I know this because I am cornered occasionally by opponents of the League. It is not that they oppose a League stand. (That’s fine. Anyone is free to disagree with the League.) It’s that they invariably declare that the League should stay out of the issues. Why do they want the League to leave the arena? Because they know the League has clout. The public listens to the League.
This coming year, the board will be enlarged to include two directors-at-large. We are looking for people who have not served on the board before. Each will serve for a year.
These directors-at-large will be full voting board members. But they will not have any portfolio responsibilities. The idea is that new members can learn how the board works while bringing new perspectives. They will learn about the different League jobs and whether they want to take one on. It is not expected that after a year a director-at-large will take a board job. But they will be much better prepared if they do so.
