Key Issues

The Annual Meeting on June 15,2023, was a huge success!  We voted two new directors into office, Nancy Sordi and Jan Allen-Spencer, each for a two-year term and Joyce Whitehead was voted in as 2023 Director Emeritus. During the meeting, we heard presentations from two students, Sophia Segal and Sukhtej Rana who participated in our ‘Students Inside Albany’ program. Each shared the significance of the program and what it meant to them.
Councilwoman Joan Cergol joined us and addressed our members on the topic of ADU’s, accessory dwelling units, in the Town of Huntington, which the league supports. She encouraged us to contact the town board members to make our position known and take the opportunity to publish letters of support in local papers.
We raised over $3,000, through our silent auction that evening and we want to thank our sponsors and members who generously donated prizes including weekends in the Catskills, theater tickets, beauty services, concert tickets and more! Thank you one and all!

List of Accomplishments LWV Huntington
September 2022 – May 2023

Voter Service Statistics

• Voter Registrations, Suny Old Westbury, Farmingdale, Suffolk County Community College, Long Island University (Post).
• MTC Debate- Live at Five Towns, also posted on YouTube.
• Connoisseur Radio recorded a PSA GOTV from LWV Huntington which was aired to the entire Long Island and Brooklyn area, reaching an estimated 1 million people repeatedly since early September.
• Conducted one ‘Meet the Candidates’ debate for the Suffolk County Legislature election. Five Towns College recorded and additional PSA GOTV message. This was sent to NYS LWV and distributed by FTC to all NYS local Leagues.
• 2 voter registrations at Farmingdale College
• 2 voter registrations at Brentwood
• Registered 100’s of new citizens at Naturalization Ceremony
• National voter registration Day events at 2 local libraries.
• Housing Authority: 300+/- residents received texts or emails with our voter information
• Through our league phoneline we helped many local residents with their voting questions and issues.
• Delivered all our voting information, early voting dates and sites, flyers and a PowerPoint on voting information to all the libraries in the town of Huntington.
  
  Issues and Advocacy
• Met with seven locally elected officials covering the Town, the Suffolk County Legislature, the NY State Assembly, and the Senate. We developed questions for each level of government, Town, Suffolk County, and State. We reviewed the positions supported by the LWV NYS and advocated for the LWV NYS issues and our local problems. The committee reviewed the meetings and developed potential action items for follow-up.
• Supported Vote 411, the LWVUS online voting guide providing personalized ballot, election registration, and candidate information.
• Supported the Environmental Bond Act for the November 2022 election. Participated in two press releases and distributed approximately 1,000 materials which were obtained from the Citizens Campaign for the Environment and The Nature Conservancy.
• Prepared and distributed the Meet the Candidate questions used at the MTC event. Also
• prepared Federal Level questions that were not used (due to the empty chair rule).
• A member of the I&A Committee was appointed to the NYS LWV Equal Rights Amendment Task Force to support and advocate for the NYS ERA amendment.
• Supported the ‘Water Quality Presentation’ educational event at the Northport Yacht Club.
• Supported ‘Earth Week’ and sustainability with an event at the Cinema Arts Theater to view ‘Kiss the Ground’. Distributed league materials and publicized this event.
• Hosted a table and literature at the Town of Huntington Environmental event at Manor Park.
• Wrote a letter to the Town of Huntington Environmental Open Space and Park Fund Review
• Advisory Committee (EOSPA) recommending procedural changes to encourage transparency and better communication with the community.
• Members are working with Town of Huntington officials and committees to encourage composting.
• We supported Extended Producer Responsibility in NY State to decrease the total environmental impact of a product by making the manufacturer responsible for the take-back, recycling, and final disposal.
• Committee members advocated that the Town stop distributing plastic bags for leaf collection, which resulted in notices in bags recommending that greens be left on the ground as mulch.
• Discussed LWVNY 2023 Legislative Priorities and made recommendations. In addition, we advocated for NYS LWV Pre-budget and Post budget legislative priorities.
• Responded to the LWVUS program planning and conducted LWVNYS consensus meetings.
• Letters were written to inform the electorate about no-shows at MTC being used to limit knowledge of candidates’ positions. An investigative group was formed to make recommendations concerning improving the participation of candidates and voters. Recommendations were distributed, and a Public Relations subcommittee was formed. Public Relations training was provided.
• Held an educational presentation by RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison). RAPP seeks to release persons currently incarcerated that are 55+ years of age and who have served 25+ years in prison.
• Collected Christmas holiday gifts for patients in the in-patient psych centers.

Youth Statistics

• High Schools- Conducted social media contest, two entries, one winner at Brentwood, 7 students participated. All received certificates of Civic Engagement from LWV Huntington.
• Girl Scouts- Conducted a pilot workshop for 9-year olds in North Babylon Troop.
• Distribution of Power Points for Vote 18, How to Register to Vote to 15 local High Schools
• LWV Volunteers Interviewed and selected 2 students from local High Schools to attend LWV NYS 4 day fully funded Students Inside Albany Conference. Students attend workshops, shadow their own assemblyman and state senators and tour the capital and NYS Court.
• Invited and facilitated the attendance of 30 students from 6 local High Schools to attend a jointly sponsored LWV /Suffolk County Legislature full day program focusing on the Legislative process and role of our elected county legislators. Meaningful debate on a current bill and mock voting took place. The event was covered by CBS news, News 12, Newsday.
• Invited 15 local High Schools to conduct non -partisan voter registrations on site. We have conducted 8 registrations from January 2023 to June 1, 2023, resulting in nearly 1,000 Students registering to vote.
• Attended the Huntington Anti Bias Task Force (HABTF) meetings on a regular basis strengthening our connection to the Town, the SC Police, local school Superintendents, and other important community groups.

Events Statistics

• Participated in the Cow Harbor, parade, and tabling, handed out Environment bond issue info.
• Participated in the Fall Festival- tabling, handed out environmental bond issue for 2 days.
• Participated in the Environmental Fair – tabling, and distributing the environmental bond flyers.
• Participated in the Annual Meeting- attended by 45 members, raised funds for ongoing projects.
• Participated in the Huntington Environmental Festival – tabling, distribution of voter registration materials.
• Recognized International Women’s Day by Participating in Town of Huntington’s International Women’s Day Celebration.
• Participated in Babylon Block Party Nights.
• Participated in Northport Summer Nights.

Letters and Actions and outcomes

• Housing Fee at Town Hall- voted down.
• Pregnancy Termination Restrictions- removed from town law.
• Letter to inform electorate about no shows at MTC being used to limit knowledge of candidates’ positions.
• Environmental Bond Issue materials were obtained from the Citizens Campaign for the Environment and The Nature Conservancy. Approximately 1,000 were distributed.
• Participated in two press releases representing the League, one in September and another in October with Citizens Campaign for the Environment.
• Wrote a letter to the Town of Huntington Environmental Open Space and Park Fund Review Advisory Committee (EOSPA) recommending procedural changes to encourage transparency and better communication with the community.
• Members are working with Town of Huntington officials and committees to encourage composting.
• Coordinated election information for Vote411.
• Bond Issue materials handed out (more than 1,000 pieces).

Social Media Statistics

• (Boosts, likes, engagements reach) Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok.