As we reflect on the transitions within our organization, it’s important to acknowledge the
challenges we face when key leaders step down. Ensuring a smooth and effective transition of
leadership is crucial to maintaining the momentum and achievements we have worked so hard to attain.
Our new four-member leadership team thanks Liz Thalheimer for serving as President for four years and for
remaining as president beyond her term until after the 2024 election. We are grateful for her many
accomplishments and for growing the league during her term.
Our team consists of Deb Cosher, Vice- President of the League of Women Voters
Huntington; Judie Gorenstein, Former President of the LWV NYS and Former President of LWV Huntington;
Stephanie Quarles, Former Chair of the LWV Huntington Issues and Advocacy Committee; and Nella Yelenovic,
Member of the Voter Services Committee.
As 2024 came to an end, we faced a serious question: What to do when the president steps down and no one
is willing and able to step in? Leagues throughout the state and the country are grappling with this. There
are several alternatives. We in Huntington decided to create a Leadership Team as a temporary solution until
we find a better way, hopefully with someone stepping forward to be our new President at the annual meeting
in June.
No surprise, given how gratifying it is to know you’ve given a voice to someone who was
silent before: our members’ favorite activities are registering voters and meeting new citizens with registration
forms at Naturalization Ceremonies.
That was one of the results of a survey, sent out late last Fall, intended to measure members’ willingness to
participate in the entire range of League activities. Out of 100 surveys sent, 33 people returned it. Some
responders checked more than one box.
18 want to participate in college and high school voter registration drives
12 favored naturalization ceremonies
9 indicated willingness to help at Cow Harbor Day and 9 at the Huntington Fall Festival
10 would like to meet with elected officials
8 were willing to work on organizing tasks
The leadership team will be reaching out to the survey respondents (and those who attended our Orientation Meeting
on Jan 7th ) to invite them to participate in the activities that interest them. Among our needs for participation
are help with complex website revisions, creating lists of issues to discuss during visits to our elected officials,
and more straightforward administrative work.
NINE MEMBERS OF THE BRENTWOOD HIGH SCHOOL GOVERNMENT CLUB
registered 184 new voters recently at the High School. The drive followed an earlier
educational program that taught the junior and senior members of the club how to
conduct a voter registration drive. LWV Huntington youth committee members on the
scene were, from L-R: Loretta Chilemmi, Darleen Reese, Nella Yelenovic, and Diane
McGuire.
Actions Supported Successful ERA and Water Quality Measures
by Frances Whittelsey
The Huntington League of Women Voters supported the successful passage of both the enhanced New York State ERA Amendment and the Suffolk
County Water Quality Act with public service announcements, presentations to other organizations and handouts at events.
Students from Five Towns College recorded Get Out the Vote Messages that were aired all over Long Island by Connoisseur
Radio thanks to efforts by Mary Perri and Liz Thalheimer. The messages were sent to the New York State League for
distribution, and also appeared on the marquee at the Paramount Theater in Huntington. The radio messages were aired
continuously from early October to Election Day. While she was at Five Towns College, Liz was interviewed for a college
TV spot on the League and other political issues.
An audience of about 100 seniors at the United Methodist Church of East Northport heard a presentation by Laura Lee
Lustbader and Deb Cosher on the 2 ballot propositions. Their talk included a brief history of voting rights in the
US and the benefits of early voting. This was followed by a twenty-minute question and answer session. It was a very
lively conversation.
Loretta Chillemi gave a presentation on the ERA to a group at the Commack Library. She used the NYC Bar Association’s
handout on the impact of the amendment and took questions from attendees who shared their experiences.
At Cow Harbor Day in Northport and the Huntington Fall Festival, members gave out information about both measures and
had conversations with people who had misconceptions about the effects of the ERA.
Seeing both measures pass easily gratified the members who worked so hard to get these positive changes for ourselves
and neighbors.
Our League hosted a very successful Orientation meeting for new and existing members on
the evening of January 7th at the Commack Library.
A warm welcome to the 34 enthusiastic members who attended. The energy in the room
was positive while the conversations were lively and productive.
After introduction of our Board Members and Chairs as well as our new members,
I presented a short power point on what we do, recapped the results of our
end-of-year survey and introduced Liz Thalheimer (Immediate Past President) and Deb
Cosher (Vice President) who talked about their leadership roles in the LWV Huntington.
Going forward this year, LWV Huntington will have a new organizational model with a
4-person team comprised of Deb Cosher, Judie Gorenstein (NYS LWV Past
President), Stephanie Quarles (former Board Member) and Nella Yelenovic.
With the New York State Legislative session underway, local leagues like Huntington’s are setting priorities for
legislative action, coordinating their work with the New York State and national Leagues.
At the top of everyone’s agenda is defending democracy as the Trump administration lays out its plans.
Setting priorities for the League is anything but a random process. Members select issues, study them in depth,
and then reach consensus. On the local level, this has happened with the Suffolk County water quality referendum,
a Huntington ban on gas leaf blowers (which landscapers are now trying to reverse) and dredging of Northport Harbor.
Leaders from the New York State League recently presented their priorities for this year at a Zoom meeting. All the
issues went through a vetting process including votes by local leagues statewide. The state league will be advocating
for criminal justice reforms such as parole for elderly prisoners who no longer present a threat to society, and for
insuring access to voting for prisoners who don’t have felony convictions and those awaiting trial, most of whom are
Black or Latino.
New members are the lifeblood of any organization. The Huntington League of Women Voters is delighted to welcome our new members.
Melina Pascual is a student at Farmingdale State College, majoring in Professional Communications. She has interned for
the Office of Community Development and Civic Engagement at the college where she worked on initiatives promoting student
voter engagement and community service projects on campus. She was introduced to the LWV Huntington at a registration
event there.
Lynn Elison is a former public health researcher. She wants to get involved in voter registrations, event planning,
educational programming as well as writing on behalf of the League.
Darlene Reese is a retired Speech-Language Pathologist who worked with early intervention children and their families
in the East Islip school district. She says the past election has spurred her into more community and political activism.
She feels strongly that our youth should understand the importance of voting, and the need to find valid sources of
information on issues.
Jina Arafat is eager to help the League with voter registration, advocacy, working with students, event planning and
fund-raising.
Other new members include: Corinne Vassallo, Jacqueline Bohk, and Saigayathri Anand.
.JPG)
