INDEX

President's Message
The board is working to plan relevant and interesting meetings for our membership. This month we are using the Unit Meeting format to review state programs. Our March meeting will offer "how to" training on establishing community dialogue and in-depth discussions on home rule.

Freezing weather put a damper on our January 29th Environmental Update meeting at Ruffner Mountain. Those who attended were enthusiastic about the setting, so we will reschedule this presentation for a warmer month.

We would like to hear from members on whether monthly meetings are important. Would you prefer fewer meetings and more online information on issues? There are a number of ways to get involved without monthly commitments. Our two current studies, Health Care in Jefferson County and the State Legislature are ways to research public policy and government at a different pace. Call Rebecca Stafford (249-5861) for the Health Care study or Mary Lynn Bates (823-9459) for the Legislative study.

Kudos to Nancy Ekberg and our membership in general! Our numbers have increased by 48% this past year. Let's continue to recruit new members and develop a high profile in this community!

Alabama Ties with California ...For Last Place!
Alabama's government tied with California for last place in a survey published by The Government Performance Project. The group is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and is directed by the University of Richmond.

The survey ranked all 50 states for quality of state government. Alabama rated "C's" in managing money, people and information and a "D" in managing infrastructure such as highways and bridges. Its overall grade was "C-" compared to a median grade of "B-" for all states.

Despite this discouraging result the project editor, Richard Greene, said steps taken by Governor Bob Riley offer hope for improvement. He was especially impressed by the SMART budgeting process started last fall. Greene said it was an impressive effort to show taxpayers how tax dollars are used. Riley launched SMART budgeting after voters defeated his tax increases plan in September 2003. He hopes that state government can some day prove its efficiency to citizens so they will be willing to consider increased funding.

The grade of "D" for managing infrastructure pointed to serious problems with the state's roads and bridges. The Alabama Department of Transportation has a backlog of more than $1 billion and the total is growing by about $50 million a year.

SMART Budgeting. Our Hope for a Better State?

What exactly is SMART budgeting? The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent budgeting. It requires agencies that provide services and policy makers who manage the government to cooperate. Together they establish goals and performance objectives that are measurable. This creates a way to gauge results and ferret out obstacles. The program was introduced in 2004 as an initiative from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama (PARCA) based at Samford University in Birmingham and funded by a grant from the Hugh Kaul Foundation.

March Meeting
Two Meetings in One!

Our March meeting will provide free training in how to establish community dialogue AND will include an in-depth discussion on Home Rule.

The 2005 Challenge 21 project is a grassroots organization assisted by the Kettering Foundation. The group will provide us with training in how to get our neighbors, associates and friends involved in serious efforts for change in community and state.

Come, participate and learn! The meeting will take place during the last week of March. The exact location, date and time will be included in the March newsletter.

Nominating Committee Need Volunteers

It is time to staff the LWVGB Board for 2005-2006. If you are interested in serving on the board or have someone to recommend, contact Cary Page, Kathryn Kerchof, or Jean Johnson before the end of February. These positions are open:

• President
• 1st Vice President
• Secretary
• Director (3)
• Director (1 yr.) replacement for a resignation
• Nominating Committee chair
• Nominating Committee member

Observer Corps
Jefferson County Commission

Governor Riley declined a request to provide funding for a domed stadium in Birmingham and the Jefferson County Commission’s deadline to guarantee its commitment to the BJCC expansion expired January 31. Yet, on February 4, the Birmingham News reported that State Representative John Rogers promised all the funding will be in place in time to break ground by March. Rogers said he would introduce a bill to exempt from city or county taxes any hotel near the dome if either Jefferson County or the City of Birmingham refuses to fund the stadium.

A 34-count indictment for bribery, conspiracy and mail fraud was released February 7 charging the county’s environmental services director, Jack Swann, his top deputy and three other county employees. Roland Pugh Construction and two of its executives are charged with paying the bribes. The indictments are a result of a federal investigation into the county’s “super sewer” project. Roland Pugh Construction is still doing business with the county and was awarded a new contract late in 2004 after federal agents served search warrants at the company headquarters.

On January 18 the Commission delayed a vote on an appropriation requested by Commissioner Smoot for $180,000 to purchase exercise equipment for County employees at Camp Bessemer and Camp Ketona. After questioning Smoot’s reasoning, Langford suggested they do more study to see if the money might be better spent to subsidize YMCA memberships for county employees, as this request would benefit only road and transportation crew members.

At the February 6 meeting Commissioner Buckelew complained of a car dealership commercial touting lower sales tax in an adjoining county. Buckelew wants people to understand that sales taxes on automobiles are not paid at the time of purchase, but when the owner buys the car tag. Individuals are required by law to register the vehicle in the county of their primary residence.

Buckelew also mentioned the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” crew that built a new home in Center Point for the Harris family. She stated that the county worked hard to accommodate the breakneck pace of the project, even scheduling inspections at midnight to avoid delays.

“ I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.” ... Will Rogers

February Membership Meeting
Two Choices, One Topic

In February the LWVGB will try out the unit meeting concept for our biennial review of State Programs. This is an excellent way to offer our opinions to the state board. Are the positions still relevant? Have the problems they address been solved or rendered irrelevant? Should certain positions be revisited in light of new developments? Are the positions still important and needed for advocacy?

These are questions that we will discuss. Our views will be added to those of the other six local Leagues in Alabama. The state board will then recommend a full program to the LWVAL convention in April.

Plan to attend the meeting that suits your schedule. The first will be a coffee at Highland Coffee Company (2255 Highland Avenue) on Wednesday, February 23rd at 10:00 am. The second choice is a dinner meeting at the Vestavia Hills Red Lobster (Highway 31) on Thursday, February 24th at 6:00 pm.

“People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.”...Ralph Waldo Emerson

New Member Spotlight

Carol Ann Vaughn is originally from Huntsville. She joined the faculty at Samford three years ago where she specializes in Women’s Studies. She is particularly interested in the history of women in the South and serves as director of the Christian Women’s Leadership Center at Samford. Carol is a long-time supporter of the LWV and would like to help establish League college chapters.

Leanne Kaslow is a Boston native who lived in New York City, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. before moving to Birmingham ten years ago. She is active in the UAB faculty women’s group, the Oasis Women’s Counseling Center, the Magic City Art Connection and Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform. Leanne’s areas of concern include child abuse, reproductive rights, our environment and mental health care for low-income women.

Michelle Adamo is a Michigan native who moved to Birmingham two years ago. In Michigan she worked as a paralegal for Legal Aid and as a social worker in Domestic Relations Court and human resources assistant responsible for training and development for County government. She and her husband were politically involved before having children. Now she is active in school programs and chairs the school book fair. Michelle loves living in Birmingham and has found the area better socially and racially than she expected, though women’s issues, “still have a way to go.”

Kristin Pierce is from Tennessee and came to Birmingham to attend Medical School at UAB, where she is in her third year. Despite a schedule requiring 60-80 hours a week at the hospital, she wants to get involved in the community. Kristin’s special concerns include reproductive rights, health care and gay rights. She is a member of Medical Students for Choice at UAB.

New Member Orientation Mixer
Tuesday, March 8, 6:00 p.m.

Do you like meeting women with interests similar to yours? Then plan to attend the LWVGB new member orientation mixer at the Vestavia Red Lobster on March 8. We will have dinner in the Tin Roof Room and Nancy Ekberg will present the program and League materials, including your very own LWV pin! All members are invited to attend and get acquainted with the freshest faces in our chapter. Contact Nancy at 967-2897 to reserve your place at the table.

League Members Interview State Legislators

During December and January Members of the LWVGB interviewed local legislators. The State League developed the interview questions. Legislator responses will assist the League’s advocacy activities, especially on issues for which the League has developed positions. The questions included the legislator’s

• Priorities for the coming session
• Stance on ADEM
• Thoughts about Open Meetings bill
• View of Home Rule
• Ideas about transit
• Concerns about duplication in higher education and the role of ACHE

Volunteers who participated (generally in pairs to interview two legislators) included Sarah McDonald, Eva Click, Colette Scott, Myra Thompson, Mary Lynn Bates, Nancy Ekberg, Lucy Jones, Anna Mitchell, Betty Warnock, Yvonne Brakefield, Beverly Nelson, Kaydee Breman, Heather Lazo and Virginia Randolph. This was an excellent opportunity to meet the local legislators and for them to share information with the League.

“Politics has less to do with where you live than where your heart is.”...Margaret Cho

Support Our Education Fund When You Shop Online

Take advantage of a new way to support the League of Women Voters of Alabama Education Fund when you shop online. MyCause.com and iGive.com are internet malls that include hundreds of your favorite stores such as Lands End, Eddie Bauer, Pet Smart, Barnes & Noble, etc. Start your online shopping at one of these sites and the merchants will donate a percentage of your purchases to the League Education Fund. It’s easy and there is no extra cost to you. You can still take advantage of sale or discount prices, too.

MyCause.com offers about 40 stores and does not require you to register. Although iGive.com does require you to register, it offers over 500 stores and will automatically notify you if a merchant site you visit is a member. For complete details, see the State League website lwval.org.

If you aren’t into web shopping, you can still make a tax-deductible contribution by making a check out to “LWVAL Education Fund” and mailing it in care of Virginia Bennett at 1028 East University, Auburn, AL 36830.

The few… The brave… The cold!
Photos courtesy of Ginny Randolph

Sleet and travel advisories didn’t stop hard-core LWVGB members from enjoying a winter hike at Ruffner Mountain Nature Center at the January 28 meeting. Leonette Slay is shown here in front of the abandoned quarry.

Fog created a surreal vista on the wooded trail at Ruffner Mountain Nature Center during the hike on January 28. The Center, larger than New York’s Central Park, preserves native plant and animal life in the center of our busy metropolitan area. We plan to schedule another meeting at this wonderful venue when warmer weather arrives.