League of Women Voters®
of Melrose

Before, telling you about our Spring plans, here's a quick recap of our busy Fall:

Registered Voters  - We held voter registration at the Victorian Fair and at Melrose High School.  Almost 30 voters registered at the Fair, and several new 18-year-olds registered at the high school.
Held Candidate Forums - Because of the last minute cancellation by state senate candidate Chris Spadafora, we were unable to hold the scheduled Candidate Forum for the state senate election, but we did hold a lively Forum for the state representative election.  This time, we asked the candidates to ask each other questions on several topics, with time for response and rebuttal, and the result was very positive.  We hope you were able to see the Forum on MMTV and that you were as pleased as we were with the new format.  We are always trying to improve our forums and appreciate any suggestions and comments (and assistance!)  Voter information is one of our core missions, so please get involved with the Candidate Forums if you are interested.
	"Walked the Walk" - The League was honored as a founder at the 15th Annual Candlelight Vigil and Walk for the MAAV (Melrose Alliance Against Violence), which we helped establish in 1995.  Continuing our support, our team not only led the walk, but we also raised the most money for MAAV.  Great showing League!  The Alliance is certainly one of our greatest accomplishments.
Drove voters to the polls - Once again, we volunteered to drive voters who needed rides to the polls on election day.  This time, our volunteers only had a few riders, but they were most appreciative.

 

2011 off to a good start, with more to follow!

         

        In spite of the weather, we got off to a good start in 2011, with our January 17 co-sponsorship of the celebrations in honor of Martin Luther King. , Jr.  (MLK). Our co-sponsor, the Human Rights Commission, made the celebrations even more meaningful by organizing a community day of service.  Kudos to our MLK liaison, Sally Stubbs for her usual great work, as well as an acknowledgement of the special contributions made by Leaguer, Anna Bastian (shown at right), who helped found the celebrations 15 years ago.  Pulling from history, law, and the life of King Jr., Anna arranged an original collage drama — a recitation of texts, which was performed by three members of the Melrose High School Drama Club.  For the Melrose Free Press article and photos from the pot-luck dinner, please click here.

      Our annual State of the City meeting with Mayor Rob Dolan is scheduled for Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at 7:30 pm in the parlor of the Highlands Congregational Church,   As those who have attended in the past know, this informal "seminar" from Rob Dolan is one of the best ways to get the scoop on issues facing Melrose.  We hope you will attend.  This meeting is also a great way to introduce potential new Leaguers to our organization.  Please plan to invite possible new members.

       The Day on the Hill will be on April 13 this year.  The Steering Committee will be planning to celebrate Women’s History Month in March.  As usual we will be planning for our Annual Meeting in June.  Check our website for more information and updates.

       Finally, in case you are asked, "what does the Melrose League do?" we have a handy summary of our accomplishments, which you can download here.  We sincerely hope you will join us in our activities and help make our next 60 years just as successful as our first 60 years have been!

 

Anna, Anne, Arline, Heather, Joyce, Katinka, Louise, and Sally

                     League of Women Voters of Melrose Steering Committee