The League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties is an active and growing organization. Since 2005 our membership has more than doubled and we are currently the 4th largest League in Michigan. In part this is because the League is really the only grassroots, multi-issue, nonpartisan political organization working at all levels of government in this area. LWVBCC has a variety of meetings each year often with world class speakers. Senator Debbie Stabenow visited us in September 2010 and in November 2010 Dr. Rosina Bierbaum, Dean of the School of Natural Resources and Environment and a rock star in the scientific world, spoke on climate change at a sold out dinner co-sponsored by Fernwood Botanical Garden. Environment and Energy related issues have consistently been a focus. Beth Wallace of the National Wildlife Federation was the featured speaker at a very well attended September 2011 public meeting on pipelines, including the Keystone XL pipeline. We have partnered for two meetings with American Electric Power. AEP invited us to the Cook Nuclear Plant, the first group of lay persons invited since 9/11. This was followed by a meeting at the AEP facility in Buchanan on "Coal--The Dark Energy Source." A major public meeting in the spring of 2012 featured MSU's Dr. Charles Ballard on the Michigan economy and privatization. Our October 2012 meeting was on methamphetamine abuse as a serious police and public health issue. On November 13 we held a public meeting on "Fracking: Truth and Consequences" on gas hydrofracturing in Michigan. In the spring of 2013 the subjects of public meetings were human trafficking, alternative energy sources and an update on the Affordable Care Act
In addition, we do traditional League things like voter service, program planning for conventions and consensus meetings on national and state items, most recently consensus meetings on the Role of the Federal Government in Public Education--held at a new local winery!--and Privatization of Government Services
Voter Service is always huge in a major election year. We had three forums in the summer of 2012 before the primaries and just had four very well attended candidate debates in October. We organized a coaltion of the League and 8 other community organizations to induce the candidates to prticipate in our forums. From March 2012 through the voter registration deadlie on October 9 LWVBCC registered 483 voters. We also have a Book Group, which is somewhat unusual for a League, reading primarily non-fiction books on the issues of the day. At one meeting we read books by and about the remarkable Jane Addams of Hull House fame. When we realized how close we are to Hull House we chartered a bus and took a field trip to visit the now museum. The Book Group meets quarterly. See the Book Group page. LWVBCC does not have any membership requirements beyond the payment of dues and each member can choose her or his level of involvement, which can change from year to year. Obviously, we do need some people to be active and many are. We also do not meet on any set schedule, beyond favoring fall and spring meetings. We try to schedule our meetings on different days of the week and times of day and in different locations, so as many people as possible can participate. The availability of speakers is also a factor. Some, like U.S. Senators and Congressmen just tell you when they are coming! The Board of Directors does meet on the third Tuesday of the month with the exception of February, June and December (members and guests welcome). The Annual Meeting and Dinner is always in mid-June.
