On Friday, March 22, LWVAC members gathered at Jon Reiskind’s home in Gainesville to celebrate the Spring Equinox and our 2023 accomplishments. While the weather thwarted plans for a holiday party last fall, the Spring Equinox party went off without a hitch.
About 40 or 50 members gathered for food, beverages and camaraderie. LWVAC President Janice Garry addressed the group for the only formal remarks of the evening, updating the group on
- our Get Out the Vote (GOTV) postcard campaign and
- the recent unanimous vote by the Gainesville City Commission to put a referendum to repeal Article VII of the city charter on an upcoming ballot so the residents of Gainesville can vote on control of GRU.
The postcard campaign will target registered voters who have signed petitions but have not voted in the recent elections. We regard these voters, who obviously care about the issues, as a high priority to encourage them to vote at the upcoming elections. Packets with instructions, postcards and stamps were available for members to pick up and take home to address, stamp and write a personal note. Members were encouraged to have postcard parties for completing the postcards. Once completed, the packets should be returned to Janice to be mailed in August. By the end of the party, all but four packets of postcards went home with members.
Janice also told the group that at the Gainesville City Commission meeting on Thursday, March 21, Janice represented the League as the lead of several organizations and many community members to propose that the City Commission approve placing a referendum on a ballot that would repeal Article VII of the city charter. That Article took governance of GRU away from local leaders and turned governance over to a governor-appointed Authority in what was initially known as HB 1645, passed by the State Legislature in the 2023 session.
The League was the leading organization because of our stature in defending democracy. The Commission voted unanimously in favor of placing a referendum on the ballot. Whether it will go on the August primary election or November general election ballot is still under discussion. This is a huge win for democracy and home rule by giving the voters the choice of the governance of our utility.
Our League will participate in a coalition to inform voters of the importance of returning governance of GRU to local leaders. This will be a big effort that will need lots of work from our League members. Stay tuned for calls to action.
The party continued until 7 p.m., and though the Gators lost their NCAA tournament game, a good time was had by all. We are extremely grateful to Jon Reiskind for his hospitality and to Jean Robinson for her efforts planning the event.
Our next in-person event will be the Annual Meeting on May 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at Trinity Methodist Church (4000 NW 53rd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32653). It is the most important event of the year as we VOTE on our upcoming 2024-25 Program and Budget, new board members, as well as, changes to the bylaws. Watch your email for an invitation and more information.
