Collier CountyIf

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Vol. 26, No. 5 League of Women Voters of Collier County December 2000

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10:45 a.m. - Lively League

SUSTAINABILITY - SHOULD THE LWVCC CONCUR?

Kathleen Slebodnik -.Government Chair

12:00 p.m. - Luncheon - Please make your reservation in advance12:30 p.m. - Program

II FOsTER cARE IN COLLIER COUNTYIS WERE A CRISIS? II

Nadereh Salim Coordinator for CommunityBased Care

Hallie Devlin - Operational Program Administratorfor Collier County

andA Teen Guest in Foster Care

Both speakers are from the Department of Children and Families

(Details on Page 2)

Please Note The Change: Luncheon reservations are now $12, which includes the program. CallMiriam Kalett at 435-9040~or the League office, 263-4656 by Friday, December 15.2000. The

public is always welcome. The cost for attending the program only, is $3 for nonmembers andreservations are .mt necessary•. Members who make a lunch reservation are responsible for the

$12, unless their reservation is canceled by December 15th.

2 DECEMBER 2000 LWVCC

Presiden.t's Message

Dear League Members,

It's wonderful to see so many of you back andtaking part in the many League activities!

T wish to thank Tammy Golden for herpresentation last month, describing theElectoral College and how it is fonned. She alsoshowed us how to bring up info on theinternet concerning election activities. Thisof course, is a timely issue for all of us. AsLeague members, we need to stay informedl

There are many opportunities for excitingjourneys with League members from alloverthe U.S. Some of the trips corning up are:Egypt, Vietnam, Mexico City, China Silk Road,South America, Turkey, TUnisia, among others.Ellen Norbom,. one of our InternationalRelations members has taken several trips withthe League and has found them to be muchmore informative than the usual tourist tours.If you are interested, you ,may check withTravel' Concepts International, 5500 Bucks BarRoad, Placerville, Ca. 95667, or call tollfree 1­.800-762-4216 and mention

"Travel with the League"

I am looking forward to seeing you and yourguests at the Holiday Partyl

Yours In League,

League of Women Voters of Collier County660 9th Street North, Suite 358

Naples, FL 34102-8131Office Phone and Fax: 941-263-4656

Email: Iwvcc@naples.netWebsite: http://www.naples.net/presents/IWYcc

December's Lively L~gue andGuest Speak;.1.

Lively League - Kathleen Siebodnik will inform ·andprepare members for voting to concur onSustainability. Information is being mailed tomembers and you may also refer to the NovemberVOTER article, page 4. ,..

Program - During th~ summer, Dorothy Ferguson,former LWVCC Director and Justice CommitteeChair, contacted Carol A. Hall, Director, Office ofCommunity .Partnerships for District Eight, TheDepartment of Children and Families, to arrange fora program on the foster care situation in CollierCounty.

Thanks to Carol, we will have a compelling update onwhat is beginning to look like a "foster care crisis"in ~erms of·needs and available placements.

Our speakers will tell us about the process by whichthe Department of Children and Families will work toimprove the Child Welfare program,including FosterCare. They will bring us up-to-date on the stepsbeing taken to "privatize" foster care in Florida andexplain what that means.

In addition, a teenager who is in the foster caresystem will give us his/her perspective. If you havea copy of the "Study & Action" publication you shouldcheck on LWVF's.positions on Foster Care.

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EMAIL ROSTERIf you would. like to receive reminders, alerts and

League only information (NO soliciting/ads)Please email your request to:

Iwvcc@naples.netYou will be added to our email roster

Fascinating Facts• Our. Earth grows by 80 million people per year­

Equivalent to a new United States every 3 years •

LWVCC DECEMBER2000 3

WELCOME New Members WELCOME

lDo you have an interesting idea, suggestion, comment,something that needs to be addressed or question for your

Board of Directors or Editor?Write and you will be heard and answeredl

Send letters to our office, fax or email at IWtlCC8lnaples.net--1he Board of Directors

262-4880

434-6726

649-4314

352-2323

262-1410435-9040596-3180

fax: 262-7886

* * *

Ann R. Jacobson170 Edgemere WayNaples, FL 34105

Kathryn L. Hastings5020 Tamiami Trail NorthNaples, FL 34103

Elaine "Toddy" Van Wieren117 Colonade CircleNaples, FL 34103

288B-28Bl' Officers and DirectorsPresident Aida Pierce 262-47081st Vice President Pat Clark . 263-22162nd Vice President Kathleen Siebodnik 775-3491Secretary Claire MacMillan 263-2533Treasurer{Interim] Pat Clark & Barbara ElliottEducation Nancy Wolfe 566-7469Government Kathleen Siebodnik 775-3491

Chris Straton 597-8849Hospitality Elinor Bedell 793-2356InternatlonalRelationsAlda Pierce 262-4708Justice Katherine Todd 430-7955Membership Beryl Paulson 434-2549Natural Resources Leonore Reich 566-2352Office Administrator Pat Clark 262-2216Publicity Joanne Quinn 261-9468Social Polley Ann Campbell 263-1 755Voter Editor Connie Norton 353-0027Voter Service Jackie Gillespie 434-9106

Tammie Golden 592-0972OFF BOARD POSTS

Housing Chuck MohlkeTel/Reservations Miriam KalettHospitality Eleanor Wilson

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INTERNATIONAL RElAIIONSAida Pierce, Chair

SOCIAL J'OLICYAnn Campbell, Chair

Social Policy Committee Learns, About Mental HealthIssues

We are grateful to Vicki Freeman, boardmember, and Kathryn Hunter, Executive Director ofthe Naples Office of the National Alliance for t~e

Mentally III, Florida (NAMI), our speakers at theNovember breakfast meeting. Vicki and Kathrynprovided an interesting and comprehensive overviewof the mental health treatment issues in thecommunity and the region. To see their weaith ofinformation about the problems and NAMI'sactivities, you can go on line athttp://wwW.nami.org. .

Many indigent individuals have problems:accessing mental health services in Collier County.On'y 20% of Florida's mentally ill are publicly ,Vernon R. Hastingsfunded. There are only 32 psychiatric beds in t 4436 Wilder RoadCollier, 20 at Naples Community Hospital and 12 Naples, FL 341 05crisis beds at the David Lawrence Center. With theimpending closing of G. Pierce Wood Hospital, theproblem of access will get worse. Efforts areunderway to find solutions.

NAMI is out there providing support systems,resource information, . treatment, education andsurvival skills to those in need. They are advocatesfor increased brain disorder funding essential to thediscovery of a cure for mental illness, they areactively working with the judicial system, thelegislature and the public to promote understandingand help for the mentally ill.

Come hear about the "Unification ofKorea" and meet Mr. Don Healey, a former CIAassociate. This meeting will be on Friday,January 5, 9:30 a.m., at 517 Regatta Road, in theMoorings area. .As always, everyone is welcome toattend. Please call Aida for information at 262­4708.

4 DECEMBER 2000 LWVCC

fCUCAIIO~l

Nancy Wolfe, Chair

International College TourJanuary 24th

A ~our of the new north Nap~s campus of theInternational College ;s scheduled for Wednesdaymorning, January 24, 2001, from 10 to 11 a.m.Nancy Wolfe, Education Chair, invites all interestedLeague members to participate. Dr. Lou Traina willconduct the tour and give us some information aboutthe rapidly expanding programs of the college.

After the tour League members are invited toNancy Wolfe's home for a brown bag lunch.

The new International College campus is located onthe north side of Immokalee Road, just east ofInterstate 75, Exit 17.

League members wishing to attend should contactNancy at 566-7469; email: nancewolfe@aol.com

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Carolyn Jefferson-JenKins, Pres., LWVUS

Speaks Out On the Florida VoteThe i League of Women Voters of Soyth Palm Beach

Coynty and West palm Beach Area have together receivedseveral hundred calls regarding the election in PalmBeach county

As a community resource, we have endeavored todirect the callers to use the processes set up in thecounty and the state.

The League's position is that the Florida Secretary ofState should do everything in her power to ensure theintegrity of the voting process and to promote publicconfidence in the Florida voter tally. The League has longadvocated standardized election procedures and legalperformance standards for all hardware, software andmanagement elements of voting systems certified by theSecretary of State.

The League also believes that the Florida ElectionsCommission should be responsible for investigatingelection procedures, hearing complaints and makingrecommendations for change. Should a re-vote benecessary, our Leagues will be available to assist in anycapacity.

The following statement has been issued by CarolynJefferson-Jenkins, Ph.D., President of the League ofWomen Voters of the United States, November 9, 2000.

.. The uniquely Al1Jerican story now being played outin Florida illustrates two key points about our politicalsystem.

First, in the age of the Internet, we still rely on ahorse-and-buggy election system.

Second, despite the uncertainty of and confusionsurrounding the outcome of the presidential eJection, our

~AIURAL RESOURCESLeonore Reich, Chair

Due to the holiday, our December 15th meetingis canceled. Next meeting will be on Friday,January 19, 2001. Speaker and details will be inJanuary's VOTER. Happy Holidays to alII

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(continued from column 1)

democracy is strong and stable.The League believes wholeheartedly that the current

legal steps being taken to determine the outcome of the2000 presidential election should be deliberately pursuedto their final conclusion. There is no rush. There is noneed to short-circuit that process. The rule of law mustprevail. The process is proceeding appropriately andpeacefully, and all parties have pledged to abide by theeventual result~ Even so, the American·people are deeplyand appropriately concerned.

And that is why, after the outcome of this election isdetermined, we must make reforms to ensure a broad­based representative democracy in the 27st century.

American elections are a crazy quilt. Ballots andadministrative procedures vary from state to state, andeven from county to county. Our system is a relic of thepast that is lagging behind the rest of our 21st centurydemocracy. For example, the next President of theUnited States may be determined by the placement ofnames on a ballot, made by one county's officials. Votersin several states who registered when they renewedtheir driver's licenses found their names missing fromthe rolls on election day. We need a technology upgrade.

The course of american history has been aninexorable trend toward greater fairness, uniformity andinclusiveness in our democracy. Yet, the ·systems forelecting the most important representative of theAmerican people are stuck in a time warp.

The Electoral College, a curious vestige of the 18thcentury, violates the principle of one person, one vote.The time has come to abolish it.It's time to bring our elections into the 27st century.It's time to streamline the confusing patchwork systemthat uhderminesvoters' faith in their government. It'stime to ensure that the President of the United States isdirectly elected by the people he or she will represent.It's time to guarantee that, across the country, everyperson's vote counts -- and counts the same. "

(Text forwarded from LWV South Palm Beach)

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LWVCC DECEtvmER 2000 5

AROUND FLORIDAFERTILIZER POSITION IN BREVARD

° LOOKING FOR CONCURRENCE

The Space Coast League, Brevard County, hasadopted the following position:

"Appropriate governmental agencies shall testfertilizers for heavy metals, persistent organicpoisons, and other toxic substances. The results 01those tests shall be printed on labels that are attacheato the fertilizer containers. Fertilizers that containmaterials derived from toxic waste or sludge shall belabeled as SUCh. •

Our full report and annotated bibliography havebeen sent to State and we ~ill be requestingconcurrence with our position at the State Conventionin May 2001.

Through our research we have found thatAmerican fertilizer companies routinely "recycle"toxic factory wastes of all kinds into fertilizers. Mostfarmers and home gardeners are not aware of this.

Although fertilizer products must list beneficialmaterials, there is no requirement that toxins, suchas arsenic, lead and cadmium, be included on theseingredient labels.

The federal government does not regulatefertilizers at all, nor do most states have anyregulations on toxins in fertilizers. The state that ismost concerned, Washington, has not been able topass legislation requiring the listing of toxicmaterials on fertilizers because of strong oppositionfrom the fertilizer industry. There is a good casehere for the fertilizer user's "right to know."

This is a problem that affects the whole countryand there needs to be national grass roots support ifany changes are to be made. The League has alwayssupported the cause of "truth in labeling."

Fertilizer is another product, among many, thathas the potential of harming many people withouttheir knowledge and without the listing of allingredients, consumers are deprived of their "rightto know."

The State League's position as stated in Study andAction (1997-1999), is "The League supportstoxins-use-reduction standards for industry andcommunity right-to-know legislation on toxic andhazardous chemicals."

Shirley Jin and Yvonne HubbardNatural Resources CommitteeLWVSC - Brevard County

JUSIICEKatherine Todd, Chair

After a brief period of derailmeOnt following theunfortunate news of Dorothy Ferguson's resignationas Chair, the Justice Committee will get back ontrack in January with Katherine Todd, as the newChair.

Although new to Naples and the League, Katherineis no stranger to justice-relatedissues and agencies. A clinical socialworker in the1970's, she designedand implemented a victim/witnessassistance program and a diversionprogram for first-time felonyoffenders for a district attorney'soffice. Later she served as a consultant to a publicdefender's .office, conducting psychosocialevaluations, testifying' and forwardingre~ommendations.

A specialist in children and adolescents, she hasserved on numerous child abuse and juvenile justicecommittees and panels. Katherine has conductedassessments and prepared disposition reports at therequest of family court judges and case workers.

While continuing its strong focus on juv~nile

justice issues, the committee will also explore theover-representation of minorities in arrests andsentencing, and the availability of alternatives toincarceration and of mental health and substanceabuse treatment.

Katherine will contact each committee member of'record in late December/early January when

specifics regarding topic, speaker, date, time andlocation have solidified. She encourages anyone whomay be interested in checking out the committee togive her a call at 430-7955.

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"A human being is part of a whole, called by us, the'Universe' a part limited in time and space.

He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, assomething separated from the rest - a kind of 'optical delusion' ofhis consciousness.

This delusion is a kind ofprison for us, restricting us to ourpersonal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison bywidening our circles of compassion, to embrace all livingcreatures and the whole ofnature in its beauty."

- Albert Einstein

~ndar

Date Time Event LocationDee 13 Wed 8:00a.m. Social Policy Pacific 41 Restaurant

18 Mon IO:45a.m. Livelv Leat!ue/General Meetinl! Norris Room - The Denot2001 Hannv New Year

Jan 5 Fri 9:30a.m. International Relations AIda Pierce's Home8 Mon 12:00o.m. Board Meetine: 1st National Bank

10 Wed 8:00a.m. Social Policv . Pacific 41 Restaurant11 Thu Januarv VOTER Mailina Le82ue Office19 Fri 10:00a.m. Natural Resources Le82Uc Office22 Mon lO:4Sa.m. Lively Lea2ue/Generai Meetine Noms Room - The Deoot24 Wed lO:OOa.m. FIELD TRIP-Education INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE

Feb 2 Fri 9:30a.m. International Relations AIda Pierce's Home5 Mon 12:00o.m. Board Meetin~ 1st National Bank8 Thu Februarv VOTER Mailina Le82ue Office

14 Wed 8:00a.m. Social Policy Pacific 41 Restaurant16 Fri lO:OOa.m. Natural Resources Le82ue Office19 Mon lO:4Sa.m. Lively Leal!ue/General Meetinl! Norris Room - The Deoot

Mar 2 Fri 9:30a.m. International Relations · AIda Pierce's Home5 Mon 12:00o.m. Board Meetin2 1st National Bank8 Thu March VOTER Mailin2 Le82ue Office

14 Wed 8:00a.m. Social Policy ; Pacific 41 Restaurant16 Fri lO:OOa.m. Natural Resources Le~ueOffice19 Mon lO:45a.m. Lively League/General Meeting Norris Room - The Depot

.For more infonnatioD, please call the LWVCC office: 263-4656 or email: lwvcc@naples.netThank you for your continued support

League of Women Voters of Collier County660 9th Street North, Suite 358Naples, Florida 341 02

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Naples, Fl 341El

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