Category: Meetings

The proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would guarantee American women the full benefits of citizenship, will be the subject of the May 9 meeting of the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club.

The guest speaker will be Diana Egozcue of Fredericksburg, executive vice president of the Virginia Chapter of the National Organization for Women.

The meeting, which is open to all without regard to political affiliation, will begin at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 9, with a meet-and-greet session in the Lake of the Woods Community Center. The program will commence at 1:30.

The ERA states that the rights guaranteed by the Constitution apply equally to all persons regardless of their sex. After the 19th Amendment affirming women’s right to vote was ratified in 1920, suffragist leader Alice Paul introduced the ERA in 1923 as the next step in bringing “equal justice under law” to all citizens.

In 1972, the ERA was finally passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. The original seven-year time limit was extended by Congress to June 30, 1982, but at that deadline, the ERA had been ratified by only 35 states, three states short of the 38 required to put it into the Constitution. In March 2017, Nevada became the 36th state to ratify the amendment.

The ERA has been introduced into every Congress since the deadline.

Egozcue has long been involved in the effort to bring the ERA back before the Virginia General Assembly for ratification, resulting in getting sponsors in both the House of Delegates and the state Senate.

Egozcue has a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Master’s degree in Geography from the University of South Florida.

Her earlier life was spent as a teacher and Army wife.  She has been married to Joe Egozcue for over 30 years.  They have one son and two grandchildren.

Find more information about the ERA at the links below:

• Virginia Chapter of the National Organization for Women
  
• National effort for ratification of the ERA
• “The Time is Now for the Equal Rights Amendment,” Forbes Magazine
• “#MeToo has revived the Equal Rights Amendment,” Mother Jones

Nancy Cronk and Carolyn Pevey of Blue Action Network presented an informative program at the club’s January meeting on writing letters to the editor and other methods for getting the word out in support of Democratic candidates and issues.

Their suggestions ranged from passive, personal methods like buttons and bumper stickers to public forums like Facebook and other social media.

Letters to newspapers are especially important, they said, because it’s possible to reach a large number of people with a single publication.

Some tips:

• Keep it short and address only one subject. Many newspapers have strict limits on the length of letters and have limited space to publish them. Keeping your letter brief will help assure that your important points are not cut out by the newspaper.
• Make it legible. Use a typewriter or computer if your handwriting is difficult to read.
• Send letters to weekly community newspapers also. The smaller the newspaper’s circulation, the easier it is to get your letter printed.
• Be sure to include your contact information. Many newspapers will only print a letter to the editor after calling the author to verify his or her identity and address. Newspapers will not give out that information, and will usually print only your name and city should your letter be published.
• Make references to previous articles in the newspaper. While some papers print general commentary, many will print only letters that refer to a specific article.

The documents linked below can assist you in preparing a letter to the editor:

• Some legislation you can write about
• How to submit letters to local publications

Jennifer Zukowski, secretary of the board of directors for the Lake of the Woods Association, visited the LOW Democratic Club’s meeting Jan. 19 to present an overview of the board’s priorities for 2917.

She also answered members’ questions about various projects pending before the board, including the new Sweetbriar swimming pool and a proposed new dog park.

Ms. Zukowski distributed copies of the board’s ten priorities for the year, adopted on Oct. 1, 2016. They include:

1. Implementation of the Lakes Management Improvement Plan, which includes construction of the Keatons Run Water Quality retrofit, design of the Flat Run Forebay, beginning design on the 14th Fairway Fund and implementing Aquatic Invasive Species prevention education and advocacy plans.
2. Construction of the Sweetbriar Pool by May 2017.
3. Review plans, examine site issues, explore covered pool, and explore more affordable options for the Clubhouse Pool/Fitness Center/ Outdoor Recreation Complex.
4. Implement the choice of electronic voting by 2017 board election.
5. Upgrade the functionality, user friendliness, and content of LOWA.ORG Develop and implement a plan to improve LOWA communication with all groups by ocusing on appropriate media outlets.
6. Approve plans to celebrate LOWA’s 50th anniversary.
7. Complete and review of the LOWA Vision and Mission statements.
8. Identify options for location, configuration and operation of a new dog park.
9. Explore possible new income streams which could include sale of LOWA properties.
10. Develop and implement a plan to improve teen activities.

Voters know that the Nov. 8 ballot will contain the names of candidate for president, vice president and member of commerce, but the two proposed amendments to the Virginia Constitution are less well understood.

The “Right to Work Ballot Amendment” would mean that an employee in Virginia would have a constitutional right to work for an employer without being a member of a union.

The “Tax  Relief Ballot Amendment” would give local jurisdictions the power to exempt the surviving spouse of any law-enforcement officer, firefighter, search and rescue personnel or emergency medical services personnel who is killed in the line of duty.

Complete explanation of the proposals and the pros and cons of each is available from the League of Women voters by following this link.