Category: Meetings

Stephen J. Farnsworth, professor of political science and international affairs and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington, will speak on the topic of his latest book, “Presidential Communication and Character,” at the Lake of the Woods Community Center on Sunday, April 28.

The event is sponsored by the Lake of the Woods Democratic Club, and is open to all without regard to political affiliation. The program will begin at 1 p.m. in Marion Pronk Hall at the LOW Community Center.

Farnsworth’s book traces the evolution of White House news management during America’s changing media environment over the past two decades. Comparing and contrasting the communication strategies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, it demonstrates the difficulty that all presidents have in controlling their messages despite a seemingly endless array of new media outlets and the great advantages of the office. 

Dr. Farnsworth is a recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and is the author of five books and many articles in scholarly and popular publications.

One of the few political scientists who focus on Virginia politics, Dr. Farnsworth’s research has direct policy implications for both politicians and the news media. He handles hundreds of media contacts a year on local, state and international matters, and appears in or on such outlets as C-SPAN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, National Public Radio and PBS News Hour.

He holds a Ph.D. degree and a master’s degree from Georgetown University and bachelor’s degrees from both the University of Missouri and Dartmouth College.

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Pete Brown, a member of the Lake of the Woods Association’s Board of Directors, visited the club at its March 13 meeting to talk about the association’s $10 million budget.

Brown said that a priority of board members is to keep the annual assessment as low as possible. Toward that end, he said, the board managed to pare next year’s assessment increase down to $52, down from an initial estimate of about $130.

Brown said the board’s priority for the coming year is successful completion of the Clubhouse Area Recreation Project, which is expected to open this summer.

Brown is a retired executive of radio and television stations who was elected to the seven-member governing body of the association in 2018.

Dr. Cecil Snead, superintendent of Orange County Public Schools, will be the speaker at the club’s February 13 meeting.

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