Our October 9, 2024 meeting featured Mo Baird, our Supervisor of Elections, who spoke about Presidential election security. Vicky Iozzia, our President, who spoke about the 6 amendments on the Florida ballot. The video of this meeting is available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-wf75udTxo&t=1s
September 11, 2024 General Meeting
Our September 11 meeting at the Coastal Region Library at 10:00 am featured Vicky Iozzia taking about Misinformation and Disinformation. Candidates were invited for the Meet and Greet, with the following results: in the US House District 12 contest, Gus Bilirakis appeared in a recording. The two candidates for the Citrus County Mosquito Control Board Seat 2, John Cino and Stephanie Adams, appeared in person.
Vicky Iozzia, with her “Madam President” hat and “Vote” earrings, spoke about “Building Resilience to Mis/Disinformation.”
Stephanie Adams and John Cino, candidates for Mosquito Control, spoke.
For those people who read the newsletter, we will be offering the opportunity to answer a question about one of the articles to get a prize. This month’s winners are: Gabrielle Satchel and Karen Rittweger
You can view this meeting on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibg_ITTIRoQ
Our August 14, 2024 meeting featured Attorney Denise Dymond Lyn to speak about the judicial system. If you were foggy on the judges and courts, you were clear when she explained it to our audience.
She explained the types of courts (appellate, trial, county, circuit, and district), the different districts in Florida, the differences between trial and appellate courts, and the various courts’ jurisdiction.
By the time you read this the primary will be over, but here are the candidates who spoke. They each had a maximum time of three minutes to speak. After introductions each participant was at a table space to answer questions and speak to our attendees.
OUR JULY 10, 2024 MEETING
Rosemary Nilles broke down the complicated issue of Preemption vs. Home Rule.
We made a special presentation to Past President Nancy Tomaselli for her dedication and hard work for our League. She received a beautiful collage of photos with her and the Board, and a forever membership to the League.
Thank you, Nancy, for all you have done for us. We truly stand on the shoulders of our sisters.
Photos below: Rosemary presenting, Title or Her presentation, presenting our thanks to Nancy Tomaselli
LWC Citrus County meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2024
This meeting featured “Test your Voter IQ” and Meet and Greets for the candidates for the Supervisor of Elections and Florida House of Representatives. Correct answers earned the person an American pin and a piece of chocolate.
Candidates gave presentations, and then they were available to talk to constituents. The video is available on youtube at https://youtu.be/KTEbYKAY_kU
The candidates in the photos above spoke at our meeting. They are: for Supervisor of Elections, Maureen Mo Baird, and Tiffany Long, for Florida Representative Todd Cloud, Judith Vowels, and JJ Grow.
OUR MAY 8, 2024 MEETING INCLUDED ROSEMARY NILLES AS SPEAKER, AND THE CANDIDATES FOR THE CITRUS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
The May 8, 2024 meeting of the League of Women Voters of Citrus County was another double header. Rosemary Nilles spoke about Partisan School Board s, Amendment 1 on the November ballot.
This was followed by 3-minute presentations by the candidates for the School Board: Sandy Counts, Dale Merrill, Laura Gatling-Wright (on video), Victoria Smith, and Ken Frink. All of the candidates complied with the time limit and gave the reasons why people should vote for them. At the end of the meeting the public had the opportunity to go to the candidates’ tables, speak with the candidates, and take their brochures.
The people who attend out Meet and Greets are happy to be able to be so close to the candidates and to speak to them. You can see the video of the meeting at https://youtu..be/HpP1-217Xyg
OUR APRIL 10, 2024 MEETING WITH TODD HOCKERT, SHERIFF CANDIDATES
What an exciting meeting this was! It started with Todd Hockert from the Citrus County Opioid Task Force, who gave us the numbers of drug deaths here in Citrus County.
All four Sheriff candidates responded to the invitation to speak. They spoke for a maximum of three minutes, and then the audience was invited to ask them questions at their table.
The response was invigorating! We had over 100 people attend, so many that we are outgrowing the room. Later in this newsletter you will see the dates of our next meetings. Please read it carefully because we will be moving after the May meeting.
If you want to see and hear the meeting, here is the link: https://youtu.be/ehWmYVAzGGI
Gerry Mulligan spoke at our March 13, 2024 meeting to a huge crowd at Café Aromas in Lecanto, Florida. Many people came just to hear him speak.
Gerry was the editor of the Citrus County Chronicle for 43 years! He shared his experiences and wisdom for us at the meeting. The video of his presentation will be available with the link in the April newsletter.
He has written a book, titled “Out the window, 43 years on the beat”. It is available on Amazon.
I am including some direct quotes from his presentation:
“Facts are being questioned everyplace. We are not longer debating issues with agreed upon facts.”
“The integrity of the press has been challenged and undermined.”
“Politicians are stronger if they are not questioned.”
“Anybody can put up a website.”
“Thomas Jefferson said that newspapers were one of the most important institutions we have.”
“When you can’t agree on what the basic facts are, we are really in trouble.”
Listen to the rest of his speech by following the link on the April 2024 newsletter.
We want to thank Gerry for taking the time to speak to our group.
You can see his presentation on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jypmYuPhIXU&t=484s
On February 13, 2024, Dr. Lavon Wright Bracy spoke to us about her personal experiences with integration. She was the first person of color to graduate from Gainesville High School. She also signed her books, “The Brave Little Cookie.”
Our January 9, 2024 meeting featured Dr. Jill Lewis-Spector. She spoke about Book Bans. She is the 1st Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Florida. She shared her expertise with the facts about book banning.
Our December 12, 2023 meeting , Guest Speaker Jim Gouvellis, Editor of the Citrus County Chronicle. “The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”
Our Tuesday, November 2023 meeting
Cregg Dalton, Citrus County Property Appraiser, explained the complicated process used to appraise properties. He made difficult topics easier, and answered any and all questions, inviting the audience to contact him whenever they have a question.
From our October 10, 2023 meeting
At our October 10 meeting Kimberleigh Dinkins spoke to us about those wonderful animals, manatees. She is an employee of the Save the Manatee organization. These gentle animals need our protection. I was inspired to adopt a manatee. If you would like to, here is the link: https://www.savethemanatee.org/how-to-adopt-a-manatee/meet-manatee-betsy
It is only $25
From our September 12, 2023 meeting.
Our September 12 meeting, at Cafe Aromas in Lecanto, featured our guest speaker, Ginger Mundy, Co-Chair of the League of Women Voters of Florida Reproductive Health and Justice Action Team. Her presentation was titled, “Reproductive Health is a Personal Matter.”
She reported on the current law, which makes abortion legal up to 15 weeks. SB 300 was signed into law in April of this year and would make it illegal to have an abortion after 6 weeks gestation. It is currently being argued in the the Florida Supreme Court.
Below are her suggestions on what those who disagree with SB300 can do:
JULY 9, 2022 LWVCC MEETING
GUEST SPEAKER: CITRUS COUNTY LIBRARIES DIRECTOR: ERIC HEAD
May 10, 2020 A Vision for Public Education in Florida, Guest Speaker Rosemary Nilles.
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