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info@LWVDenver.org
1980 Dahlia Street
Denver, CO 80220
303-321-7571

Date: 10/27/2022
Subject: LWV of Denver VOTER - November
From: League of Women Voters of Denver




The LWVD Newsletter
November 2022

November Briefing
LatinX Immigration Update
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
5:30 p.m.


We have been fortunate over the past decade to have received regular updates on issues of immigration from Mexico, Central and South America from League members Peg Oldham and Carol Hildebrand. The long-running immigration saga will be updated for us by Joy Athanasiou, Immigration Attorney, and Cecilia Espenoza, former Immigration Appeals Board member. The briefing has been adapted from their presentation to Cafecito, a Latina Professional Social Networking Group to which a number of our League members belong. Joy will briefly discuss the history and background of U.S. immigration from across our southern border, followed by Cecilia discussing the perspective of the immigrant on the one hand and the U.S. immigration and Naturalization system on the other. Joy will discuss the situation at the border, which she describes as more fluid and changing than what we read in the press. Finally, we will hear from a DACA applicant sharing the challenges and difficulties they have faced.

Cecilia EspenozaCecelia M. Espenoza retired from the United States Department of Justice, Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) in August of 2017. While at EOIR she served as a member of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) from 2000 to 2003 and as Senior Associate General Counsel, Privacy Officer, Records Officer, and Senior FOIA Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel from 2003 to 2017. Prior to joining the government, Ms. Espenoza was an Associate Professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law from 1997- 2000 and an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Denver Strum College of Law from 1990-1997.

Joy AthanasiouJoy Athanasiou, Esq., has practiced immigration law for over 10 years with a focus on complex removal and family immigration cases. Joy graduated from the University of Denver in 1998 with a Juris Doctor and a Masters in International Studies and obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1993. In addition to her practice, Joy is a steadfast advocate for immigration reform and active in local, state and national political advocacy. Joy serves as the Co-Chair of the Legislative Advocacy Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Colorado Chapter. She has lobbied at the state and federal level, testified at the Colorado legislature, lectured and written articles on immigration law and policy and worked on state and local political campaigns. Joy is an active member of the Colorado Bar Association, Denver Bar Association and Colorado Women's Bar Association and served on the Board of Directors for the Women's Lobby of Colorado.

Please plan to attend and invite others!

Barbara Allen Ford
Co-Chair of Program

Last Minute Voting Information


Denver Ballot Issues Colorado Ballot Issues
Briefing Recording Wednesday, November 2
6:30 p.m.
Register Here

 
Find all the details about the ballot issues in our Pro/Con Brochure on our website or download and print this version or the Spanish language version here.

The Board met on September 28, to determine if the LWVD would support, oppose or take no position on the seven Denver ballot issues.  After a consensus process, LWVD supports all but one of the issues based on either our established local positions or state/national positions. See this document for the the final decisions and the League positions on which they were based.

You can find the State-wide ballot issues on the LWVCO website

Don't forget about the valuable League resource, VOTE411, when you are getting ready to vote or helping others navigate the voting process.

 

Denver 8 TV also has a Ballot Overview show using the content from the LWVD's Pro/Con brochure.  Look for the times of the live forums and the recorded ballot show on the Denver Decides website.

Voter Service Update

Voter Service volunteers have finished doing voter registration and are now distributing our Pros and Cons brochures. You too can help!  Call Fran at the office (303-321-7571) or Email her if you need to pick up some pamphlets for your friends, neighbors, or colleagues.  Faith community members also like to get these.

Twelve groups have asked the League for speakers to present the ballot issues in person. People always ask the League because we are a trusted source of nonpartisan information.

We are going to jails again to do in-person voting. Anne commits to two days of training and then two long days of helping incarcerated people vote. Anne’s biggest rewards are the many thank you’s she gets from those she helps to vote.

Anne Duncan and Jeanette Scotland, LWVD Voter Service Co-Chairs

Where Do Your Annual Membership Dues Go?

 Individual Member We appreciate all of our members, and those who pay $60 a year and participate in briefings and voting activities are valuable to our sustainability. However, the LWV Denver keeps $8 and the rest goes to Per Member Payments to the LWVCO and LWVUS.
For those who are able, think about paying a sustaining $125 membership which gives the LWV Denver $73 to use to pay for our education activities, support our office and continue our voter service resources for the city of Denver.  Sustaining Member

 




Board Member Highlight

Andrea Mitchell


Editor’s Note:  This is the tenth in a series of articles highlighting Board members. We thought you’d like to know a little more about their backgrounds and what League means to them.  We’ve also asked them for recommendations on books, movies, or activities. 


Andrea Mitchell
I was born in Colorado and grew up in the Denver suburbs.  My parents were refugees from North Dakota who became familiar with Colorado during WWII when my father was stationed in Colorado Springs.

My history with the League is long.  In my first job out of college, I worked for the City of Denver in a federally-funded grant program aimed at reducing CRIME (it was the Nixon era).  We produced several grant applications, each guided by groups that included experts, community members, and our staff.  On each of the task forces, there was a League of Women Voters observer.  I met Eleanor Lewallen when she was in that role, and I knew her and admired her for many years as she continued her community activism.

A second opportunity came to me from friends Carmah Lawler and Kathy Glass who were active in Jefferson County League.  They were both educators and worked with the Legislative Action Committee on education issues.  Each time I went to their home, their dining table was covered with evidence of research projects and writing that they both worked on for the League.    

I was able to join the League after my retirement from active paid work, in 2013.  My favorite aspect of League work is the collegial discussion and decision-making that is characteristic of our activities.  I also enjoy the history and structure of the League ranging from the arcane to visionary that help the League continue to contribute to election participation, education, and safety.

My hobbies include crafts and sewing, cooking, hiking, and volunteer work.  I also pay attention to healthcare policy, analytics, and funding, which were the focus of my work for many years.  I serve as the technical coordinator for the Denver League and have served also on the State board.

Bulb Crews were Amazing


Unsorted bulbsAlthough the latest our flower bulbs have ever arrived in Denver, our League crews got right to work Monday morning and were able to essentially finish the counting and packaging in less than two days. Of course, selling only 2/3 of the bulbs we have traditionally sold made our job easier.  We don’t want that to be the case next year.

If you haven’t picked up the bulbs you sold or bought yet, please get over to the City Park Greenhouse and pick them up. If you are willing to help deliver, there may be some left that need delivering.

We can’t thank enough those who stood on cement for hours at a time to get this done. We had some new additions to our regular crew members this year, and it was a pleasure to meet them, as well as welcome back the tried and true. Thanks to everyone who bought, sold, worked, or delivered. It takes a village.

Marty Sloven, Andrea Mitchell, Roger and Barb Mattison
Your 2022 Bulb Team

Welcome New Members!

 

Sandra Hagman, sandyjhagman@gmail.com
Elizabeth Hagman
Joan Koss, Joan.koss@yahoo.com

 



Please Renew Your Membership or
Become a Member


If you received this email and are not a member, please consider joining us. If it's time to renew your membership, consider doing it on-line.

Follow this link to join or renew at one of our membership levels and remember that it covers Denver, Colorado and National membership. Also, please consider renewing at the sustaining membership level. Membership dues are tax deductible. 

Regular Individual Membership   $60
Sustaining membership (includes an additional donation)  $125
Two regular members at the same address
 $90
Two sustaining members at the same address (includes an additional donation)  $150 
Member needing assistance with paying dues
 $5
Part or full-time student  $10


Members:  Forward this VOTER and encourage your friends and neighbors to join!  


www.LWVDenver.org
info@LWVDenver.org
1980 Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80220
303-321-7571