The LWVD Newsletter
November 2023 | November Briefing
Human Trafficking in Colorado:
Wage Theft, Religious Indoctrination and Homelessness
Marianna Kosharovsky, Executive Director of ALIGHT
Tuesday, November 14, 5:30 p.m.
Zoom Link
Human trafficking is a widely misunderstood topic. Many are surprised to learn that it takes many forms and takes place in over 25 industries. This virtual briefing will address myths in the human trafficking field, how people are lured into trafficking and different examples of human trafficking in our community. Further, this briefing will cover how ALIGHT (Alliance to Lead Impact in Global Human Trafficking) empowers individuals who have been exploited on the basis of their vulnerabilities such as experience with homelessness, domestic violence and the foster care system through legal services.
About the speaker: Marianna Kosharovsky is the Executive Director of ALIGHT, a nonprofit with a mission to empower human trafficking survivors on their journey to true freedom. ALIGHT is one of the few organizations in the U.S. that provides comprehensive legal services specifically for children, women and men who have experienced abuse and exploitation. Kosharovsky’s expertise is rooted in over 15 years of experience in anti-trafficking, law and collaboration in the U.S. and Eastern Europe/Russia. Kosharovsky holds a JD from NYU Law School. She is a contributing author of Lawyers as Changemakers (American Bar Association, 2016).
| November Means Voting!
LWV Ballot Guides
Colorado ballot issues include Proposition HH: Reduce Property Taxes & Retain State Revenue and Proposition II: Retain Nicotine Tax Revenue in Excess of Blue Book Estimate. The Denver ballot issue is Referred Measure 2P regarding the Denver Preschool Program. Information is available on VOTE411 as well as the Colorado and Denver LWV websites. These are great sources to share with others.
Ballot Issue Briefing
In case you missed the October 3 briefing on the local and state issues, a recording is available. Thank you to Lis Brown and Geoff Withers who provided information about the issues that will be on the November ballot. The Colorado Social Legislation Committee co-sponsored this virtual event. The recording can be found here.
Denver Decides Forums for School Board Candidates
LWVD partnered with Denver Channel 8 and Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) to hold forums for candidates for the Denver School Board. There are two district positions and one at-large position up for election this fall. Recordings can be found here.
VOTE - VOTE - VOTE
You should have received your ballot in the mail. Return your ballot to a drop box, vote centers, drive-through, or by mail. Ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on November 7.
Lisa Haddox, Voter Service Chair | League Positions on Election
We support a yes vote for both the two state issues on the ballot - HH and II - and the local issue Referred Measure 2P. Our position paper on 2P can be found here and where the LWVCO stands on the two state issues can be found here in English and here in Spanish. | Ranked Choice Voting for Denver Municipal Elections
In the last two mayoral elections, Denver voters were asked to choose one person from a long list of candidates. I don’t know about you, but I had a difficult time narrowing my choice down to a single person. I kept thinking, “I wish we had Ranked Choice Voting in place. Then, I could rank my vote to reflect my 1st, 2nd, 3rd choices. Number 1 would be someone I thought would be the best mayor, number 2 could do a good job, and number 3, I could live with.”
 The League of Women Voters (LWVUS, LWVCO, and LWVD) has been supporting authorization and implementation of alternatives to plurality voting for many years. LWV Denver has adopted a position in support of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) as an alternative voting method for Denver Municipal elections. RCV allows voters to express their preferences more effectively and would improve their election experience.
LWVD members adopted Ranked Choice Voting Resolution at our 2020 Annual Meeting by an overwhelming vote. A Letter to the Editor, signed by Co-Directors of Communication, Elsie Haley and Frank Bennett, was published in The Denver Post in April, 2023--right after the costly runoff election. Since RCV is also known as “instant runoff” voting, we could save over a million dollars.
At our October 17 briefing, Linda Templin, Executive Director of Ranked Choice Voting for Colorado, identified RCV as a key reform to voting that will strengthen our democracy for future generations. Denver’s City Clerk and Recorder, Paul Lopez and Todd Davidson, Director of Denver Elections Division, acknowledged some of their concerns about RVC, but they also confirmed their office’s capability to implement RCV.
Let’s continue to urge the members of the City Council of Denver to take the steps necessary to have RCV implemented in our municipal elections.
Take a few minutes to read our Resolution adopted by the LWVD at the annual meeting in May 2020 and the Letter to Editor April 17, 2023.
Patty Cordova
| Espiritu Latino Celebration: A Great Event
Those of us who attended the Hispanic dance and history event on October 7 were so fortunate because it was a special treat. The ArtistiCO Dancers were amazing, sometimes six at a time, with their wonderful costumes and feet loudly keeping the beat of the music. Virginia Sanchez’ presentation of the history of Hispanic culture was enlightening. She was so calm and matter of fact about the struggles and racism they faced, and she can trace her family back 12 generations to what is now Colorado and New Mexico. She also generously returned her speaking stipend to the League.
This was a new kind of event for us and had originally been planned to present to the delegates at the National League of Women Voters Convention in Denver last summer but unfortunately was cancelled. Thanks to the Development Committee but particularly Jeanette Scotland who served as our MC and worked so hard to get this event off the ground.
Marty Sloven
| Thanks to the Flower Bulb Crew and Buyers and Sellers
As our largest fundraiser, roughly 12,000 flower bulbs arrived at the City Park Greenhouse Tuesday morning, October 17. By the end of the day Wednesday, all those bulbs had been packaged and all the orders filled. By 1:30 p.m. Friday, every order had been picked up by buyers and sellers. Quite an accomplishment! Thanks to all who worked in incredible heat and to those who picked up bulbs or delivered bulbs. It was truly a team effort.
We hope by the time we go to print that the 55 amaryllis bulbs in a later shipment will have arrived and are in the process of being distributed. There will be some additional amaryllis for sale. We could also sell some daffodils and miscellaneous bulbs. Unfortunately, we have no tulips for sale. If you are interested, please contact Marty Sloven (msloven25@aol.com).
Please check your orders ASAP so any errors can hopefully be remedied. We will leave the remaining bulbs in the greenhouse until November 1 before donating them to Denver Parks.
Marty Sloven
Bulb Sale Co-Chair
| Drinks & Dialogue Event is Back
We had to disband our fun and informative Drinks & Dialogue events back in 2020 with the advent of COVID. Our new Membership Chair, Cassie Bishop, initiated their return Thursday, September 28 at a new location, the Town Hall Collaborative at 525 Santa Fe Dr. The group welcomed a representative from the Colorado Black Women for Political Action. We got off to a good start, gaining two new members and true to our “Not for Women Only” motto, three men attended. We look forward to more Drinks & Dialogues in the future.
| 
2023 INC Neighborhood Stars Awards Ceremony Celebrating Denver's Neighborhoods.
Leaguer Cindy Sestrich (Neighbors For A Greater Capitol Hill and pictured at the far left) received a Neighborhood Stars award for her work refurbishing and keeping the rose beds north and south of the Pavilion in Cheesman Park beautiful. Celebrating with Cindy are left to right Leaguers Cassie Bishop, Fran Coleman, Mariana Schmalstig-Diaz (also Senior Manager of Evaluation for LWVUS), Nancy Ulrich and Holley Murphy. | Welcome New Members
Kathleen Bates, 80231, knbates11@gmail.com
Bob Connelly, 80231, rlconn2@gmail.com
Kim Kirschenfeld, 80206, kakmakai@aol.com
McKenzie Rivet, 80207, mls837@gmail.com
Pat Trower, 80230, Patricia.trower@gmail.com
Keara Watson, 80220, kbreburn@gmail.com
| VOTER Articles Welcome!
We welcome articles from all members. We usually publish the VOTER on the fourth Thursday, so the deadline to submit articles is the Friday before. However, we publish a December/January VOTER, so the next dates are:
| Article Deadline |
Voter Publication Date |
| Friday, Dec 1 |
Thursday, Dec. 7 |
Please send your articles or ideas about articles to pzelarney@yahoo.com. | LWV Denver Units
A great place for meaningful conversations
Cheesman Unit
Meets the 4th Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., mostly in-person
Next in-person meeting is Tuesday, November 28, 9:00 a.m. (call for location)
Leaders: Bobbie Heisterkamp (303-333-6818) and Mary Ann Thompson (720-849-6961)
Cherrington Unit
Meets Thursday following briefings at 1:00-3:00 p.m. in-person
Next meeting is November 16 at the home of Marcia Verba, 910 S. Clayton Way
Leaders: Peg Oldham (720-220-3988) and Andrea Mitchell (303-601-6858)
Highland/Woodbury Unit
In-Person Meetings on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 1:00 p.m.
Next meeting is November 15 at Sassafras Restaurant, 3927 W 32nd Ave (80212)
Leader: Sally Augden (303-455-5800)
Observatory Unit
Meets on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 4:00 p.m.
Next meeting is November 28
Meetings from Nov-Feb will be on Zoom.
Leaders: Jeanette Scotland (303-479-4368) and Diane Young (303-886-3365) | Please Renew Your Membership or
Become a Member Today
If you received this email VOTER and are not a member, please consider joining us. If it's time to renew your membership, consider doing it online.
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 or benefactor membership level. Membership dues are tax deductible.
| Regular Individual Membership |
$60 |
| Sustaining membership (includes an additional donation) |
$125 |
| Benefactor membership (includes additional donation)
|
$300 |
Two regular members at the same address
|
$90 |
| Two sustaining members at the same address (includes an additional donation) |
$150 |
| Two benefactor members at the same address (includes an additional donation)
|
$450 |
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! | Consider a Sustaining or Benefactor Membership
We appreciate all those who pay $60 to be a member. However, the LWV Denver can only keep $8 of that $60 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 that gives the LWV Denver $73 or a benefactor $300 membership that gives the LWV Denver $248 to use for our education activities, to support our office and to continue our voter service resources for the city of Denver. Thank you!
Bobbie Heisterkamp, Treasurer
| | 1980 Dahlia Street, Denver, CO 80220
303-321-7571 | | | |