St. Lawrence County
St. Lawrence County Board member Donna Seymour is the recipient of the 2023 Rachel Somers Grant Social Action Award. Awarded by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton, the award recognizes a person in the wider North Country community who is an advocate for social justice, and who has been actively involved in local groups working for a stronger community.
In addition to being a St. Lawrence County board member, Donna is currently on the leadership team of the PowHer NY Coalition, and was active in the local chapter of the American Association of University Women. She has also worked as a moderator for the educational “Conversations with Candidates” and regularly participates in “North Country Matters,” setting a standard for informed and balanced conversations about local issues. Congratulations, Donna!
Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga & Schenectady
The Capital District Leagues presented a screening of The Story of Plastic, an Emmy award-winning documentary that reveals the ugly truth behind plastic pollution and the false solution of plastic recycling. It explores how we got to our current global plastic pollution crisis and how the oil and gas industry has successfully manipulated the narrative around it. David Sayer, the Community Manager for the Beyond Plastics Virtual Group, answered questions and led a discussion following the film screening.
Utica-Rome
The Utica-Rome League recently held its annual meeting on May 20th. The League was joined by Dustin Czarny, a Commissioner on the Onondaga County Board of Elections and Co-Founder of Fair Maps CN, for a presentation on local elections and why they matter. The Utica-Rome League also honored the two local students who were selected to represent them at LWVNYS Students Inside Albany Conference!
Cooperstown
In preparation for election season, the Cooperstown League held an event for League members wanting to refresh their candidate moderation skills. The event prepared League members on how to conduct effective, fair, and interesting candidate events. Participants learned practical information, League rules and policies, the use of a flexible script, as well as how to maintain the gold standard of a fair and non-partisan approach, how to support audience engagement, how to assure equal time for all candidates’ voices, and what strategies are needed for success.
