Date: 4/4/2022
Subject: April VOTER Newsletter
From: League of Women Voters of Dallas

April 2022

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Our members, volunteers, and donors fuel the progress of the League. We welcome your engagement, feedback, and help. We need your help to be able to better provide positive solutions to the many issues confronting the voting scene in Texas and more specifically here in Dallas County. Please check out our website, our social media, emails, and mail for ways to interact.

Here are a few of our accomplishments this spring:

Thank you to Elizabeth Walley and her team for again getting VOTE411 and the printed Voter Guides out to the community.
Thank you to the voter registration teams for voter registration and education to help get out the vote and help voters understand issues related to ballot by mail.
Thank you to Barbara Larkin, Shannon FitzGerald, Denita Jones and Jessica Rivera-Lucas for working on Hispanic voter outreach.
Thank you to Joan Ridley, Karen Muncy and Bill Betzen for their amazing advocacy on redistricting with the city of Dallas.
Thank you to Dorit Suffness and Jessica Rivera-Lucas for their collaboration on the original Get Ready to Vote flyers and the update for the May elections, one in English and one in Spanish.The flyers are included in this VOTER.Share them with your friends!

On April 8 through 10 LWV Texas will hold the 2022 Convention in Austin. LWV Dallas can send 32 delegates. If you are interested in attending, please let me know so I can name you as a delegate. For more information, please go to the LWVTX website. https://lwvtexas.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=979482&module_id=510215. Scroll down the page to find the Workbook download. Before the convention we will hold a meeting among our delegates to be sure we cover as much of their offerings as possible.

We have two elections coming in May. All voters will find it very helpful to search www.VOTE411.org to see what they will have on their ballot:

May 7 Joint Election will be municipal and school board races and there will be two constitutional amendments.
May 24 is the Primary Runoff Election.

The 84^th Annual Meeting planning is under way. It will be held on Saturday, May 21, from 10 am to 1 pm downtown at the Eric Jonsson Dallas Public Library. We have many accomplishments by our amazing volunteers and members to share with you. I offer a hearty thank you! to all of the committees who have been working on this! We will email/mail the Annual Meeting Workbook at the end of April.

The LWVUS 2022 Convention will be held in Denver this year from June 23rd to 26th. More information will be coming your way in the next VOTER.

MEMBERSHIP

LWV Dallas would like to recognize our members who were candidates for public office in the March primary as well as those who are running in the upcoming May election. Informed and active participation in government is at the heart of LWV. We thank each of you for your courage, commitment, and passion to serve our community!

Monique Bracey Huff – Judge, County Criminal Court No 10

Elva Curl – State Representative, District 112

Catalina Garcia – Dallas College Trustee, District 1

Alexandra Guio – State Representative, District 114

Audrey Moorehead – Judge, County Criminal Court No 3

Valencia Nash – Justice of the Peace Precinct 1 Place 2

Tracie Shelby – District Judge, 192^nd Judicial District

Amye Thompson Hollins – District Clerk

Dominique Torres Williams – Judge, County Criminal Court No 4

New Members

Paulette Austin

Andrea Barreiro
Scott Elphingstone
Marilyn Gail McClung
Rachel McGowan
Robert Meyers

Nelcia Watts

Holly Weiss

IN MEMORIAM

ELAINE WILDMAN

Elaine Wildman, 99, has flown; now she's likely picking blueberries-a favorite activity in her home state of Michigan. As a girl she frolicked in the woods, swam, sledded. Worked in a World War II factory like Rosie the Riveter. Earned her Masters of Social Work. At First Unitarian Church of Dallas met, married A. Thomas Wildman. With Tom, helped found and was active in Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff. Mourned premature deaths of son Paul, husband Tom. Such grief might've crushed some; instead she found ways to improve the world. Helped found Dallas Association for Parent Education, which still serves families today. Worked at Dallas Services for Blind Children, was Director of Oak Cliff Senior Citizens. Taught Social Work at Bishop College. Worked photography business with son Mike. Avidly interested in politics, voted her 1st time to re-elect FDR, never missed an opportunity to vote, and well into her 90s was registering voters. Active in League of Women Voters of Dallas, card-carrying member of ACLU. Organized Swedish Vasa Lodge, traveled to Sweden, organized and danced Scandinavian folk dance. In her 70s took up Tai Chi, did Tai Chi each AM. For 25 years volunteer taught reading at TG Terry Elementary School. Survived by children Mike and Lisa, grandsons Sean, Chris, Dan; beloved nieces/nephews, great nieces/nephews; all who basked in her love. We miss her beautiful smile. A Celebration of Life was held at Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff on Oct 3, 2021.

Submitted by Katherine Homan

ADLENE HARRISON

Some people are unforgettable and irreplaceable; Adlene Harrison (1923-2022) was one of them. Adlene was elected to the Dallas City Council in 1973 and was chosen by the other council members to serve as Mayor Pro Tem. When then Mayor Wes Wise resigned to run for Congress, Adlene became the first female Mayor of Dallas and the first Jewish woman to serve as mayor of a major U.S. city.

President Jimmy Carter appointed Adlene the Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, a position she held from 1977 to 1981. She had wonderful stories about what she did in that position to curb the excesses of the big boys when their actions caused pollution. She was also the first chair of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board.

Adlene attended the ad hoc Health and Human Services Coalition that convened informally under the auspices first of the Mental Health Association and later the Women’s Council. She was also a member of the League of Women Voters of Dallas and was a leader in the opposition to the Trinity River Bond Plan.

Submitted by Linda Wassenich

CALENDAR

Please remember to check the website calendar for all current and future events. Click on the event you are interested in and you will see information on the event and can register right on the same page. You will receive an email from the League of Women Voters of Dallas with your zoom information.

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