 |  © 1999 - 2008 League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham and  League
of Women Voters of the United States LWVGB Meetings & Events of Community Interest This is an archive of previous meetings & events. See the LWVGB home page for recent activities. AlaBar
Preisent-Elect addresses judicial selection in Alabama
At the
annual LWVGB Holiday Luncheon on
December 1, 2007, Mark White, President-Elect of the Alabama Bar
Association (AlaBar), spoke to League members on the critical need to
reform judicial selection in Alabama. AlaBar advocates for merit
selection of judges with retention by vote of the people. The state bar
will advocate for legislation supporting this position in the 2008
General Session of the AL Legislature.
Birmingham Mayoral Candidates presented their views and vision before a
full house
Official Election Results of the Birmingham Mayoral Election Oct. 9, 2007 The
event was streamed live on WIAT/CBS 42's website and later broadcast
for the television audience. The
forum can be viewed in its entirety on WIAT CBS Channel 42's website. The
forum was sponsored
by the League
of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham, Catalyst,
Rotaract
Club of Birmingham, Birmingham
Association of Black Journalists, Sixteenth Street Baptist
Church, WorkPlay and WIAT/CBS
42. The broadcast was underwritten by Bradley
Arant Rose and White LLP.
The League of Women Voters of Greater Birmingham thanks the candidates for taking part in the Mayoral Forum and thus helping Birmingham citizens cast a more informed vote on October 9th.
Before
you watch another debate,
check out Debate Watching 101 --
It
offers helpful tips for
watching and analyzing candidate debates for all levels of office. Get
the most out of your vote! As always, this
publication from the League of Women Voters is nonpartisan.
It's
a Thick Book
 Using wry humor and serious research, “It’s a Thick Book” traces the history of our voluminous 1901 Alabama State Constitution from its shady inception to its current tangle of almost 800 amendments. If you missed our viewing, check the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform website at www.constitutionalreform.org for information on other screenings and how to order a copy of the DVD. View
the movie trailer. View It's a Thick Book (full movie - 48
min.)
Global Climate Change February 22, 2007 [Note: The LWV of the United States (LWVUS) states, "Global climate change is one of the most serious threats to the environment, health and economy of our nation." and "The League believes that now is the time to act on global climate change." Read the full statement of the LWV of the United States on Global Warming. The LWV of Greater Birmingham supports the positions of the LWVUS.]  Dr. Joyce Lanning retired from
UAB after a career
in Health Care Organization and Policy in the School of Public Health.
Although she says she stayed busy after retiring, she had no
“primary cause” until she saw the movie,
“An
Inconvenient Truth”.Dr. Lanning told us that this issue engaged both her head and her heart. It began after being “blown away” by the movie. After visiting the internet site www.theclimateproject.org she signed up for a presenter training session in Nashville. These two-day training programs familiarize volunteers with the science of climate change, equip them with skills and materials for presenting the program and add them to the online community that updates lecturers with the latest information. Dr. Lanning is aware that some people have strong feelings about Al Gore, so stipulated that the story is about the message, not the messenger. The message is: Global Warming is Real. Although the natural greenhouse effect has kept us comfortable for about 8,000 years, human activity is disrupting the natural systems that disperse heat back into space. Because the Polar Regions serve as the earth’s air conditioners, a 5 degree increase in overall global temperature would equal a 12 degree increase at the poles. In the United States, the per capita average carbon dioxide “footprint” per year is 20.2 metric tons. The goal of The Climate Project is to help individuals achieve a carbon neutral life style. In addition to resources available at www.theclimateproject.org, Dr Lanning recommended a book written by David Gershon, “Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds--Be Part of the Global Warming Solution!” Shelby County Uses Professional Manager for Good Government January 25, 2007  On
Thursday, January 25, members of the League of
Women Voters of Greater Birmingham and visitors heard first-hand about
the advantages of a professional county manager form of government.
Shelby County has operated under this system since 1993. Speaking to
the League were Shelby County Commissioner Ted Crockett and Shelby
County Manager Alex Dudchock who explained
the county's operations and division of responsibilities. They reported
that the efficiencies of this type of government enabled Shelby County
to eliminate the heavy debt with which it was burdened at one time.The LWVGB believes that Jefferson County should hire a professional county manager. LWVGB's long-standing position on this issue states, in part, "Administrative
responsibility must be lodged in a single office accountable to the
total electorate... (T)he League recommends the adoption of a county
manager form of government for Jefferson County. Under this form, the
commission is the legislative and policy-making body. It sets the
course of county government, enacts laws and allocates funds to
implement its policies. It appoints a professional manager to carry out
its policies and administer county operations under its direction. The
manager should be a qualified professional trained in public
administration or possessing equivalent managerial
credentials."
Read the League's complete position on Jefferson County Government. John Archibald, writer for The Birmingham News, reported on this meeting in his Sunday column and reflected on the advantages that the county manager system could have for Jefferson County. Read "Big changes must begin with power" (The Birmingham News, January 28, 2007, page 13A).
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On
Tuesday evening, September 18, each of the ten candidates running for
mayor of Birmingham told citizens
why he or she should be elected mayor
of the Magic City. It was standing room only as over 250 people watched
the forum live at