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Non-Profit Support for Arts & Culture in Newton

Adrienne Hartzell Knudsen
Gloria Gavris

In this episode of The League Presents, Marcia Johnson speaks with Gloria Gavris, Board Chair, Newton Community Pride, and Adrienne Hartzell Knudsen Executive Director, Newton Cultural Alliance (NCA), about how the NCA and Newton Community Pride work to raise the value of arts & culture in the minds of our community in order to develop the political will and financial sustainability of the creative sector of our local economy. The conversation also helped to sort out their individual and distinct missions and how they collaborate together to support our local artists and non-profits of all ages and levels of creativity and ability.  Topics included…

  1. An overview of the Newton Cultural Alliance & Newton Community Pride organizations.
  2. Examples of how these two umbrella organizations work with organizations like the New Art Center, Newton’s Office of Cultural Development, and Newton’s Cultural Council.
  3. What can residents and business owners do to support the arts in Newton?

Watch the video now!

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Voices of the Next Generation

On May 25, 2021, we had a riveting and thought provoking conversation with Newton’s younger generation exploring the issues surrounding youth engagement in civic action.

Thank you to our wonderful panelists Rachel Alpert-Wisnia, Emma Applbaum, Ethan Dhadly, Elianna Kruskal, Edie Pike, and Laila Polk-Thomas.

Thank you to Nickki Dawes, PhD (Director of Center for Community-Based Learning & Associate Professor of Psychology, Lasell University) for expertly facilitating this engaging conversation.

Listen to the Conversation.

 

The League Presents: Newton’s Municipal Budget

Newton City Councilor Becky Grossman, Ward 7
Newton City Councilor Becky Grossman, Ward 7
Newton COO Jonathan Yeo
Newton COO Jonathan Yeo

Given that it is budget season at the local and state level, Marcia Johnson was able to have a conversation about Newton’s Municipal Budget with Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Yeo and Councilor-at-Large, Ward 7, Becky Grossman, Finance Committee Chair.  For many, the city’s budgeting processes seem to be somewhat of an enigma, so the League has taken this opportunity to provide more insight into the process and ways in which citizens can be engaged.  They talked about the following:

  • The process that the Mayor, her executive team, and department heads follow to prepare the budget document and how they contribute to the City Council’s deliberations.
  • Important fiscal-year milestones, most importantly mayoral budget presentations.
  • The steps that the City Council, its Standing Committees, and the Finance Committee follow to have input into the process, review, amend, and approve the budget document.
  • The timing of various meetings, which will be held via Zoom and where community members can find important documents.
  • How best for community members to be engaged.

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What You Should Know About Congressional Apportionment

Capitol building at night with street and car lights, Washington DC USA

Every 10 years, populations counts from the decennial census determine how many seats each state gets in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Apportionment is the process of distributing the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the 50 states.

The 2020 Census population counts used for apportionment include the number of people who live in each state, plus overseas military and federal civilian employees and their families living with them who can be allocated back to heir home state.

Preliminary figures from the 2020 census have been released and the process of apportionment is beginning.  The League will be keeping a close eye on this process.  We hope you will too.

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Redistricting in Massachusetts: Training Opportunities

The Massachusetts redistricting process is underway.   Training opportunities conducted by Drawing Democracy and CHARGE designed for all levels of expertise are now available.  At these trainings, you will learn about how to engage in redistricting with other community members and how to use presentations and materials provided to you to help organize your community.

The CHARGE Redistricting Community College training is designed for all 50 states.  The Drawing Democracy training is Massachusetts specific.  Either training is valuable for anyone interested in working on redistricting in your communities or region.

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The VOTES Act with State Senator Creem

Given the national focus on voting rights and suppression and our mission — Empowering voters. Defending democracy — the League thought it was important to provide more information on legislation put forward by State Senator Cindy Creem and State Representative John Lawn.  Therefore, we invited Senator Creem to join The League Presents to tell us about An Act Fostering Voting Opportunities, Trust, Equity, and Security, or The VOTES Act.  It is supported by the LWVMA, which notes that the Election Modernization Coalition has called it “the most comprehensive next step for Massachusetts elections.” The legislation includes the following components:

State Senator Creem
  • Mail-in Voting
  • Early Voting
  • Same Day Registration
  • Jail-based Voting Reforms
  • Risk Limiting Audits – the Gold Standard
  • Automatic Voter Registration

It is important to note that we also talked about the fact that others are in the process of putting forward legislation that would restrict voter access.  We all need to become educated and active relative to the passing of this important legislation.  To learn more please view this episode of The League Presents: The VOTES Act with State Senator Creem.

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