LWVNM 2021 Convention

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF NEW MEXICO (LWVNM)

2021 CONVENTION MINUTES

HOSTED BY LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO,

HELD VIA ZOOM

Day 1

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Welcome and Announcements

The LWVNM 2021 Convention began at 9:00 a.m. President Hannah Burling presided. She welcomed all delegates, speakers, and guests. Hannah also thanked those individuals who helped organize and manage this virtual event including Kathy Brook, Eileen VanWie, Barbara Calef, Akkana Peck, JoAnn Lysne, and Dale Yeo.

Kathy Brook then introduced Yvonne Flores, Las Cruces City Councilor and League member, who gave the opening welcome.

Hannah then introduced Liz Bander, LWVUS Liaison, who gave the opening address.

Hannah commemorated Laura Atkins, member of the Santa Fe League and League of Women Voters of New Mexico board member, who died unexpectedly on April 6, 2021.

Call to Order

The 2021 Convention of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico was called to order at 9:31 a.m. by President Hannah Burling.

Hannah and Eileen demonstrated the Zoom vote by poll needed because of the unusual virtual nature of this convention. Each delegate is to vote yes or no on the poll and the co-hosts will send their votes to JoAnn Lysne, who is running the Zoom event. JoAnn will then announce the total votes. Parliamentarian Renny Ashleman advised that the minutes can reflect the total votes cast, the percentage of yes or no votes, or the minutes can simply reflect that the motion was approved.

Appointments

Renny Ashleman, Parliamentarian

Rebecca Chaiken, Secretary

Kathy Brook, Credentials Committee chair

Dale Yeo, Timekeeper

Report of the Credentials Committee

Kathy Brook, chair of the Credentials Committee, confirmed that at the start of the meeting, 41 of 44 registered delegates were present, including 26 members who were representing local Leagues. A quorum consists of 12 delegates from the local Leagues. We have therefore met the requirements for a quorum.

Hannah announced that the adoption of the Credentials Committee report requires a majority vote. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to adopt the report of the Credentials Committee. A quorum was established.

Adoption of Convention Rules

Barbara Calef read the Rules of the Convention, which required a few changes from conventions past because of the virtual nature of the convention. Barbara then moved that we adopt the Rules of the Convention as presented and Kathy Brook seconded this motion. Two-thirds of delegates must vote in favor for the rules to be adopted. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to adopt the convention rules.

Adoption of the Order of Business

Barbara Calef moved to adopt the Order of Business for the 2021 LWVNM Convention and this was seconded by Dick Mason. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to adopt the order of business.

Appointment of Committee to Approve the Meeting Minutes

Kathy Brook and Bobbi Riedel volunteered to act as the committee to review and approve the minutes of the convention. Because there were no objections, Kathy and Bobbi were appointed.

Treasurer's Report

Treasurer Suzanne Ronneau reported the following as of April 15, 2021:

Net income - $3,030.27

Ending Balance - $30,643.52 (held in a Wells Fargo Bank checking account)

Education Fund - $1,460 (held by the Santa Fe League due to 501(c)(3) status)

Diversity membership donation from Meredith Machen - $1,840

Thornburg Foundation grant balance - $15,126.60

Suzanne noted that our expenses were less than usual because we did not have any expenses related to the legislative reception or League Day. All of the income and expense details are reflected on the spreadsheet published in the Spring La Palabra.

Report of the Budget Committee

Hannah acknowledged the budget committee members for 2021-2023. Judy Williams, Chair of the Budget Committee, shared the proposed budget. The budget estimate is based on several assumptions including that our per member payments, our major source of income, will remain the same. However, certain events, such as the LWVUS 2022 Convention, will be held in person, incurring delegate expenses. The proposed budget does not balance income and expenses and instead proposes using some funds from the $30,500 on hand as of March 6, 2021. There will be no silent auction during Convention, so that line item was removed. The major budget item accounting for the deficit is the proposed expenditure for Vote411 in fiscal year 2022-2023. The Committee also proposed providing additional funds for Voter Services, for expenses such as advertising, translation, paid clerical help, or forums. The first year of Vote411 was paid for through a grant from the Thornburg Foundation. New grant funds or contributions will be sought for Vote411 and other items.

Report of the Bylaws Committee

Barbara Calef, chair of the Bylaws Committee, reported that two amendments are required due to changes in LWVUS Bylaws at the 2020 Convention. They stem from the new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy and the definition of student for membership purposes. No vote on these amendments is needed and the details are provided for informational purposes only.

Three other proposed amendments have been approved by the board and they must be approved by a 2/3 majority vote at Convention. These amendments concern electronic board meetings, the budget committee, and the budget. The details of all proposed Bylaws changes were published in the Spring La Palabra.

Report of the Nominating Committee

Meredith Machen, chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the committee's report. The following people have been nominated:

Officers:

President - Hannah Burling

First Vice President - OPEN

Second Vice President - Barbara Calef

Action Chair - Dick Mason

Secretary - Rebecca Chaiken

Treasurer - Suzanne Ronneau

Past President - Judy Williams

Board of Directors (elected) - up to 8

Communications - Janet Blair

Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion - Rebecca Álvarez

Membership/Events - Susan Haase with assistance from Meredith Machen

Special Projects - Meredith Machen

Webmaster - Akkana Peck

At Large - Patricia Hawkins

Archivist - Jody Larson

Voter Services - OPEN (will be assisted by Judy Williams)

Local League Presidents/Designated Liaisons

Central New Mexico - Karen Douglas and Donna Sandoval

Los Alamos - Becky Shankland

Santa Fe - Judy Williams

Southern New Mexico - Kathy Brook and Eileen VanWie

Board of Directors (appointed) - up to 6

Parliamentarian - Renny Ashleman

Committee/Issue Chairs/Portfolio Holders

Archives/History - Jody Larson, Akkana Peck, and Meredith Machen

Education - Meredith Machen and Eileen VanWie

Election Issues - OPEN

Health Care - Dick Mason, Akkana Peck, and Judy Williams

Immigration - Meredith Machen

JEDI - Rebecca Álvarez

Natural Resources - Barbara Calef, Judy Williams, and Jeanne Logsdon

Program - Judy Williams

Spent Nuclear Fuel - Karen Douglas

Voter Services - Judy Williams (for 2021 only)

Women's Issues - OPEN

Constant Contact - Janet Blair and Lynn Jones

Member Database - Lynn Jones

Budget Committee

Appointed by the state board at least four months in advance of Convention

Nominating Committee

Rosmarie Frederickson

Johnnie Aldrich

Karen Wentworth

Meredith reported that there was no nominee for the important positions of First Vice President, Voter Services Director, or Chair of Women's Issues. Meredith asked for nominations from the floor. Maxine McReynolds volunteered to help with Vote411 and Bobbi Riedel volunteered to serve as the Chair of Women's Issues. Bobbi also agreed to serve on the LWVNM board.

Report on Legislative Action Committee

Dick Mason, Chair of the Action Committee, reported that the 2021 legislative session was extremely successful, despite the technology challenges stemming from its virtual nature. By Dick's estimate, this was the most successful session over the past 17 years. The highlights of the session include the passage of several pieces of legislation supported by the League including the following:

SB10 (Repeal Abortion Ban)

SB304 (a merger of a bill establishing a Redistricting Committee and a bill on consolidating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data in the office of the Secretary of State)

HB291 (Omnibus Tax Relief Bill that provides support for low income and working families)

HJR1 (a constitutional amendment that would require an additional 1.25 percent distribution from the Land Grant Permanent Fund, with 60 percent designated for Early Childhood programs and 40 percent addressed to public schools to increase teacher compensation, extension of the learning year, and enhanced instruction for students at risk of failure which will be on the ballot in 2022)

HB4 (the New Mexico Civil Rights Act which limits the claim of qualified immunity)

SB84 (Community Solar Act)

HB51 (Environmental Data Base)

SB32 (Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act - trapping on public lands)

HB22 and HB52 (both education bills)

HB20 (Healthy Workplace Act which establishes paid sick leave)

HB47 (Elizabeth Whitefield End of Life Options Act)

HB112 (Health Benefits for Certain Non-Citizens)

HB231(Native American Polling Place Protection)

SB160 (establishing funding for judicial candidates)

SB286 (COVID protections for the CD1 Special Election)

HB10 and SB93 (broadband expansion)

HB55 (capital outlay allocations)

SB219 (No Citizen Proof for Occupational Licensure)

The Action Committee report was published in the Spring La Palabra and the LWVNM tracking sheet on key New Mexico 2021 Legislation is available on our website.

Report on Program for Study and Action (2021-2023)

Chris Furlanetto, Program Director, explained that the League's Program consists of positions on state government issues that the League, through study and action, has approved. The program for each two-year period also consists of studies to be conducted in order to develop additional positions. The LWVNM board of directors is responsible for reviewing the proposals and recommending one or more for adoption at Convention. In addition to conducting studies leading to the development of positions, the League may adopt positions through a concurrence process. Leagues can concur with positions that other Leagues have developed through study and consensus. The board evaluates concurrence proposals according to three criteria: the adequacy of the position to address broad public policy in that area addressed by examining the research done in the study and determining whether the issue is one that can be addressed by state-level government action; whether a majority of LWVNM board members vote to concur with the proposed positions; and whether the issue is one in which the League is likely to make a difference.

Positions can be revised or added by the board based on recommendations from local Leagues; they can be added through concurrence; or they can be new positions resulting from a recently completed study. The LWVNM board has considered and approved the program for study and action being recommended today.

Since the 2019 Convention, three LWVNM positions - Education, Election Procedures, and Transfer of Federal Public Lands - have been revised. Local Leagues participated in consensus meetings on the revised Education position. One new position - Reproductive Health - has been adopted through concurrence; and one new position - Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Greater than Class C Waste - has been adopted through consensus. Furthermore, Chris announced that the state board has recommended one new study on Tribal Law Codification at State Level, and an extension of the study on Judicial Selection.

The details on each position and studies were published in the Spring La Palabra.

Eileen VanWie then explained and spoke on behalf of the revised Education position. Meredith Machen discussed the revised Election Procedures position. Chris Furlanetto, Barbara Calef, and Judy Williams discussed the revised Transfer of Federal Public Lands position. Karen Douglas explained and spoke in support of the new position having to do with the storage of spent nuclear fuels.

Chris also reported that the LWVNM board voted to approve the extension of the Qualifications and Selection of Judges of the Lower Courts study, which was explained by Suzanne Ronneau; and the new study on Tribal Law Codification at the State Level proposed by Rebecca Álvarez and the Santa Fe League, which Rebecca explained.

There were no motions to add other studies.

Day 1 of the Convention was adjourned at 11:44 a.m.

Following the adjournment, lunch speakers included Dr. Jim Peach, who spoke on the future of New Mexico's economy; and Dr. Christa Slaton, who spoke on the future of democracy.

Day 2

Sunday, April 25, 2021

LWVNM President Hannah Burling welcomed all delegates, speakers, and guests. Hannah also thanked Dale Yeo for acting as our Timekeeper who will enforce the Rules of the Convention limiting each speaker to two minutes during debate on a motion. Hannah also reminded the Convention participants of the Zoom polling function we will use for votes.

Call to Order

President Hannah Burling called the meeting to order at 9:04 a.m.

Credentials Committee Report

Kathy Brook, chair of the Credentials Committee, confirmed that a quorum requires 12 of our local League delegates to be present. Because we had 26 local League delegates present, we have met the requirements for a quorum.

Hannah announced that the adoption of the Credentials Committee report requires a majority vote. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to adopt the report of the Credentials Committee. A quorum was established.

Adoption of the 2021-2023 Budget

The proposed budget was prepared by Budget Committee members including Judy Williams, Chair; Rosmarie Frederickson, Treasurer LWVLA; Denny Blood, Treasurer LWVCNM; Sadie Valverde, Treasurer LWVSNM; and Suzanne Ronneau, Treasurer LWVNM (ex officio). The proposed budget was published in the Spring La Palabra.

Judy Williams, chair of the Budget Committee and on behalf of the state board, moved to adopt the proposed budget. No second is required because the motion was made at the direction of the board. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve the budget as presented.

Adoption of Program Positions and Studies

Chris Furlanetto, Program Director, said she will review the board approved positions and studies. Delegates may speak first followed by observers if time allows. Each speaker will be limited to two minutes. If an amendment is made from the floor, because it is not recommended by the board, it requires a 2/3 majority vote to pass.

Eileen VanWie explained that each proposed position and study can be discussed and voted on separately without the need for a motion. Chris added that because the positions are very different, this procedure is warranted. She will begin with the two longer positions to be followed by the shorter positions and proposed studies.

Education - Extensive revisions to this existing position were proposed by Meredith Machen and Eileen VanWie, Education Committee co-chairs, and adopted by the board in January and March 2021. On behalf of the state board, Chris moved to adopt the revised Education position. Since this motion is made at the direction of the board, no second is required. There was a brief discussion about whether the position included professional librarians and Meredith indicated that it did not. There was no proposed amendment made. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to adopt the revised Education position. The motion passed.

Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Greater than Class C Waste - This position was proposed by Karen Douglas, Nuclear Waste Storage Committee chair, and adopted by the board through consensus based on study and advocacy (approved by LWVUS). On behalf of the state board, Chris moved to adopt the Spent Nuclear Fuel and Greater than Class C Waste position. Since this motion is made at the direction of the board, no second is required. Several questions from the floor were asked and responded to by Karen and other League members. There was no proposed amendment. A poll was taken and 95 percent of the delegates voted to approve the new position and 5 percent voted to oppose the position. The motion passed.

Election Procedures - This is a revision to our existing position proposed by Meredith Machen by concurrence with a portion of LWVME's position and adopted by the board. On behalf of the state board, Chris moved to adopt the revised position. Since this motion is made at the direction of the board, no second is required. Debra Helper from the Santa Fe League then moved to delete the second proposed bullet point which reads "voters enrolled in a major political party can vote only on the ballot of their party." This motion was seconded by Akkana Peck. Because this motion was not approved by the board, the vote requires a 2/3 majority. A lengthy discussion followed. A poll was then taken on the amendment during which 73 percent of the delegates voted to approve the proposed amendment and 27 percent voted to oppose the amendment. The amendment passed. Chris then moved to adopt the revised Election Procedures position as amended by the Convention and this was seconded by Judy Williams. A poll was taken and 95 percent of the delegates voted to approve the revised position and 5 percent voted to oppose the revised position. The motion passed.

Transfer of Federal Public Lands - This is a revision to our existing position to clarify language (limiting the statement about Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield policy to Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands) following the adoption of the position by LWVUS. This revision has been adopted by the board. On behalf of the state board, Chris moved to adopt the revised position. Since this motion is made at the direction of the board, no second is required. A brief discussion followed. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve the revised position. The motion passed.

Reproductive Health - This position was proposed by Barbara Calef and Meredith Machen, adopted through concurrence with LWVFL. On behalf of the state board, Chris moved to adopt the position. Since this motion is made at the direction of the board, no second is required. There was no discussion. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve the position. The motion passed.

Adoption of all LWVNM positions - On behalf of the state board, Chris then moved to adopt all of the positions and revisions, including what we voted on today. She explained that this is a required formality. This motion was seconded by Dick Mason. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve the positions. The motion passed.

Qualifications and Selection of Judges of the Lower Courts - This study was previously approved at the 2019 convention but, due to COVID, has not been completed. The chair of the study committee, Suzanne Ronneau, has asked for a two-year extension, which was approved by the board. On behalf of the state board, Chris then moved to approve the two-year extension of this study. Since the motion is made at the direction of the board, no second is required. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve this extension.

Tribal Law Codification at State Level - This study was proposed by Rebecca Álvarez and approved by the board. On behalf of the state board, Chris moved to approve this study. Since the motion is made at the direction of the board, no second is required. Rebecca then asked that the last six words of the first sentence ("as well as benefits to tribal populations") be stricken from the proposal. She advised that this would not significantly change the intent of the proposal. This motion was made on behalf of Rebecca by Debra Helper and seconded by Bobbi Riedel. A poll was then taken on the amendment during which 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve the proposed amendment. The amendment passed. Chris then moved to adopt the study as amended by the Convention. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve the amended study. The motion passed.

Amendments to Bylaws

The LWVNM board has approved the following changes to the Bylaws, which must be approved at Convention by a 2/3 majority. Barbara Calef, chair of the Bylaws Committee, presented the following proposed amendments:

Amendment #1 - Under Article V, Section 6, Barbara moved that the words and/or be added before video conferencing to account for the way electronic board meetings are conducted.

Amendment #2 - Under Article VII, Section 5, Barbara moved that the words during the state board meeting preceding the convention be added at the end of the paragraph describing the budget committee.

Amendment #3 - Under Article VII, Section 6, Barbara moved that the number 30 replace the number 45 before the sentence describing the time frame in which the proposed budget needs to be provided to membership prior to the Convention.

Since this motion is made at the direction of the board, no second is required.

A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve these changes to our Bylaws.

Nominations and Elections

Meredith Machen, chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the nominations for Officers and Elected Board of Directors as reflected in the Spring La Palabra and contained in the Convention materials. She moved that the slate of nominees be elected and also called for nominations from the floor. During discussion one at-large position was added to the elected Board of Directors slate, which brought the maximum number to nine, which is over the limit of eight elected members. A lengthy discussion followed. Numerous ideas were suggested by the Convention delegates and two subsequent motions were made. Meredith moved to remove the at-large positions from the Elected Board of Directors and this was seconded by Susan Haase. Barbara Calef then moved to move the Women' Issues position to the Elected Board of Directors.

To simplify matters, Meredith tabled her original motion. She then moved to adopt the following slate of Officers as reflected in the materials:

President - Hannah Burling

2nd Vice President - Barbara Calef

Action Chair - Dick Mason

Secretary - Rebecca Chaiken

Treasurer - Suzanne Ronneau

Past President - Judy Williams

Meredith's motion was seconded by Jo Galván Nash. A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to elect the slate of Officers.

Barbara Calef then moved to remove Voter Services from the Elected Board of Directors and Akkana Peck seconded this. A brief discussion followed. A poll was taken and 38 percent of the delegates voted in favor and 62 percent were opposed. The motion failed.

Chris Furlanetto then moved to move the Membership/Events position to an appointed position and Rebecca Chaiken seconded this motion. A brief discussion followed. A motion was then made to call the question. A poll was taken and 95 percent of the delegates voted to call the question and 5 percent were opposed. The motion passed. A poll was then taken on Chris's motion and 76 percent of the delegates voted in favor and 24 percent were opposed. The motion passed.

Jo Galván Nash then moved to move the Archivist position from an elected to an appointed position and this was seconded by Becky Shankland. A poll was taken and 89 percent of the delegates voted in favor and 11 percent were opposed. The motion passed.

Meredith Machen then moved to approve the following slate of Elected Board of Directors and this was seconded by Jo Galván Nash:

Communications - Janet Blair

Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion - Rebecca Álvarez

Program - Kathy Brook

Voter Services - Judy Williams

Special Projects - Meredith Machen

Women's Issues - Bobbi Riedel

Webmaster - Akkana Peck

A poll was taken and 97 percent of the delegates voted in favor and 3 percent were opposed. The motion passed.

Meredith Machen then moved to approve the 2021-2023 Nominating Committee as reflected in the Spring La Palabra and contained in the Convention materials and this motion was seconded by Sonya Berg:

Rosmarie Frederickson

Johnnie Aldrich

Karen Wentworth

A poll was taken and 100 percent of the delegates voted to approve the Nominating Committee. The motion passed.

Acknowledgments

Hannah Burling acknowledged Diane Goldfarb for her tireless efforts; Dick Mason for our redistricting gains; Barbara Calef for her grip on governance and keeping us on track; and Chris Furlanetto for her methodical and even-handed work on Program. Hannah also thanked the delegates for entrusting her to another term as President.

Announcements

Hannah asked participants to fill out the Directions to the Board Form and send it to her as soon as possible.

Convention Adjournment

The convention was adjourned at 12:08 p.m.

The lunch speaker was Johana Bencomo, Las Cruces City Councilor, who spoke on border and social justice issues.

Rebecca Chaiken, Secretary

Reviewed and edited by Kathy Brook

Approved by the board on September 11, 2021

Last modified: May 25 2022 15:50.
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