(Eastern Bergen County, New Jersey; August 10, 2023) — The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley (LWVNV) elected and installed its 2023-2024 board of directors and officers at its 77th annual meeting. The LWVNV outlined its plans to provide voters with information they need to make informed decisions in the General Election in New Jersey on Tuesday, November 7, 2023.
The LWVNV’s membership heard speaker Deborah Visconi, President/CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, discuss the challenges of transforming the Paramus-based 100-year hospital from a for-profit institution to a not-for-profit facility and her on-going leadership focus to both improve and expand service(s), while obtaining positive operating margins. New Bridge Medical Center is the country’s fourth largest, publicly owned hospital, serving as a safety net for New Jersey’s most vulnerable populations in the state’s most populous county.
Board of Directors Installed
At the Annual Meeting, the LWVNV elected and welcomed its new board of directors. The officers are Leonia residents Nike Prieston Bach as President and Joyce Luhrs as First Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations Chair. Other officers elected to the board are Vicki Sidrow from Fort Lee as Treasurer and Andrew Meehan from Hackensack as Secretary. These members were elected directors: Demarest residents Linda Cetta and Maureen Neville, Park Ridge residents Kelly Epstein and Lucy Heller, Anne Lander from Harrington Park and Sally Tayeb of Dumont.
Peggy Kabakow (off-board) joined Vicki Sidrow on the Budget Committee. Cathie Mick (off-board) and Andrew Meehan joined the Nominating Committee.
Empowering Voters
During the past 12 months, the LWVNV provided voters with nonpartisan materials to make informed decisions in elections. The chapter also moderated at Candidate Forums, a key service offered by the League for decades, allowing voters to hear from candidates and ask questions. The LWVNV joined League members throughout the state to prepare for the Primary Election in June providing voter information about the election process. The chapter reached out to libraries in its service area, distributed voter information to the public, and interviewed state legislators. The LWVNV joined other League chapters across the country in celebrating the organization’s 103rd birthday on February 14. The League of Women Voters of the United States United Nations’ observer provided updates about meetings and the League’s activities at the United Nations on the chapter’s social media platforms.
The LWVNV discussed and approved:
· retaining all of the League of Women Voters of New Jersey’s Study and Action, 2021-2023 positions;
· undertaking a new study on reparations to address the harm caused by New Jersey’s role in slavery and its legacy of systemic racial discrimination;
· undertaking a study of alternative election systems, including the use of Ranked Choice Voting; and
· recommending an update to the Legal Status Women position to reflect the economic security needs of women as they age.
“For 103 years, the League of Women Voters has sought to empower citizens to shape better communities through information and advocacy. We are perhaps best known for our non-partisan Voter Services: registering voters in towns, high schools, or senior citizen facilities; organizing and conducting Candidate Forums; and creating a Voter’s Guide of questions and answers of candidates, who are running for elected office,” said Nike Bach, President of the League of Women Voters of Northern Valley. “The LWVNV invites residents in our 29 Northern Valley towns to join us and get involved in Voter Services and to meet other interested residents to learn about issues important to you and your community.”
Coming Up: Voters Service Education
The LWVNV renewed its commitment to Voters Service, a core activity of the League, to provide voters with non-partisan information in preparation of the General Election in November. The LWVNV’s activities will include conducting voter registration drives, responding to citizens’ requests to schedule local Candidate Forums, and moderating Candidate Forums with trained moderators. Information about candidates will be available on the League of Women Voters’ nonpartisan website, VOTE411.org, launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund in 2006.
The main focus of the first half of the year will be on Voter Services. The LWVNV’s Voter Services division plans to provide voters with non-partisan information they need to prepare for the November General Election. The chapter will undertake voter registration drives in several areas, including high schools and senior living facilities. Information will also be provided about using mail-in-ballots, learning about candidates on the League-created, non-partisan site VOTE411.org, and offering League-moderated Candidates Forums, among other services.
Membership
Membership in the League is open to both men and women, who are at least sixteen years of age and supportive of its mission. The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley draws members from these 29 municipalities in Bergen County, New Jersey: Alpine, Bergenfield, Cliffside Park, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, Edgewater, Emerson, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fort Lee, Hackensack, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Leonia, Montvale, New Milford, Northvale, Norwood, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, River Vale, Rockleigh, Tenafly, Washington Township, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake.
For further information about the LWVNV, membership or to get involved in Voter Services activities, contact lwvnorthernvalley@gmail.com. Learn more about the League on the organization’s website at bit.ly/LWVNVinformation.
About League of Women Voters of Northern Valley
The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley, a chapter of the League of Women Voters (LWV), is a non-partisan, grassroots civic organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The LWV was an outgrowth of the 19th Amendment passed in 1920 giving women the right to vote. Today, the LWV operates at the state and local levels through more than 700 state and local Leagues in all 50 states and in Washington D.C., the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong.
The League of Women Voters of Northern Valley was founded in 1946 as the League of Women Voters of Closter. By 1964, it included 11 municipalities in the Northern Valley and was renamed the League of Women Voters of Northern Valley. Over the decades, the chapter expanded to encompass 29 municipalities.
The organization develops grassroots leadership and achieves widespread credibility because it is strictly nonpartisan. Throughout the year, a range of voters services and programs are provided, including candidates’ forums, registration drives, dissemination of nonpartisan information about candidates and issues, and public meetings to discuss current issues. For opportunities to get involved or join the organization, contact lwvnorthernvalley@gmail.com. Follow the LWVNV on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Photos:
1) Members of the League of Women Voters of Northern Valley gathered at the chapter’s 77th Annual Meeting. Photo Credit: Luhrs & Associates
2) Deborah Visconi, President/CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, spoke at the League of Women Voters of Northern Valley’s 2023 Annual Meeting. Photo Credit: Luhrs & Associates
3) Information about the General Election can be found on VOTE411.org. Photo Credit: League of Women Voters
4) Don’t Forget to Vote! Photo Credit: League of Women Voters
5) The League of Women Voters turns 103. Photo Credit: League of Women Voters
