PATRICK FORTIN

            The League Bulletin was the vehicle that got Patrick Fortin interested in joining the League of Women Voters!  Why?--because of its network of connections within the well-informed community of Winchester.  As a principal in the real estate firm Century 21—Commonwealth (and founder, in 1985, of Century 21--Fortin) Patrick is naturally concerned with local issues that directly affect the business community, such as the balancing of tax burdens between  residential and the very small commercial base here.

            Patrick and his wife, Dr. Katie Fortin, a pediatrician affiliated with Winchester Hospital, are lifelong residents of Winchester.  As parents of four children ranging in age from 3 to 6 (including a set of twins) they continue to support the reputation for excellent quality that the Winchester school system has achieved, and appreciate the role that the LWV plays in educating the public on town budget and other matters.

            Despite “work and children that account for every spare minute,” Patrick has made it a point to join the LWV and to read the Bulletin, particularly for its non-partisan coverage of local issues.
                                          -Vicky Coccoluto
                                                                                                                                  
JANET KASSLER                                        

Janet Kassler, although a recent addition to the Winchester League of Women Voters, was a long-time member of the Lexington League.  She and her husband raised three children in Lexington and moved to Winchester in 1994. 

Janet decided to join the Winchester League to support our goals. She appreciates that the League sponsors events where important issues are discussed, such as the conversation on immigration policy at the Sanborn House, which she attended last year.  She is also interested in exploring the proposal for a national popular vote and hopes that the National League will look closely at the components of the stimulus package recently approved by Congress.  She is especially interested in the issues of health care and early education.

Janet earned her Master's degree in counseling from Tufts University and had a career as a school counselor/psychologist at Lexington High School.  She continues to use her counseling skills by volunteering for The Children's Room at the Center for Grieving Children and Adolescents in Arlington.  She facilitates one of the parents' groups.  She also keeps busy as a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. 
                                          – Jean Herbert