Welcome to the League of Women Voters of Winchester

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

NEWS & ARTICLES :

JUNE 25, 2013 VOTING DAY - 2 Ballots...

On June 25th, 2013, when you head to the polls keep in mind that there will be two ballots. One for the Senate Special Election and the other is for the Technology Capital Fund Override. This override question was passed by the Board of Selectmen on April 22, 2013. Below you will find a brief description the question and some links to other resources to learn more.

SUMMER TIME READING! 2013 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

LWVW has thoughtfully compiled a list of books. Summer is coming... time to sit in the sun, relax and read a book.Take a look at what we think you may enjoy. Do you have any ideas to share with us? Let us know! Find us on Facebook and start a book discussion there!

Re-imagine WHS:
A Community Asset       

Do you want to participate in the planning process for the Winchester High School building renovation project? Need to know more about how and when to make comments and suggestions?

Click here to find more information and a listing of upcoming town events related to the high school renovation.

LWVW Annual Meeting June 11th!

Check out Jo-Ann Michalak’s article in the Winchester Star!

The League of Women Voters of Winchester held our Annual Meeting on June 11th, 2013 at the Winchester Unitarian Society Church at 478 Main Street. The meeting took place from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

The meeting went wonderfully. We awarded our Civic Leadership Award to Carolyn Starrett who accepted with tremendous stories of enthusiasm, team work, inspiration and dedication. We are so proud to have had her be the recipient of this very special award. She most definitely deserved it for all of her thoughtful and dedicated work in Winchester.

Click here to read our article in the Winchester Star about Carolyn Starrett.

After the presentation of the award we had a panel of current and past women who chose to run for local elected office and won! The participants were Betsy Cregger, Sarah Swiger, and Jennifer Wilson. It was inspiring to listen to their stories. The constant theme throughout was to get out there and get involved - volunteer to work on a campaign; if you know of someone who would be good in a public position, encourage them to try; if you want to try for public office, try! They all said they had had several wonderful experiences and loved learning new things all the time. They worked with great people.

Thank you to all who attended our event this year. We truly appreciate your participation and encourage you to attend more League of Women Voters of Winchester events. Check out our Volunteer or FAQ page to learn more about how you can become involved with LWVW.

U.S. Senate Special Election
CANDIDATE WEBSITE LINKS

June 25th – Technology Capital Fund Ballot question

by Cynthia Bohne

On Monday, April 22, the Board of Selectmen approved an override question that would establish a stabilization fund to upgrade the technology infrastructure for all departments, including schools.

The override question will be on a separate ballot on the day of the United States Senate special election, Tuesday, June 25th.  Absentee ballots are currently available at the Town Clerk’s office.

If the override question is passed, Winchester taxpayers would pay a total of $350,000 to initiate the stabilization fund.  The override would cost the average household approximately $50 annually. This increase and the amount generated for the fund would increase by 2.5% each year thereafter.

Please note that the June 25th ballot question will raise revenue to support town-wide investments in technology infrastructure– the backbone for all other technology-based endeavors.  The Technology Fund will not fund the Winchester High School renovation project, the purchase of new or replacement end-user devices (IPads, Laptops, etc), or professional development.  It will not support maintenance or any additional personnel. The fund is intended to provide necessary resources to improve the capacity, speed, safety, and coordination of the town-wide network. 

Recommendations about how raised Tech Fund resources are to be invested will be made by a collaborative Municipal, School and Community Technology Advisory Committee, and ultimately the Town Manager.

Technology Capital Fund Question
WEB ARTICLE LINKS

Tech override question on June Senate ballot

By Evan MacDonald

Posted Apr 24, 2013