The Brown County Voter
September 2024
The League of Women Voters of Brown County is a nonpartisan civic organization that encourages informed and active participation in government.
The League works to increase understanding of major public policy issues through education and advocacy. Membership is open to all regardless of gender.
We never support or oppose any political party or candidate.
Educate • Advocate • Empower • Reform
| Just a Note
By Shari Frank, LWVBC President
Ahhh, the colors are starting to change. Fall is in the air. Love this time of year!
And of course, it’s also election season! We at LWVBC take this time to heart to try to keep everyone informed about who’s on the ballot, and to help share all the rules about voting to make sure your vote counts. We work hard to present information that is not biased, but we certainly do care about positions and issues. We ask you to think about what is important to you. There are some clear distinctions in candidates and what they stand for so please, take the time to get to know what each candidate’s plans are if they are elected, and if you agree with them.
Next week the Brown County Democrat newspaper will publish candidate information. Please take time to see what they think. Every voter will have the opportunity to just vote “Straight Party”, thinking whoever is in that party represents them. But, really???? Besides that, a straight party vote will not include votes for school board, judge retention and a constitutional question on the ballot.
Check out www.Vote411.org to see what’s on your ballot – local, state and nation-wide. More information will be added as we get closer to the election.
Come meet the candidates in person for forums where moderators ask some questions, and you in the audience also get to ask some questions. And, to the Candidate Meet and Greets where candidates will introduce themselves, then stick around to talk to you. For Congressional District 9, join the virtual candidate forum. See the dates and details below for both Brown County and Bartholomew County.
Let us know if you have any questions, or suggestions, and please help us get the word out about upcoming candidate forums, Vote411 and the Election Protection hotline if you have any problems. Contact us at browncountylwv@gmail.com. |
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PLAN YOUR VOTE
Early In-Person Absentee Voting: Oct. 8 - Nov. 4.See dates/hours
At Eagle Park 1750 State Road 46 E, Nashville, lN 47448
Election Day Nov. 5, 6 am-6 pm
Vote in Person at your assigned polling location
Checkwww.IndianaVoters.comfor address or call the County Clerk’s office at 812-988-5510
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Take Government-issued Photo ID to vote in person
Apply for Mail-in Ballot by 10/24 and complete ballot return by 11/5 deadline.Postmark does not count. See hours and voting locations.Click this link for General Election voting locations and times
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ELECTION DAY
6:00am-6:00pm
At YOUR polling place!
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| Upcoming Events of Note
September 15: Third Annual Lake Monroe Day Celebration, 5-8 pm at The Fields Clubhouse in Bloomington. This event features live music from Busman’s Holiday to support Friends of Lake Monroe (FOLM) and its efforts to protect the water quality of this important water resource. Activities include drinking water treatment plant tours, a pontoon boat ride, and a hike in the Hoosier National Forest. More information is available on the FOLM website.
September 17: National Voter Registration Day. A great opportunity to remind friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to be sure their voter registration is up to date, and to make a plan to vote in the November election.
September 20: 11 am – 4 pm: LWVBC volunteers will be tabling inside the IGA Nashville store to offer voting information. Stop by to say hello. LWVBC volunteers will be tabling inside the store approximately 11 am to 4 pm.
September 21: Meet The Candidates. Who best represents the positions you care about? Brown County Commissioner Candidate Forum/Meet & Greet, 10 am – 1 pm, Salmon Room of the Brown County Government building. Please see the article in this newsletter for more information.
September 22: Nashville Farmers Market. Stop by the League table from 11-2 pm to say hello and pick up some voting information.
September 24: Nashville Comprehensive Plan Public Workshop, 6:30 – 8:30 pm in the lower level of the Brown County Public Library. The Comprehensive Plan is a strategic document used to guide our community over the next 20 years. The plan is intended to “shape the future of our town by setting a vision, principles, and recommendations for implementation.” By attending this workshop, attendees can share their vision for Nashville’s future; ensure the plan reflects the diverse voices of the town; help identify community needs and priorities. For more information, contact Nashville Town Manager Sandie Jones at sjones@townofnashville.org.
September 28: 9th District candidate forum via Zoom, 9:30-11 am. Co-sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Kappa Tau Omega Chapter, the Big Ten Voting Challenge, Citizens' Climate Lobby - New Albany, IU PACE, LWV Bloomington-Monroe County, LWV Brown County, LWV Southern Indiana, Monroe County NOW, Monroe County Branch NAACP, and South Central Indiana Citizens’ Climate Lobby. Sunny Leerkamp will serve as moderator. Here is the Zoom link to register for this event, or use https://bit.ly/4cqzPut.
Community Access Television Services (CATS) through the Monroe County Public Library has been invited to record the forum.
Join League members and interested others for a Candidate Forum Watch event on September 28 at the Brown County Community Foundation, 9 am to 11 am. Email Pam Raider (psage9@aol.com) or Laurie Teal (teal.family@icloud.com to let us know you’re coming.
October 1, Public Test of Election Equipment, 2 pm in the Salmon Room of the County Office Building, 201 Locust Lane, Nashville IN. The Public is invited to observe the Public Test of Election Equipment. Election equipment is randomly selected according to Indiana state procedures and a test is run to verify accuracy.
October 3: Meet The Candidates. Who best represents the positions you care about? Brown County Surveyor Candidate Forum/Meet & Greet, 6-8 pm, Salmon Room. Sponsored by LWVBC. Please see the article in this newsletter for more information.
October 5: LWVIN 2024 President’s Day event, hosted by LWV Johnson County. If interested in attending, please contact Shari Frank at browncountylwv@gmail.com. LWVBC Vice President Sunny Leerkamp will lead a workshop on the Indiana Supreme Court. See the agenda and register here: https://www.lwvin.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=42001&item_id=2340200
October 24: Join us at the BC Public Library for a debate watch party of the Indiana Debate Commission Gubernatorial Debate. LWVBC and the Brown County Library invite you to a Debate Watch. Let’s get together and play Debate Bingo. What issues should be on the Bingo card? Join us at 6 pm for the 7 pm debate as we live stream on the library’s large tv screen. Refreshments will be provided; bring some to share if you like. Mark your calendar and watch for more information (https://indianadebatecommission.com/news/).
February 12, 2025: Mark your calendars for League Day at the Indiana State House in Indianapolis. Join LWVBC and other Leagues across the state for informative workshops, lunch, discussion and meeting with our legislators. If you are interested, let’s carpool. Email browncountylwv@gmail.com if you’d like to join us.
June 6-8, 2025: LWVIN Conventionin Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Details will be provided as plans are set. The Conventions are always fun and informative. There will also be an auction to raise funds for LWVIN so if you have something to donate, please contact us: Email browncountylwv@gmail.com. LWVIN pays LWVBC website fees, Vote411 fees, and an annual grant toward the LWVBC essay contest, so your donations for the auction will be appreciated!
| Meet the Candidates
Candidate Forums/Candidate Meet & Greets Announced
The League of Women Voters of Brown and Bartholomew Counties invites you to several opportunities to hear candidates for political office in Brown and Bartholomew Counties via forums and meet-and-greet events. We hope you will be able to attend these important events. Feel free to share this communication with friends and family.
Brown County:
Saturday, September 21, 2024, in the Salmon Room of the County Office Building, 201 Locust Lane, Nashville IN
— 10:00 am: Brown County Commissioner Candidate Forum
— 11:00 am: All-Candidate Meet and Greet
Candidates invited to both the September 21 and October 3 Meet and Greet events:
— U.S. Congress District 9 — State Senator District 44
— State Representative District 62 — Brown County Circuit Judge
— Brown County Council - at large — Brown Commissioner - Districts 1 and 3
— Brown County Surveyor — Brown County Recorder
— Brown County Treasurer — School Board - at large
Saturday, September 28, 2024, via Zoom
— 9:30 - 11:00 am: U.S Congress District 9 Candidate Forum
Register to attend virtually: https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=901066&item_id=2368709
Thursday, October 3, 2024, in the Salmon Room of the County Office Building, 201 Locust Lane, Nashville IN
— 6:00 pm: Brown County Surveyor Candidate Forum
— 7:00 pm: All-Candidate Meet and Greet
Co-sponsors for the Brown County events are the League of Women Voters of Brown and Bartholomew Counties and the Brown County Indiana Farm Bureau. These organizations are nonpartisan and do not support or oppose any party or candidate. All candidates for these offices are being invited to participate.
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Bartholomew County:
Thursday, September 26, 2024, Interfaith Campus, 7850 W. Goeller Blvd., Columbus IN
— 6:00 pm: Bartholomew County Commissioner and Council Candidate Meet and Greet
— 7:00 pm: Indiana State Representative, Districts 59, 69, 74 Candidate Meet and Greet
Saturday, September 28, 2024, via Zoom
— 9:30 - 11:00 am: U.S Congress District 9 Candidate Forum
Register to attend virtually: https://www.lwv-bmc.org/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=901066&item_id=2368709
Tuesday, October 1, 2024, Interfaith Campus, 7850 W. Goeller Blvd., Columbus IN
— 6:00 pm: Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation School Board Candidates
— 7:00 pm: U.S. Congressional Representative Candidates, Districts 6 and 9
Sponsors for the Bartholomew County events are the League of Women Voters of Brown and Bartholomew Counties, First Presbyterian Church, The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, Indiana, and the NAACP. These organization are nonpartisan, and do not support or oppose any party or candidate. All candidates for these offices are being invited to participate. | Brown County Rising:
A Film Series About Individual and Community Well-Being
Learn about Mental Health, Addiction, Dangers of Social Media,
the Impact of Childhood Trauma, and how to help
Where: Brown County Playhouse in Nashville, Indiana.
When:
- Sunday, September 22, 2:00 pm, Social Dilemma
- Sunday, November 24, 2:00 pm, Wrestling Ghosts
A panel will be available for questions and answers following each film. Panelists will include mental health professionals as well as community members, leaders, and employees.
Sponsored by the Nashville Methodist Church and the Brown County Centerstone PACES program. The Brown County PACEs Initiative provides broad-based education about the long-term impacts of positive and adverse childhood experiences.
The public is invited to attend all three films at no charge. Families, educators, caregivers and community members can use this material to spark discussions on causes and positive actions to address addictive behavior, mental health issues, childhood trauma and related issues.
The Movies
Social Dilemma
This documentary dives into the psychological underpinnings and the manipulation techniques by which, it claims, social media and technology companies addict users. People's online activity is watched, tracked, and measured by these companies, who then use this data to build artificial intelligence models that predict the actions of their users. Tristan Harris, former Google design ethicist and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, explains the three main goals of tech companies: engagement; growth; and advertisement. Echoing others in the field, Harris warns: "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product.”
Wrestling Ghosts
Wrestling Ghosts is a raw, intimate, and heart-opening documentary about parenting, childhood trauma and healing. Wrestling Ghosts follows the epic inner journey of Kim, a young mother who, over two heart-breaking and inspiring years, battles the traumas from her past to create a new present and future for her and her family. In this intimate portrait, Kim shares deeply personal moments that most of us keep secret in shame and invites us into her counseling sessions. With her counselors’ help, Kim opens up to new ways of thinking and uncovers what has blocked her from experiencing the joy and connection she most desires. She learns about the impact of childhood trauma on her brain, and how, tragically, this very damage causes the trauma to be passed on to her own children. Armed with knowledge and compassion, she pursues new strategies to heal herself.
| Prescription for Healthcare is New Podcast on WFHB
Source: https://wfhb.org/uncategorized/prescription-for-healthcare-carrie-rouse-md-frontline-report-reproductive-healthcare-in-indiana-2024-august-2024/
From the WFHB website: “Welcome to Prescription for Healthcare, a podcast collaboration between the WFHB Local News and Medicare for All Indiana, broadcasting the second Thursday of every month as part of the Local News at 5:15 PM.
“This month we interview Carrie Rouse, MD. Dr. Rouse is an OBGYN in Indianapolis who specializes in maternal fetal care, especially high-risk pregnancy care. Dr. Rouse is an abortion provider. She is also a member of the Good Trouble Coalition, a physician group that focuses on issues of social justice, advocates for patients, public health, and evidence-based medicine. She brings us up to date on the state of reproductive healthcare in Indiana.
“Read the OpEd by Drs. Rouse and Caitlin Bernard in the Indy Star, September 2023, Indiana’s abortion ban strips doctors of ‘ability to provide evidence-based care.”
| Big Ten Voting Challenge Focus of Podcast
Source: LWV Bloomington-Monroe County September newsletter
“The most recent Civic Conversations podcast features the Big Ten Voting Challenge with Mark Fraley, the associate director of PACE, the Political and Civic Engagement Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, IU Bloomington, and Pearl Vinard, an IU PACE student.
“The Big Ten Voting Challenge is a competition among the fourteen universities in the Big Ten Conference. Universities compete to win two titles: ‘Greatest Overall Turnout’ and ‘Greatest Increase in Voting Rates.’
“According to Fraley, the challenge has impacted student voting even though students typically vote in smaller numbers. ‘One reason that younger people do not vote,’ says Vinard, ‘is that they often feel their voices do not matter.’ With the Big Ten Voting Challenge, students can help their universities increase voting numbers through this unique competition. Go to Civic Conversations to listen to the podcast.”
| Upcoming Government Meetings
Source: http://www.browncounty-in.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=14 and https://www.townofnashville.org/calendar-of-events?view=calendar&month=08-2024
Did you know? You can sign up to receive meeting agendas, alerts government job postings and more here.
The County Government calendar can be accessed here.
Brown County Election Board (all meetings in the Salmon Room)
October 8, 2:00 pm
Brown County Commissioners (all meetings in the Salmon Room)
September 18, 6:00 pm
October 2, 2:00 pm
October 16, 6:00 pm
Brown County Council (all meetings in the Salmon Room)
September 16, 6:30 pm
October 21, 6:30 pm
Town of Nashville Council
September 19, 6:30 pm
| September Diversity Calendar
Source: https://www.diversityresources.com/august-diversity-calendar-2024/
September celebrates National Hispanic Heritage from September 15-October 15. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.
National Recovery Month is also noted in September. The effort behind National Recovery Month is to inform citizens on the treatment services for those struggling with substance abuse disorders.
September also marks the 104th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, recognizing the right of women to vote. While it is an important milestone, the 19th Amendment secured voting rights for some women, and significant gender inequities continue to exist in our nation.
September 4: Birthday of Author Richard Wright. Wright authored novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. According to Wikipedia, “much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially related to the plight of African Americans during the late 19th to mid 20th centuries suffering discrimination and violence.” Wright’s best known works include the novel Native Son (written in 1940) and the memoir Black Boy, written in 1945.
September 10: World Suicide Prevention Day. The triennial theme for World Suicide Prevention Day for 2024-2026 is "Changing the Narrative on Suicide" with the call to action "Start the Conversation".
September 20: HeForShe: a solidarity movement first created by the United Nations to help promote gender equality worldwide.
September 21: International Day of Peace: A day to promote peace worldwide. Each year the United Nations bell is run in New York City to commemorate this day.
| Here’s How to Contact Your State, Federal, Local Legislators
A list is provided below of the legislators who serve Brown County. For contact information on other state representatives and state senators, go to https://iga.in.gov/information/find-legislators. For information about your Congressional Representative, go to https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative.
For information on your County Representatives and meetings for Boards, County Commissioners and County Council:
| | Governor Eric Holcomb
Website: https://www.in.gov/gov/
Phone: 317-232-4567
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GovHolcomb/
Address: Office of the Governor, Statehouse, Indianapolis IN 46204-2797
Brown County Circuit Court Clerk
Pearletta Banks
Phone: 812-988-5510
Brown County Council
Gary Huett (President), David Redding (Vice-President), Darren Byrd, Jim Kemp, Joel Kirby, Scott Rudd, Judy Swift-Powdrill
CountyCouncil@browncounty-in.us
Brown County Commissioners
Jerry Pittman, President (District 3) 317-966-1724 pittmanj@browncounty-in.us
Blake Wolpert (District 1) 317-371-5091 wolpertb@browncounty-in.us
Ron Sanders (District 2) 812-947-3504 SandersR@browncounty-in.us
Town of Nashville Council
Andi Wilson, President awilson@townofnashville.org
Dave Rudd, Vice President drudd@townofnashville.org
Lance Miller lmiller@townofnashville.org
Rex Watters III rexwatters@townofnashville.org
Scott Dick sdick@townofnashville.org | | | Educate • Advocate • Empower • Reform
We cordially invite you to join us. | | We encourage you to learn more about the League by attending our meetings and other events, including legislator forums and Meet the Candidates. Membership is not required to attend these meetings and events.
Annual Membership Dues*:
$50/Individual - $85/Couple - $20/Friend of the League (non-voting) | | Your dues include membership in the national, state, and local leagues.
*Membership Scholarships available. Email us for more information: browncountylwv@gmail.com
To join or to send a donation, mail your check payable to LWVBC, PO Box 74, Nashville IN 47448
Please include your name, address, phone, and email
Visit our website: www.lwvbrowncounty.org
| | | LWVBC Meeting Schedule
LWVBC business meetings are held virtually the second Monday of each month. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 14, 6:00 pm via Zoom. League Members, Friends, and the public are welcome to join the meeting.
To participate in the meeting and receive the Zoom link, contact League President Shari Frank at browncountylwv@gmail.com.
| The deadline for submission of articles for the October newsletter is 5:00 pm Friday, October 18.
The Brown County VOTER is published monthly. Please send your articles and/or suggestions to LWVBC at browncountylwv@gmail.com. | |