Perspectives
Here we capture the news and views on issues important to League members and the Dayton area community. Most of these articles were featured in our monthly newsletter, The VOTER. See The VOTER page for back issues in their entirety. Others have been published in local media.
A Tribute to Vivienne Himmell
Penny Wolff, Published 8 December 2024
League members may have seen on Facebook, or heard of, past President Vivienne Himmell’s peaceful passing on December 1, outside Philadelphia, at the age of ninety-four, surrounded by her family. Beth asked me to write a bit about Viv, especially for those who may not have known her or about her long-term active participation in League for over 50 years. Viv and I were “Philly sisters,” i.e., born, raised, and schooled in Philadelphia. Although we were several years apart in age, we both inherited the same interest in community and civic engagement, and we both lived elsewhere before moving to Ohio. Viv was the Intake Director of Adult Services with the Montgomery County Board of Disability Services when I met her, and I was the Deputy Administrator for Human Services Levy discretionary funds for which her agency applied. We were also members of the League of Women Voters.
Viv served as President 2002-2005. She plowed into her work whatever and wherever it was. She had a certain style of leading others into the fold and developing deep relationships where she would present what League was about. She believed everyone had the right to vote. She was non-exclusionary. She embodied diversity, equity, and inclusion before it was a mainstream effort.
Along with a wonderful sense of humor and a “laugh full of heart,” Viv possessed a subtle skill of persuasion – no one could turn Viv down. League members who have served as President tell how they took on a leadership role, and that applied to me. Viv would ask you to lunch, tell you that “we have a role for you” and you would succumb. I remember our lunch so well and how she used her amazing spirit to entice me to succeed her as president in 2005-2007.
Viv and I worked together on the proposals for the use of Jo Columbro’s legacy gift. She was visionary in wanting to use some of these funds to hire our first paid Executive Director and invest the remainder for the long term. She went out into the community to ask for funds to support Voter Service efforts in the schools and colleges. Even after serving as President, Viv continued as Board Advisor, and on several other committees. I worked with her to reach out to the community in support of the 100th Anniversaries of Women’s Right to Vote and League of Women Voters of the Greater Dayton Area (LWVGDA).
Viv’s community service extended to serving on the Human Services Levy Council and the boards of Resident Home Association and Partners for Community Living, the latter of which honored her in 2014 with the John Pratt Legacy Award. She was the recipient of a Dangerous Dame of Dayton award in 2019. In 2020 Viv was recognized by the Dayton Daily News as a Daytonian of the Week in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.
Viv moved back to the Philadelphia area after her husband Roger died to be near her two surviving daughters (a third died earlier). I visited her in 2022. Her goal was to join a local League and find a bridge club (she and Roger were advanced bridge players). Mario had an enjoyable lunch with Viv and one of her daughters this past summer.
Comments from Facebook and online:
- Mentor, confidante, advisor, friend to many
- Viv made an indelible mark in every community she touched; will be missed but not forgotten
- Many happy musical moments with Viv & Roger
- She was an inspiration
- Someone I could always count on to listen and point me in the right direction
- She was a true professional who really helped others
- A wonderful lady
- A Renaissance woman
- What an amazing woman. Her light and talent shined so brightly
- A wonderful, witty, inspirational friend
- Good friend, mentor, well informed, great conversationalist
- A true pioneer, empowering women
- Trusted advisor, someone you could not say “no” to
- May her memory be for a blessing
One of Viv’s daughters posted on Cooper Lofts Facebook page (where Viv and Roger used to live) that they are planning a Zoom Memorial sometime next month and will keep residents posted. League member Kathy Turner lives there and will send me details as well as Viv’s daughters’ full names and addresses where we can send condolences. The League Board will discuss a fitting way to honor Viv. Her energetic and positive spirit leaves an imprint on our League for posterity.
*I want to thank Dona Fletcher for her conversation with me as I pieced this together and to Sue Hesselgesser whose nomination of Viv as Daytonian of the Week I found online.
Gerrymandering in Ohio: The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment
Mary Robertson, Published 6 September 2024
At last month’s program, “Gerrymandering in Ohio: The Citizens Not Politicians Amendment” with retired Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, the most common question citizens had about the proposed amendment involved how the Citizen Redistricting Commission members would be chosen.
This will undoubtably be asked among your circle of friends and acquaintances.
Alexis Larsen, artist with the Dayton Daily News, did an excellent job of depicting the steps for choosing the commission in an article published on August 25. It shows the great lengths the process takes to assure a qualified, nonpartisan 15-member board is chosen. You can read the article in its entirety HERE.
League Letter to the Editor about the Voters Guide
Beth Schaeffer, President LWVGDA, Published 17 August 2024
The League of Women Voters of the Greater Dayton Area has been encouraging active and informed participation in government since 1920. The League is political, but non-partisan, and never endorses nor opposes any candidate or party. As the General Election nears, the League is compiling the resources voters need to make educated decisions at the polls. One of those resources is the annual Voters Guide, which has been a trusted, nonpartisan source of information for Dayton area voters for over one hundred years. Each candidate in a contested race is contacted by The League and invited to respond to questions pertinent to the office for which they are running. The League publishes their answers in their own words without correction to grammar or spelling. If responses from a candidate are not found in the Guide, it is because the candidate chose not to participate or missed the deadline. Also included in the Guide are pro and con points on statewide ballot issues. This year’s Guide will be published and distributed to subscribers of the Dayton Daily News on Oct. 10. Copies will also be available at each Dayton Metro and Greene County Library, at local businesses and churches, and can be found on the League’s website, lwvdayton.org. Every election is important. Your League encourages voters to educate themselves about the candidates and the issues for which they will be voting. Your vote is your voice. Let it be heard! If you have questions, please contact the League office at 937-228-4041 or league@lwvdayton.org.
– Beth Schaeffer, Oakwood
March Programs Bring Communities Together to Focus on Top Issues
Beth Schaeffer, President LWVGDA, Published 7 April 2024
On March 11 we collaborated with the Sisters of the Precious Blood to co-sponsor “A Conversation with David Pepper.” Pepper is the author of Laboratories of Autocracy and Saving of Democracy and several other works. Not only were the current threats to democracy identified, but he highlighted the importance of re-engaging the electorate by going beyond registering voters and encouraging them to vote.
The League recognizes the critical role that Public Education plays in preservation of democracy. On March 21 the League brought together a distinguished panel of experts to help identify the challenges and opportunities that currently exist for public schools. The panel was moderated by Thomas J. Lasley II, Ph.D. the founder, CEO emeritus, and director of policy at Learn to Earn Dayton, which leads efforts to “ensure that all children in the Dayton region are successful first in school and ultimately in life.” Read more about both events.
Battle Over Voting Rights Heated in Election Year
Mary Robertson, Published 28 February 2024
There is unprecedented interest in either restraining or loosening laws that affect state voting rights, especially in this 2024 presidential election year.
The League of Women Voters, as part of a coalition of voting rights organizations, is supporting the Citizens Not Politicians amendment to the state constitution. This amendment would create a committee of nonpoliticians to draw congressional and state district maps. This amendment will finally allow Ohioans to choose their politicians rather than politicians manipulating map variables to carve out their voters and squash competitive races.
There are also eight active bills in the Ohio legislature that would affect voting rights. Two of those bills would expand access; the remaining are designed to reign in voting access. Here is a run-down: Read more.
Money in Politics: How to Track Money’s Influence on Elections and Public Policy
Mary Robertson, Published 28 February 2024
The amount of money raised and spent by political campaigns, political parties and political action committees (PACs) to influence elections and the shaping of public policy has been breaking records with each presidential election. In 2020, the battle for the White House and Congress resulted in $14.4 billion in federal spending (https://www.opensecrets.org/resources/learn/timeline). Who is raising and
spending this money is often hidden from the public. There are sources that can help voters understand how much money is being donated to politicians and who is donating that money. Read more.
League Letter to the Editor, Dayton Daily News, on Ballot Issue 1
Published 14 October 2023
Miami Valley voters are facing a consequential election this November that includes an emotionally-charged Issue 1, a citizen-led initiative asking voters if Ohioans should have a constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” including decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and continuing pregnancy.
Voters deserve clear, factual information to make educated and informed decisions. The Ohio Ballot Board accepted revised, contested ballot language for Issue 1 in place of the actual amendment. Voters need to be aware that the language seen on their ballot leaves out parts of the amendment. This can leave voters uninformed. And as in all elections, voters seeking information should not rely solely on advertising paid by unknown out-of-state sources or messaging on social media unvetted for accuracy and extreme bias.
Elected Officials: Do Your Work in the Sun (Dayton Daily News: Voices – Mary Sue Gmeiner)
Published 17 October 2023
When the sun shines through my window, it makes me smile. And it shows every speck of dust that has settled on my furniture. Those of us who still hang clothes on the line to dry know that sunshine is a great disinfectant. So it’s not surprising that the Ohio Public Records Act and Ohio Open Meetings Act are collectively known as the Sunshine Laws. These laws say that public business must be done in public—announced to the people ahead of time, done in a place that allows access, and that government business must be recorded and available to the public. Transparency in government is the sunshine that promotes clean governance.
Ohioans to Vote on Bail Reform Amendment
Published July 2022
On November 8, voters will decide whether a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution to change the rules for cash bail is, as proponents claim, a better way to maintain public safety, or as opponents claim, a shift in power from the Courts to the General Assembly that won’t impact public safety at all. Like anything in politics today, this is not as simple as we might like, and may have consequences that we don’t foresee. To help you decide which way you want to vote in November, let’s look at some frequently asked questions…
The City of Dayton Continues to Wage Peace
Published June 2022
The City of Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina Annual Student Leadership Exchange program allows Bosnian high school students and a few of their teachers to visit the Dayton area for three weeks. During this time, these students join students from local high schools, colleges and universities in learning about democracy, diversity, volunteerism, leadership, human rights, and having fun in the USA. At the end of their time here, the Bosnian students present a project idea they plan to implement in their own community . . .
Our American Journey: The Black Perspective in America
Published May 2022
There’s a new exhibit at Sinclair you do not want to miss. It is comprised of personal mementos of Black History Memorabilia collected throughout the years and from all over the country by Michael Carter, Senior Advisor to the President/Chief Diversity Officer at the Sinclair Diversity Office. The hands-on exhibit allows participants to examine and explore the African American journey through a variety of artifacts such as books, magazines, and pictures as a means of capturing and understanding the determination, courage, and resilience of Blacks in America.