[ Falcon Heights - Lauderdale - Little Canada - Maplewood - Roseville ]

“Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.” Hafiz, Persian poet, 1315-1390

It’s a long time since I have been a renter. There are plusses and minuses to renting versus owning, both in terms of finances and responsibilities. But those questions and choices are irrelevant to many low-income renters in America.

In 2017, sociologist Matthew Desmond won a Pulitzer Prize, and other recognitions, for his searing study, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. Though it was highly acclaimed, it did not make it to the top of my reading pile at the time. This year with pandemic related moratoria on evictions, news of gaps in those leading to loss of housing, the visible challenges of balancing the interests of landlords and low-income renters who may be essential workers, and more, it came to mind again.

Board Meeting March 23, 2022

Board Meeting February 23, 2022

Board Meeting January 26, 2022

Board Meeting November 17, 2021

Ramsey County Library has provided us with a link to the recording of this program. Here is the link: https://my.nicheacademy.com/rcladult/course/30980

Want to recognize Earth Day without leaving home? Join us for an environmental forum with the Mayors from Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, and Roseville. Hear about actions taken the five area Cities to address climate change and implement their 2040 Comprehensive Plans and ask your questions. This event is sponsored by the Ramsey County Library and League of Women Voters of the Roseville Area. This event June 3, 2021, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. is hosted on the Ramsey County Library's Zoom platform. 

The Voter Services Committee offered area high schools voter registrations when seniors picked up graduation caps and gowns. Schools were also provided eligibility requirements for students registering and information on how to register online. Tartan High School accepted the offer and Marcia Cheney, Gladys Jones, Karen Lake, and Florence Sprague volunteered May 13-14, with 111 students taking advantage of the opportunity.

The study team for “Equitable Representation in City Commissions and Boards” invites all League members to provide feedback to arrive at consensus as the next step in the study process. This year-long study includes research on the composition, recruitment, orientation, and role of City Council-appointed commissioners and a report. The goal of this study was to identify current practices and suggestions/best practices in equitable representation for Boards and Commissions appointed by the City Councils of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, and Roseville. Here is the attached letter and report. (A print copy has been sent to members who traditionally receive print materials.) After hearing a summary presentation and participating in discussion, members will have the opportunity to vote on the following question: "Should LWVRA recommend that our cities’ boards and commissions broadly reflect the diversity of their population, including race, ethnicity, gender, income, age, and other aspects of diversity?"

Please participate via Zoom on Monday, May 24, 7:00 p.m. at this link: https://lwvmn-org.zoom.us/j/93171333608?pwd=Yi9mSHRCSGtlbEdXQU5qNzkrRm1hZz09.

Greetings, Fellow Leaguers!

Once again this year's Annual Meeting will be held on the Zoom platform.  In anticipation of the meeting we have prepared our Annual Report  This year has been a full year of Zoom meetings and no in-person contact with our colleagues.  While we miss seeing your faces, we have been able to advance the programs and issues important to all of us.  The report details all the activities we have participated in. 

The Annual Report can be viewed here. The action items for this year's meeting consist of:

The Council of Metropolitan Area Leagues of Women Voters (CMAL) 2021 Annual Meeting and Program will be held on May 8, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Program guest speakers: Anoka County Commissioner Mandy Meisner and Ramsey County Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt. Topic: County Government Visibility and Accountability. The business meeting will follow immediately after the program.

LWVMN Firearms Update Study Committee presents speaker Joshua Horwitz, J.D., Executive Director of The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence in Washington D.C and co-author of Guns, Democracy and the Insurrectionist Idea. Horwitz speaks, via Zoom, on the topic: Domestic Terrorism in the U.S. and Minnesota. Also speaking is John Choi, Ramsey County Attorney who provides local perspective on firearm issues and how they’re dealt with. Presented April 27, 2021.  View on our YouTube channel.