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The Lafayette League in the News

"Women Power"
The Times of Acadiana, July 23, 2008
By Chere Coen

The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920. Six months before that historic vote on Aug. 18, when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment effectively making it law, a group of women met at the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

One of those women, Carrie Chapman Catt, created a "mighty political experiment" to help women in what would be their new roles as voters. Catt organized the League of Women Voters, a group that would remain non-partisan but help educate voters and shape public policy, according to the League's Web site.

Since then, the League of Women Voters has worked to improve schools, immunize children, expand public transportation, host discussions on elections and public policy and encourage the electorate to be educated and vote, among many other issues.

In Lafayette, a newly reorganized League focuses on voter services (voter registration, election schedules online, etc.), voter education (candidate forums) and programs of policy and study. Last year's program to examine Lafayette Parish school facilities and the subsequent "State of Our Schools" video and written study resulted in the Lafayette Parish School Board creating the Community Coalition for Lafayette Schools to further study the problem.

After months of meetings, the Coalition gave its report to the School Board earlier this month that detailed $215 million in maintenance and construction projects, with solutions to the myriad problems.

"We surveyed (League) members and education was their No. 1 interest," said Thetis Cusimano, president of the League of Women Voters of Lafayette. "The school facilities, the buildings themselves, have been declining and that was our No. 1 effort."

Some League members who participated in the study visited the parish's schools, videotaping many of the dilapidated buildings for the DVD produced by professional filmmaker and League volunteer Mihaela Dinu, along with Layne St. Julien, League secretary. The 10-minute DVD shows several buildings with leaky or moldy ceilings and walls, cracks in foundations, overcrowded buildings and restrooms and portables without covered walkways for young children.

"This was our first effort in the world of movies," Cusimano said with a smile.
In the DVD, Carroll Baudoin, president of Concerned Citizens of Lafayette, explained that 25 percent of the Lafayette Parish facilities are in portables, Lafayette is third in per capita income in Louisiana but 26 parishes have higher property tax mileage and 13 parishes have higher sales tax, plus 15 parishes spend more money per student than Lafayette Parish.

“I personally believe that everyone in Lafayette Parish is responsible,” Baudoin said. "They own a responsibility to have the very best schools in the state.”

Since the League study, 82 members joined together to form the Community Coalition for Lafayette Schools, including Cusimano, who chairs the Future Buildings Project Subcommittee. Members include Chairwoman Sarah Walker and members of municipal government, police and fire departments, civic organizations, educational and teacher's organizations, businessmen and women and post-secondary groups, among others.

“We had a lot of very busy and very involved people,” Cusimano said. “It was all people who care and want Lafayette to be a thriving community.”

Which is exactly what the League had hoped to do, Cusimano explained.

“We look at the Lafayette community and where our League could do our best locally,” she said, adding that community dialogue is the first step to improving the community. “If you want people to vote, you have to care about what you vote about.”

Last year, the League also studied “the best practices for using a community-owned fiber-to- the-home project to make Lafayette an inclusive, digitally advanced community.” In other words, the League hopes to insure that the fiber project of Lafayette Utilities System helps to encourage and increase literary across all economic boundaries, be available to non-profits, colleges and businesses and provide a “lifelong education and access to knowledge,” among other concerns.

“Because computers are so important for literacy,” Cusimano said, “the League encouraged LUS and assisted in discussions towards a baseline survey for Lafayette.” The survey will be created by UL to better understand best practices for a community-funded fiber system, she said.

“A lot of people — national and international — are looking at Lafayette. It has enormous potential.”

The League will make statements, even though they maintain a nonpartisan stand and do not endorse candidates. For instance, the League wrote a letter to the City-Parish President Joey Durel and administrators of UL to encourage the city's buyout of the UL Horse Farm for open space.

On all issues, however, the League must do a study first, Cusimano explained.

“The strength of the League is it gives access to parties, it goes against political feelings to issues, that people can come together to do action, to benefit Lafayette Parish,” she said. “That's what we hope for. And it's all based on researched information.”

"Hopefuls respond to issues on Web"
Lafayatte Daily Advertiser, October 6, 2007 (Original Link)
By Amanda McElfresh
amcelfresh@theadvertiser.com

Most candidates for the City-Parish Council have answered questions about major issues on the League of Women Voters of Lafayette Web site.

The topics include how to solve transportation problems, the Lafayette in a Century plan, smart growth, community development, drainage, impact fees, green space, disaster planning and medical care.

"One of our main missions is to disseminate information at the time of elections," said Richard Cusimano, chairman of the voter service committee for the league. "These are what we felt were the major issues facing Lafayette Parish and the state of Louisiana at this point in time."

The League of Women Voters also asked state House and Senate candidates about home insurance, health care, women's rights, school vouchers and ethics.

"This is a watershed election," Cusimano said. "We're looking at unprecedented growth in Lafayette Parish, most of it caused by the dislocation of people following the two hurricanes.