JULY/AUG NEWSLETTER
Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy

     

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Table of Contents
-- President's Message
-- New York State ERA FAQs
-- Huntington League Supports Leaf Blower Ban
-- Spotlight on Jayette Lansbury
-- Welcome New Director Jeri Cohen

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     President's Message
 
By Lizbeth Thalheimer

Happy summer everyone. We had our annual meeting last month and voted in a new board. My plan was to step down after 4 years as president, but no one was prepared to take on the presidency at this time. So I will be staying on through December. This general election is so critical, and I want to do my part.

The summer is usually a quiet time for us, but that's not the case this summer. We are already working hard and discussing the New York State Equal Rights Amendment every chance we get. In one afternoon at the Northport Pridefest we talked about it to a ton of people and handed out dozens of flyers. My personal goal is to reach thousands!

Voter registration ahead of the election is also a priority. We are fostering relationships with many organizations and will be contacting them in the fall to set up registration drives. Our hope is to reach out, educate, and register 100s of people before the general election in the fall. We'll be reaching out to all our members for your help. Meanwhile, stay cool, and make your plan to vote!

From L-R: Deb Cosher, Joanna Ferrante, Lizbeth Thalheimer, Isabelle Pullis, Mary Perri, Barbara Raisch

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    New York State ERA FAQs
 

Equality for New Yorkers is On the Ballot This November

New York State has had an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as part of the state Constitution since the 1930s. So why will there be another ERA on the ballot this November? Here are frequently asked questions about the proposal:

  • Q - What does the existing NY ERA cover?
  • A - It currently bans discrimination based on race, color, creed or religion.
  • Q - Who is not covered?
  • A - Pregnant New Yorkers, women, LGBTQIA+ people, those with disabilities, older adults, and people from different countries and cultures.
  • Q - How would the proposed amendment change that?
  • A - It would add explicit protection for pregnant New Yorkers, women, LGBTQIA+ people, those with disabilities, older adults, and people from different countries and cultures.
  • Q - Does this proposal have particular relevance to the gutting of Roe v. Wade?
  • A - Yes. It would protect against any government actions that would curtail a person's reproductive autonomy or their access to reproductive health care. According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, the ERA would, for the first time, explicitly include language to clarify that discrimination based on a person's pregnancy or pregnancy outcome is sex discrimination - an essential clarification given the national trend of criminalizing people for various pregnancy outcomes, as well as the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.
  • Q - How did it get on the ballot?
  • A - In January, the New York legislature passed the ERA in its second consecutive session, officially bringing the amendment to New Yorkers for ratification on the 2024 November ballot.

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    Huntington League Supports Leaf Blower Ban
 
Issues & Advocacy Committee.

Public Hearing Held July 9

The Directors of the Huntington League adopted a statement in May calling for the Town of Huntington to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. On July 9, at 2 pm at Huntington Town Hall, the Town Council heard public comments about a proposal that would phase in such a ban. As proposed by Council Members Dave DeBernardo and Sal Ferro, next year no one could use a gas blower between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and for the rest of the year, not before 8 am or after 5pm. In 2026, use of gas-powered blowers would be banned completely. Some landscapers already use battery-powered blowers instead.

Issues & Advocacy committee member Frances Whittelsey spoke at the hearing on behalf of the League.

The League statement says that gas blowers . . . "endanger public health and cause air pollution that contributes to climate change and poor air quality in our neighborhoods."

Click here to read more > >


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   Spotlight on Jayette Lansbury
 

"Everyone Deserves a Second Chance"

Jayette Lansbury traveled to Albany more than two dozen times during the just-concluded legislative session, part of her long effort to reform what she calls "a system of perpetual punishment that keeps people trapped in prison." Among those people is her son, who is both on the autism spectrum and has mental illness and has been incarcerated for 26 years.

Jayette has been a member of the Huntington chapter's Issues and Advocacy Committee for 10 years. Her focus is the criminal justice system and its intersection with mental illness. She is also a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Suffolk County, a member of the NY State Psychiatric Correctional Advisory Committee, the Huntington Task Force on Disabilities, the Huntington Women's Advisory Council and a Regional Coordinator for the Alliance for Rights & Recovery.

Click here to read more > >


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    League Welcomes New Director Jeri Cohen
 

Jeri Cohen, a leading librarian in Suffolk County, has joined the Huntington League's Board of Directors. She will serve as a new co-secretary with Kay Sato.

Jeri was a librarian at the Patchogue-Medford Library for almost 20 years, retiring in July 2022. She was Head of Teen Services and Manager of the Carnegie Library Teen Center and is proud of leading the work to earn the library's certification as a sustainable library. She has served as Secretary, Vice-President, and President of the Suffolk County Library Association, and as Secretary of the Paumanok Weavers Guild of Long Island. She is a therapy dog handler and is currently completing the training to become a therapy dog team evaluator. She lives in Commack with her husband and her dog. Welcome to the League, Jeri!

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