LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS GRAND TRAVERSE AREA
In February of 1960 a group of women in the Grand Traverse area received a Provisional Charter to form a local League of Women Voters. Once it was established, the League ladies donned their tennis shoes...and hit the deck running. They studied local issues, held public meetings and reached consensus on issues at the National, State and local levels of the LWV organization. Major efforts were made to support a proposed state Constitutional Convention which was approved in 1963. The League was also active in voter service, holding candidate forums, distributing voter guides, giving voting machine demonstrations, getting out the vote and encouraging registration.
In 1963 the local League was sued for a million dollars by Dan Smoot, a conservative television talk show host from Dallas Texas over comments made by Margot Power, President of the League in the Voter newsletter. Smoot was a politically conservative and often made accusations against activities the LWVGTA supported including the United Nations, foreign aid and income taxes. Power's article accused Smoot of making comments that were poorly researched. It would have served Mr. Smoot well to have paid heed to a 1964 Wall Street Journal article that said "To differ with the League is to differ with motherhood and the flag." Eventually Mr. Smoot had to drop his case but not until it reached the Supreme Court of the United States. Thus the League began its nonpartisan political participation in Grand Traverse Area with a great deal of publicity and courage.
Women of the League took trips by canoe down the Boardman River and donned heavy boots and gloves to help clean it up and preserve it. In 1967 the League's interests broadened when it joined the Lake Michigan Interleague Organization and co-sponsored with NMC a six week symposium entitled "Preserving Environmental Quality in the Grand Traverse Area."
Meanwhile men made many contributions to the development of the local League and in 1974 the national league recognized these contributions when they allowed men to join as full voting members. Our local League welcomed men even before Rotary admitted women.
In 1967 and 2001, the League hosted the state convention. In 1968, the League took part in a state-wide drive to place a Constitutional Amendment regarding judicial selection and tenure. The drive fell short of signatures needed but the League has continued to make judicial reform a top priority state-wide and in 2008 held a forum entitled "Courting Trouble" which called for promoting "public financing" for candidates seeking election to Michigan's Supreme Court.
In 2000 permission was granted to the League to change its basis of organization to include the counties of Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Antrim, Benzie and Kalkaska. The Benzie unit met weekly during the school year. The Leelanau unit developed in 2008 and has conducted studies of clean energy resources, farmland preservation and agricultural migrant workers but then in 2013 decided to be their own League.
Grand Traverse and Manistee Leagues co-sponsored an event in 2008 showing the HBO film "Iron Jawed Angels" at the newly renovated State Theatre in Traverse City. A reception at the nearby Park Place Hotel honored former first lady of Michigan, Helen Milliken.
Voter service which includes candidate forums, voter guides and registration drives continues to be a crucial part of the Leagues activities. The League also puts out a "They Represent You" publication each year for Grand Traverse and Kalkaska Counties. These publications include a list of important election dates, government officials and voter information. LWV-GTA has held candidate forums for every level of government from townships and school boards to the governor. During the 90's LWVGTA held the only gubernatorial debates in Northern Michigan.
The League has been a strong advocate of libraries for several decades. During the 1980's and 90's the Library Action created awareness of the need for a new public library to meet the needs of citizens in the area. In the 1996 it spearheaded a successful millage to fund the building of the Traverse Area District Library (TADL) on Woodmere Avenue. In recent years the League has also conducted studies on Public and School Libraries and charter schools as well as presented numerous informational forums about local issues such as preservation of water resources, dark money, Public Transportation, county and city government.
Written by Barb Berry, President LWVGTA 2007-2009