Columbia Area League
of
Women Voters
Post Office Box 12541
Columbia, SC 29211
Phone: 803-665-1768
Mission
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization,
encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in
government, works
to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences
public policy through education and advocacy.
Board of Directors
Co-President (Public): Pamela Craig
Co-President (Paper): Suzanne Rhodes
E-mail: suzrhodes@juno.com
Vice President: Linda Byrum
Secretary: Carol Kososki
Treasurer: Janie White
Directors: LaBruce Alexander, Ellen Blundy, Gladys
Coles, Kate Hampton, Sarah Leverette, Beverly Ozburn, Mullen Taylor
General Information
The League was founded in 1920 after the ratification of the 19th
Amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vote. The
League of Women Voters of the United States was formed to urge women to
use their new franchise to become knowledgeable about political issues.
The League promotes citizen political responsibility by encouraging
informed and active participation of citizens in government. The League
works in support of governmental issues following study and consensus
by the membership. The League’s purposes and nonpartisan policy have
remained essentially unchanged since it was organized in 1920.
Membership is open to all citizens of voting age. The Columbia
Area League of Women Voters was formed in 1947.
The League takes positions on issues at the national, state, and
local levels. The national and state positions are listed on attached
pages.
The local positions are as follows:
LOCAL PROGRAM
Local
Government:
1. Support Richland
County/Municipal consolidation: promote
efforts to merge and combine appropriate city and county functions.
2. Support the establishment of unified government
planning to formulate, promote, and implement orderly and responsible
land use, growth, and
development in Richland County and its municipalities.
3. Support a continuation of single member districts
and at-large representation (i.e., the 4-2-1 plan) on Columbia City
Council.
4. Support the mayor/council/city manager form
of city government, implemented in accordance with the following
criteria:
-
development of a long-range plan for the city's future
-
assurance that the city council, as the policy-making branch of
government, works closely with the adminstrative branch
-
identification of a liaison between policy-makers and adminstration to
provide clear direction to the adminstrative branch
-
employment of trained and qualified staff to assure best practices of
financing and budgeting
-
maintenance of checks and balances, non-partisanship and diverse
representation of city council
-
involvement of citizens through open meetings, media reporting, and
accessible records
-
prompt response to citizen requests for service
-
coordination among agencies and among all levels of government
5. Support
transportation position of
LWVSC with action focused on increasing the visibility, adequate
funding, and
use of the developing public
transportation system in the Midlands.
Waste Management:
- Support government
initiatives for variable rate garbage collection systems and other
source-reduction strategies.
- Support local procurement
policies requiring preferences for recycled products.
- Support governmental
responsibility for the collection and safe disposal of household
hazardous waste.