PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sandra Slifer at 985-875-9388 or 985-285-3552 or sandraslifer@gmail.com
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERSŪ ANNUAL MEETING IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
ROBERT CERASOLI TO BE GUEST SPEAKER
The League of Women VotersŪ of St. Tammany Annual Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 30 at the La Provence Restaurant in Lacombe (Big Branch), 25020 Hwy 190, 5:30 + 9:00 p.m.
The guest speaker is Robert Cerasoli, the first Inspector General for the City of New Orleans.
The duties of any Inspector General are to investigate fraud, waste, and corruption in government and those entities that receive public funding. Cerasoli is known as the father of the Association of Inspectors General because he was the first-ever Inspector General for any state government (Massachusetts) and served for the maximum two terms from 1991-2001. He has spent more than two decades teaching ethics, auditing, oversight, financial management, and anti-corruption practices. From 2001 until he was hired by the City of New Orleans, he was engaged by the U.S. Department of State traveling to developing countries world-wide, particularly Africa, to educate the governments on the role of an Inspector General. Cerasoli has received many accolades throughout his many years of public service, including the 2001 Fraud Fighter of the Year Award from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Greater Boston Chapter.
The dinner is $35 for League members and $40 for non-members.RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED For more information, please contact Jeannine Meeds at 626-8464 or visit our web site at http://www.lwvst.info. Please mail your checks to Eileen Rollman at 315 Lafitte Street, Mandeville, LA 70448 no later than April 20 since seating is limited.
ARE THERE FORESTS IN ST. TAMMANY'S FUTURE?
PANEL DISCUSSION MONDAY, JUNE 25 3-5PM AT KOOP DRIVE
As St. Tammany transitions from a rural to an urban area what will happen to the huge timber tracts in the middle and northern sections of our parish? What are the current land clearing regulations? And what are the upcoming changes for smaller, individually owned woodlands in our own neighborhoods?
A panel discussion about forestry and tree issues will take place Monday, June 25 from 3p.m. to 5p.m. at the Parish Council Chambers at 21490 Koop Drive in Mandeville. The public is invited to participate in the discussion which is hosted by the League of Women Voters of St. Tammany and the newly-formed St. Tammany Forestry Association. The event will also be taped for later broadcast on Access St. Tammany (Charter Communications Channel 10).
Panelists include Brian Chandler, LSU Ag Center- Southeastern Area Forester, Louisette Kidd, Director of Planning for the City of Mandeville, Clifton Siverd, Sr., Vice-President of the St. Tammany Homebuilders Association, and C.A. "Buck" Vandersteen, Executive Director of the Louisiana Forestry Association. The forum will be moderated by Jeannine Meeds, 2nd Vice President of the League and a St. Tammany tree farmer.
Hurricane Katrina's winds toppled thousands of trees causing millions of dollars of casualty losses to homes and businesses. Forest land-owners surveyed millions of board feet of pine and hardwood unsalvaged on the ground. In the aftermath of the storm event, many homeowners denuded their lots, beetles and salt water inundation killed more trees, huge housing developments planned for previously-forested land mean more acres are forever lost to tree farming.
The forum will discuss trends in technology and the broader market which influence demand for trees locally. We will examine land use and planning policies which effect harvesting practices in our parish. Can tree huggers and tree cutters have the same goals?
The wooded landscape has always been one of the most attractive aspects of life in St. Tammany. But with so many factors working against trees and forestry it's time to ask "Are there forests in our future?"
NOTE: The League of Women Voters of St. Tammany is a non-partisan political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government. The St. Tammany Forestry Association is an alliance of land owners and forestry professionals whose goal is to promote better forestry management and utilization.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Covington voters are invited to attend The Covington Candidates' Forum, sponsored by The League of Women Voters of St. Tammany, American Association of University Women-St. Tammany Chapter, and the Greater Covington Civic Association, scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 beginning at 7:00 P.M. The forum will be held at the Greater Covington Center in the Bogue Falaya Room located at 317 North Jefferson.
Voters residing in the 7th District Parish Council District (Lacombe, parts of Mandeville and Abita Springs) are invited to attend The 7th District Parish Council Candidates' Forum, sponsored by The League of Women Voters of St. Tammany, American Association of University Women-St. Tammany Chapter, and the Bayou Lacombe Chamber, scheduled for Monday, March 12 beginning at 7:00 P.M. The forum will be held at the Bayou Lacombe Middle School Gymnasium located at 27527 Saint Joseph Street. This is a special election and the winning candidate will have to face voters again in the October 2007 election when all of the parish-wide elected offices are on the ballot.
Audience members are encouraged to write down their questions and turn them in at the forum. Also, the candidates have been asked to respond to a series of questions in writing. The candidates' written responses may be picked up at the forum, the Covington Library, or be down-loaded from the League of Women Voters of St. Tammany website, http://www.lwvst.info. All three organizations are non-partisan and will not be making any endorsements. For more information, please contact Sandra Slifer at 985-875-9388.
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