Minutes from the January 9, 2012 6:30 pm
Meeting of
The mission of the
Amy
began the meeting at 6:35pm. Neighbors introduced themselves and said where
they lived.
Mary Kae Nelsen, from the League of
Women Voters presented information on the new Voter ID Law. She stated that Dr.
Lee, a professor from UWM stated that in 2011, many citizens became more aware
of their government. The League of Women Voters since early in the 20th century, has worked on many different areas where a position
is formed. They share information with the community, lobby, and support and
oppose legislation. They have been around for 92 years. They do not support a
political party or person. It is a non-partisan, but still political
organization. The Women League of Women Voters opposed the Voter ID bill.
Nelsen stated that the bill hurts the elderly, poor, and those without an ID.
There have been about 20 people that have voted improperly, a small amount of
the total who vote in an election. People can register to vote election day, but you are encouraged to register early,
because you can make sure you have a proper ID and proof of address. Having a
neighbor with you to say you live at the address is no longer acceptable.
Nelsen said that voting is a right and checking out a book with an ID is a
privilege.
There
is a way to check to see if your name is on the registered list before you
vote. Please see this link.
https://vpa.wi.gov/
It is
a good idea to have more than one proof of an ID and address when you register
to vote.
You
can use a driver's license to vote if it was expired,
it needs to be in valid during the last presidential election.
Nelsen stated there is a lawsuit pending regarding the Voter ID
Law because in the Wisconsin Constitution. It says that all people over 18 have
the right to vote, unless you are a convicted felon on supervision or on
"paper", and/or had a judge rule that you are incompetent to vote.
Alderman Michael Murphy stated that at 809 N Broadway you can
get your birth certificate from the Milwaukee Health Department for free.
Murphy stated that the Voter ID Law will affect turnout. He stated that we have
a tiny percentage that voted illegally. Nine million will be spend on the
implementation.
Murphy said that the recycling schedule will be looked at.
Neighbors can ask for an additional cart for free. 136,000 carts are being
changed in phases over time to single sort (put all recycling in one bin,
not two). There is a project at 60th and
Thirty three million from 5 major banks will be used in the City
of
Handouts and information about the Voter ID Law were passed out
to neighbors.
Wahl said that neighbors were recognized at the Police
District 3 Level for their contribution to the Martin Drive Neighborhood
Association Block Representative duties "block watch". Neighbors were
recognized tonight who could not attend the December 15th Recognition Dinner.
The
neighborhood agreed that they wanted to help get the word out on the Voter ID
Law and help to get neighbors to register to vote.
Amy stated that she would like to help form a group to help
landlords to recognize the importance supporting a good neighborhood. Pat,
Maggie and Amy met and wrote a letter that can be used as a template to contact
tenants and landlords who are a nuisance to the neighborhood. Anyone that is
interested in forming this group can email martin-drive@yahoogroups.com
Neighbors talked about helping support neighbors on
Noise
complaints must be verified by the police. PO Kong stated that holiday parties
in the summer are not permission to make noise.
In March there will be a meeting for planning events for 2012.
Neighbors are encouraged to join neighborhood projects or think up of ones that
the neighborhood can help "you" support. A new idea last year was the
outdoor movie. New ideas are encouraged.
Pat please add/correct add any information here for your
report.
Last year for the Bloom and Groom Project, there were
presold orders, but we sold those and all the extras. Flower flats were
sold for $2-4 and somehow we made $84. There are only two Lowes stores open
now. There may be two weekends used for the project. Decorative grass
perennials could be sold this year. Plans for this years'
Bloom and Groom are not final. Please look for updates.
John Gurda will talk about the History
of Milwaukee's
There was a discussion about the borders of the Martin Drive Neighborhood
Association. Amy stated that we will discuss this at our next meeting in March
(12th, 6:30pm at the