Vice President’s Message

June 2025

Message from Judy Kelly, Vice President – Action + Community Engagement

This space in the monthly newsletter usually carries a message from our president, Jean McGuire. Since she is away for a couple of weeks this month, she asked if I would share some thoughts instead.

I’m just finishing up my first six months as an officer of the League of Women Voters of Lincoln-Lancaster County. It has been an intense, exciting, inspirational, and delightful half-year. In December, we did a quick, six-week signature campaign with partners including Nebraska Appleseed, Civic Nebraska, and others to get the Source of Income discrimination ban on the May 2025 ballot. Success! In January, we held our first meeting of the Elder Care Study group, a new LWVNE study led Carol Hinkle and Scott Larson. On Track! By February we were in discussion with 10/11 NOW to partner with LWVLL on Lincoln City Election Candidates Forums. Accomplished! In March—for reasons I’m not sure I can explain—I offered to chair the 2025-2026 Budget Committee in preparation for the LWVLL Annual Meeting. Volunteered! We held a Consensus Meeting for LWVLL members on the LWVUS Federal Judiciary Study so our voices are part of forming the League’s position. Heard! I also participated for the first time as a presenter at the LWVLL Annual Meeting, speaking on Program Planning and the Budget. Whew! As of May, I had attended several of Rachel Gibson’s extraordinary Sunday evening “Session on the Sessions” and feel as if I am finally following the discussion. Attained!

Many of you have been on this jam-packed journey with me, and I value every time we connected. I am awed by the brilliance, generosity, and compassion of the women and men I’ve had the privilege to get to know. Thank you. What’s next?