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Voters League May Disband

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By MIKE SALINERO

msalinero@tampatrib.com

Published: February 16, 2009

TAMPA - The League of Women Voters, which launched the careers of some of Hillsborough County's most prominent female politicians, has fallen on hard times.

The nonpartisan group, which traces its local roots to the Truman administration, is having trouble attracting new blood and getting current members to stay engaged. The group's situation is so dire it will decide at a Feb. 26 meeting whether to disband the Hillsborough chapter.

"The membership is going to have to make key decisions," said former President Michael McKinney. "Are we going to disband or are we going to recommit to the league values and goals and try to bring it back to its glorious past?"

Best known for its candidate forums and presidential debates, the league also works on a host of "good-government" issues, ranging from environmental sustainability to fairer voter districting. In the 1970s, the Hillsborough affiliate was a springboard for successful female candidates who ran as reformers. The group included Helen Gordon Davis, who became the county's first female state legislator, and Betty Castor and Fran Davin, Hillsborough's first female commissioners.

But the group has struggled in recent years. Attendance at league events has declined and more and more of the group's work has been shouldered by a small but dedicated leadership core.

Mary Figg, a former league president who served in the state House from 1982 to 1992, said the group may be a victim of women's success in the work place.

"When the league was strongest, women were not so prominent in the workplace, especially professional women," Figg said. "The league became a place for women to educate themselves about government and candidates and voting. As more and more women become a part of the workplace, fewer and fewer women had time to devote to an organization like the League of Women voters."

Others, like current President Linda D'Aquila, say the problem is the economy.

"People are looking at how much they have to spend on dues and professional associations," D'Aquila said. "Is this something people want to spend their money on? I think it's happening all over, not just with the league."

The league's fiscal year ends in June, D'Aquila said, so members must decide its future soon.

Also on the Feb. 26 agenda: merging with league affiliates in Pasco and Pinellas counties.

The local league affiliate goes back to the Tampa chapter's founding in 1949. Through the 1950s the group backed issues like urban development, fair property tax distribution and water conservation.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the league enjoyed success registering new voters, but failed in its attempt to get both houses of the Legislature to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

In 2006, the league's state leadership discontinued one of its signature activities, voter registration drives, after the Legislature passed tough restrictions on how groups sign up voters.

Registrations resumed last year after a federal judge narrowed the Florida law to limit the exposure of voter registration groups to fines.

Some members contend the league is needed now more than ever. Former President Dena Leavengood said the poor and powerless suffer disproportionately during hard economic times and need groups like the league to make sure government officials are fair and honest.

"The league has positions on a lot of issue that protect a lot of people," Leavengood said. "When the economy is tight and budgets are being cut and decisions are being made about who will win and who will lose in terms of funding, I think the league is a good resource for elected officials."

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