LTE – Your Civic Engagement Is Showing

By TARIN NIX
LWVLA Membership Chair
 
After spending nearly a decade working and living in over a dozen states, I am often questioned about my decision to relocate my life and business to Los Alamos. I never wavered in my choice because I knew what was out there. From Austin to Miami to Portland and in between, I had experienced some of the best and worst our country had to offer and what I found in Los Alamos was something different.

Whether it is the outstanding public schools, countless nonprofits, prolific thinkers, or the level of safety and security you feel when you live on the Hill, I have never taken this community for granted. 

These great opportunities exist because we are fortunate enough to have dedicated community leaders and organizations that devote thousands of hours to reinvesting in Los Alamos. Yet I am constantly reminded of the reality that our clubs, organizations, and county government are hindered by an extreme lack of civic engagement. 

In the last election, 58 percent of voters under the age of 50 stayed home and only a handful of those who voted have taken the steps to get involved in our town. With so many amazing groups around town to get involved in, why haven’t you yet?

While participation on any level is encouraged, there is only one organization that proactively watches every level of government, works toward social and legislative change, and provides residents with a consistent source of information and engagement. That organization is the League of Women Voters of Los Alamos (LWVLA) and we want you to join!

The LWVLA is a nonpartisan organization that welcomes men and women of all ages. Not only does LWVLA host legislative town halls, debates, and forums but we engage at the local and state level to pass resolutions to protect the environment, keep money out of politics, defend public education, protect voting rights, and many more.

Membership with the LWVLA can mean whatever you want.  Whether it is joining to receive a monthly overview of everything happening at the county level, to get involved in our studies on topics directly affecting Los Alamos, or just to donate to a good cause, the LWVLA is always looking new members.

Interested in checking us out? Join us at 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, April 19 at the Mesa Public Library for our monthly Lunch With A Leader program featuring the always entertaining and well informed Gene Grant from PBS’s New Mexico In Focus series. 

Can’t make it out on the 19th but still want to get involved? Visit us online at www.LWVLosAlamos.org.

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