By Patrick Finnegan, Advocacy Committee Co-Chair

The Advocacy Steering Committee launched a short survey of LWVSP membership to gauge which policy issues members believe to be most important in St. Paul. Participants were asked to select their top 5 issues from a longer list. An optional second question asked why the respondent chose the issues they did.

We received 51 responses, representing approximately 1/3 of our membership. Our respondents overwhelmingly found basic needs and quality of life issues to be most urgent, but also expressed robust concern about immigration issues (federal enforcement) and gun policy. 

These survey results are consistent with concerns expressed by members of the public at our two candidate forums earlier this year (as measured by submitted questions). The Advocacy Steering Committee will discuss the survey results in the context of the League's national policy positions -- as elaborated in the League's Impact on Issues 2024-26 policy guide -- to see how they apply to St. Paul and Ramsey County. 
 
If you are interested in joining the Advocacy Committee, please send an email to Nona Beining and/or Patrick Finnegan – Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs – at advocacy.lwvsp@gmail.com.

By Pamela Mercier, Voter Service Committee Co-Chair

The Voter Service Committee finished its fall work at Keystone Community Center in November. Registering and educating potential voters at the food shelf was a worthwhile and rewarding experience for the many volunteers who joined us there. We learned much about how food shelves work and we developed a strong relationship with the staff. The work they do is a great benefit to the community. We intend to expand our work to include other food shelf organizations in 2026.

Our efforts to educate and register voters at Keystone was a success. We adapted our strategies to this context by focusing as much on education – through conversations and the distribution of materials – as on actual registrations. Most people engaged readily with us in meaningful conversations about voting. At the same time, we are thinking about developing other effective ways to share our messages with individuals who receive this vital service. We will ask the food shelf to have voting information on display more permanently. We’ve also discussed having voting information inserted into food shelf visitors’ bags.

We met with leaders at the Teen Center Program at Keystone Community Services. A teacher there is developing a unit on Civic Engagement for her students. We shared resources and ideas with her, which will likely be part of this programming in early 2026.

We also continue our work in the schools. In December, we are offering voter registration and education at Twin Cities Academy, a Saint Paul charter school. We will table at the school’s “Senior Night,” where we will invite students and families to learn more about voting and to register to vote if needed.

On Sunday, November 23, we had our bimonthly Voter Service Committee Meeting online. We reviewed our work this fall and received lively feedback from participants. We also discussed ideas for 2026 in food shelves, schools, senior communities, and other places.

The 2026 midterm elections are less than a year away. November 2026 will be as big an election time in Saint Paul as elsewhere in the nation. We will be very busy educating voters on the voting process, as well as helping to register eligible voters. Needless to say there will be many volunteer opportunities next year!

Chris and I want to heartily thank all the volunteers who rose to the challenge of educating and registering voters this fall! You do tremendous work helping to grow the voting community in Saint Paul.

Our next Voter Service Committee meeting will be in January 2026. Stay tuned for updates.

Morning Book Club

On November 12, 2025, Morning Book Club members gathered to discuss The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson, which recounts the five months between Abraham Lincoln's election to the U.S. presidency in November 1860, and the Confederate shelling of Fort Sumter in April 1861, which ignited the American Civil War. Larson uses diaries and secret communiqués to explore the human drama behind the political crisis. The book focuses on the escalating tensions in Charleston, South Carolina, following secession. Key figures include President-elect Lincoln, the radical secessionist Edmund Ruffin, planter's wife Mary Boykin Chesnut, and, central to the conflict, Major Robert Anderson, the Union commander trying to hold Fort Sumter against immense pressure. Larson reveals how a series of miscommunications and miscalculations among political and military leaders pushed an already divided nation past the brink and into catastrophe.

Our group discussed how people had picnics watching the shelling of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, viewing it as a spectacle at first. The cause of the Civil War was the South seceding because of slavery. Mary Chesnut was quite the character. She wrote in her diary every day about life in Charleston. Major Robert Anderson, Commander of the fort, was full of anxiety. Communications were poor between D.C. and the fort. Most people thought the Civil War would be over fast, but it wasn’t and many people lost their lives.

Our next book is The Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics by Michael Osterholm. We’ll discuss it at our next meeting on December 10th at 10:00 a.m. at the Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Parkway.

By Pamela Mercier

The League of Women Voters of St. Paul urges its members and all Minnesotans to oppose the Medicaid and SNAP changes enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act. Our local league has studied the likely impacts of the OBBB Act on Ramsey County, and we want to raise awareness of the disastrous consequences this law will have on our county’s residents. While voter registration and outreach are the cornerstone of the League’s work, we also study and take positions on key policy issues. The League is nonpartisan, but we are not neutral on issues that deeply affect people’s lives.

The national League (LWVUS) and our Minnesota state League (LWVMN) have both proclaimed their vehement opposition to the OBBB Act. In a resource provided to League members, LWVUS wrote,

The law makes massive cuts to vital services, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; formerly food stamps). It will make it harder for children, parents, pregnant people, seniors, and people with disabilities to enroll in and keep the benefits they need to survive. It is estimated to leave 11.8 million more people uninsured by 2034.

To which LWVMN added,

If all the provisions of the Federal OBBB Act are enacted, the Minnesota Department of Human Services estimates that up to 253,000 Minnesotans could lose Medicaid Coverage and 45,000 could lose their SNAP food benefits.

These are drastic, damaging, and cruel cuts. The law is likely to have additional ripple effects. For example, some health clinics and hospitals, reliant on Medicaid payments, may be forced to close, especially in rural areas where healthcare access may already be limited. Some healthcare workers may lose their jobs, and homeowners may see their property taxes increase significantly. In Ramsey County, for example, the County Manager has proposed a 9.75% percent increase in property taxes in 2026 to mitigate the loss of federal funding, with another 7.5% increase set to follow in 2027. Property tax hikes are likely to occur across the state as Minnesota counties grapple with how to continue vital services. 

Our League has action recommendations for Ramsey County residents and other County residents throughout Minnesota in response to the coming harmful effects of this law.

First, get informed. Read about the law at the LWVUS website and through credible news sources. Other actions include attending County Commission meetings; engaging with County Commissioners directly; and reading your County’s OBBB Act reports. These actions may enlighten you about the deeply damaging days ahead for Medicaid and SNAP services in Minnesota.

It behooves all of us to carefully disentangle facts and disinformation about this Law. Some residents might lose their Medicaid benefits not from direct funding cuts – cuts that some representatives may claim will not happen – but from new administrative barriers to enrollment and reporting that those who are eligible may be unable to navigate.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Icelandic women's strike, LWVSP hosted a screening of the award-winning film, The Day Iceland Stood Still, followed by an inspiring panel discussion. Over 300 people joined us at The O'Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University for an energizing evening of robust conversation and delicious Vineterta (Icelandic cake with prune filling). Special thanks to LWVSP member Christine Sarkes for her outstanding outreach and organizations skills, which made it all possible!

Christine coordinated with the filmmakers, arranged the venue, and brought together a spectacular group of panelists to speak after the screening, as well as co-sponsors to support and promote the event. We extend our HEARTFELT THANKS to everyone who made this event possible!

Thank you to our panelists: Jean Marie Entenza, Iceland's Honorary Consul to Minnesota; Kari Shogren, President, Icelandic Hekla Club; Thorunn Bjarnadottir, participant in the strike from 1975; Gloria Perez, CEO and President, Women's Foundation of Minnesota; and Beatrice Owen, LWVSP President and panel Moderator.

We also extend gratitude to our generous co-sponsors: the American Association of University Women (Minneapolis and St. Paul chapters); the Icelandic Hekla Club; the Honorary Consul of Iceland in Minnesota; the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center; Women's March Minnesota; Women Make Movies; St. Catherine University; and our fellow Leaguers at the League of Women Voters Minneapolis.

By Pamela Mercier

This year may not be a big election year, but it's not an off year. Local elections are on November 4 and we are reaching out to mobilize our St. Paul community. The Voter Service Committee (VSC) engaged with Keystone Community Food Shelf, the Meals on Wheels Program, and SPPS high schools. Thank you to all our volunteers!

Keystone: VSC volunteers do voter education, outreach, and registration 2-3 times a week at the Keystone Community food shelf on University Avenue. We engage with participants, checking in about voter registration and reminding them about the upcoming mayoral election and ballot initiatives.

We've found that the most effective strategy is to talk with people waiting to “shop.” People are generally receptive to our interactions, sometimes discovering important details of which they were unaware. For example: two women we spoke to told us that they were felons and thought they couldn't vote. We informed them of the recent 2023 law which enables non-incarcerated felons to register and vote.

SPPS High Schools: Our volunteers visited three St. Paul high schools and helped seniors get registered to vote.

Meals on Wheels: For Keystone and Open Arms (a nonprofit), VSC provided fliers from the Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State that staff can insert into the meal boxes distributed to their clients. This is a new opportunity to reach potential voters.

UPCOMING

Morning Book Club: In October, we read Dodge County, Incorporated, a firsthand account by attorney Sonja Trom Eayrs detailing her family's decades-long legal battle against the corporate takeover of farming in rural Minnesota. Using her family's inter-generational farm in Dodge County as an example, Eayrs exposes the devastation wrought by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), or "Big Ag." This book tracks how industrial hog production not only leads to environmental disaster—including severe pollution, waste, and the threat of cancer clusters—but also corrupts local governance and erodes the economic and social fabric of small towns. Eayrs argues that this corporatization of agriculture is a direct threat to democracy and independent farming. It serves as both a memoir of her family's fight for their land and a demand for immediate reforms to curb corporate lawlessness in the American food system.

We were fortunate that the author could join us for our discussion! Sonja covered a lot of ground:

For more information:

Book by Sarah Vogel, The Farmer’s Lawyer: The North Dakota Nine and the Fight to Save the Family Farm.

Book by Christopher Jones, The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth About Agriculture and Water Quality.

Our next meeting is on November 12th at the Highland Park Library, 1974 Ford Parkway, St Paul at 10:00 a.m. Our book for November is The Demon of Unrest: a Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, by Erik Larson.

Evening Book Club: Evening Book Club will next meet on Monday, November 10 at 6:30 pm on Zoom to discuss Rise to the Challenge: A Memoir of Politics, Leadership, and Love by Marlene M. Johnson. You are welcome to join even if you haven't finished the book. Email Heidi Kloempken (heidi.kloempken@gmail.com) for the Zoom link. 

Our full 2025-26 reading list is now available on the St. Paul Public Libraries BiblioCommons site! Check it out here.

If you are interested in joining either one of the LWVSP Book Clubs, contact:

• Morning Book Club: Mary Palmer at mgp2167@gmail.com.
• Evening Book Club: Heidi Kloempken at heidi.kloempken@gmail.com OR Sharon Slettehaugh at s.slettehaugh@gmail.com.

On September 8, LWVSP Evening Book Club discussed Muzoon: A Syrian Refugee Speaks Out. As a group, we really enjoyed it. It was an eye-opening read and we learned a lot about Syria, the civil war, and Syrian refugees. As the book was published in 2023, We wondered what the author is up to now, but also why it was written for a young adult audience; the book is categorized as young adult nonfiction. Perhaps the goal was to increase awareness of events in Syria among young people.

We look forward to reading and discussing our next book, Rise to the Challenge by Marlene Johnson. We will discuss it on Zoom on November 10. We are excited to read this book the month before Ms. Johnson will be our keynote at our annual December Luncheon.

In The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory, Tim Alberta writes about the divisions tearing apart American Evangelicalism. As the son of a pastor himself, Alberta uses his perspective to explore how a faith rooted in eternal principles has become entangled with political power. He traveled across the country, interviewing a variety of American Evangelicals, from prominent televangelists to local pastors, revealing a movement increasingly defined by partisan animosity and political idolatry rather than biblical teachings. Alberta argues that the rise of Christian nationalism has not only tarnished the church's reputation, but also accelerated its decline, leaving many believers disillusioned and forcing a reckoning with its core purpose.

Our group discussed how politics in our country and the Evangelical Church have been increasingly meshed together. There no longer seems to be a separation of Church and State. It’s believed that government leaders are chosen by God. In Russia, Putin uses the Russian Orthodox Church in much the same way to stay in power. Project 2025 policies were defined by Christian Nationalist and religiously conservative ideals.

In every chapter, Alberta travels to a different city and then uses the last quarter of the book to pull it all together. The Evangelical Church leadership doesn’t support people who don’t share the Church’s definition of Christian values. They demonize groups of people who are different from themselves. Jimmy Carter left the church because women were treated as lesser than the men. Rick Warren was kicked out because he let a woman preach. Members are no longer allowed to have empathy for LGBTQ people. Tim Alberta himself is very religious and is concerned that Evangelicals are self-destructive. The group felt that if we label people we’re all losing. The only thing that overcomes hate is love.

Our next meeting is October 8 at 10:00 a.m. at the Highland Park Library . We’ll discuss the book Dodge County Inc.: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America. We’re even expecting the author, Sonja Trom Eayrs, to join us.

By Trudy Dunham

Did you ever have a major local, state, and national political leader join you for coffee and conversation? Joanne Englund did. In the late 1960’s, Hubert Humphrey came to Joanne’s home to meet with Shoreview Leaguers and neighbors to discuss the issues of the day.  As you know, Humphrey was a passionate supporter of civil rights, arms control, humanitarian aid, the Peace Corps, and programs to ensure Americans had food, health care, and education. Joanne held these same values.  She lived these values in her work with League, reaching out to political leaders, encouraging members to educate themselves, discuss the issues of the day, and get involved. Her dedication to public service also shined through in her work with the City of St. Paul (Public Works, Model Cities, etc.), as well as her later freelance work as a consultant and grantwriter for social justice programs. One of her last acts was to submit her absentee ballot for the Ward 4 Special Election for City Council.

Joanne was a member of the Shoreview League before moving to St. Paul and joining the St. Paul League.  She served as President of both local leagues. She won the Faye Lyksett Award in 1991, an accolade given to members of LWVSP who have demonstrated devoted service, performance excellence, and enthusiasm for many years in their League work. 

There are many things I enjoyed about Joanne in our long friendship. She loved to talk in depth about ideas and issues. These conversations often ran long, so I usually blocked out 3 hours for breakfast with Joanne.  She was a good listener, both patient and kind.  She asked good questions, but also wasn’t one to tell you what to do or give you “the answer.” 

Joanne was also an artist.  For many years, my inbox was graced by her “Haiku of the day.” I think she stopped the daily practice after she sent out 1,000 of them (!). Her photography, especially of insects, is magnificent.

One of her greatest passions was history.  She loved her Nordic heritage, travelling to Norway multiple times in search of family ties and to visit the homes and lands of her ancestors. Locally, she showed this appreciation of history and culture in her work with the Ramsey County Historical Society and Gibbs Farm.  One of her great contributions to our community is her interviews and write-ups of the history of many Black families of Rondo.  I can remember us researching the location of the “wild rice” trail route of the Dakota through Minneapolis and St. Paul to Gibbs Farm.

The many contributions Joanne made to League and to her community and friends will be missed. And if presented with this statement, I recognize that she would probably ask us what we are contributing, what will our legacy be, and wait to hear our answers.

You can find Joanne's obituary here .