<\/p>\n
HISTORY OF THE RYE CIVIC LEAGUE<\/p>\n
The League was founded in 1968 by Frances Holway, Joan La France and Marjorie Miller for the<\/p>\n
purpose of informing citizens about issues and decisions before town boards. It published a free<\/p>\n
monthly \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Town News\u00e2\u20ac which was distributed around town in red bags. The News was run off<\/p>\n
on a mimeograph machine in the Holway cellar, with Joan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daughter, Edie, and Frances\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n
daughter, Jane among the volunteers. Members paid dues and did the work of attending<\/p>\n
meetings, researching, writing, editing and distributing the News. \u00c2\u00a0Meetings were lively and<\/p>\n
disagreement was not uncommon.\u00c2\u00a0 Frances was involved in local politics for years and served<\/p>\n
briefly as Selectman. Joan was an expert on state laws as they applied to local government and<\/p>\n
she attended many Selectmen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s meetings where she was often the most knowledgeable person<\/p>\n
in the room.\u00c2\u00a0 Marjorie was the editor of the News during its last decade and she now had the<\/p>\n
mimeograph machine. \u00c2\u00a0Although sometimes the Civic League committee engaged in heated<\/p>\n
debate through the Town News, for the most part the reporting was fair and presented both<\/p>\n
sides. The League disbanded in 1993 and the balance in its treasury of $2000 +was donated to<\/p>\n
Rye Senior Serve. For a quarter of a century the League had served the town well by providing<\/p>\n
monthly news about town government and a forum for political discussion.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In 2009 Alex Herlihy heard Frank Drake ask, at an overflowing ZBA meeting discussing Rye<\/p>\n
Harbor development, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where were all of you at the first meeting?\u00e2\u20ac That very pointed question<\/p>\n
was the inspiration for Herlihy to revive the League, but before he did, he visited Marjorie, the<\/p>\n
last of the founding troika, to tell her the news.\u00c2\u00a0 Although Marjorie was dying of cancer, she<\/p>\n
perked up quickly and was very excited. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But I gave the money to Senior Serve,\u00e2\u20ac she said. \u00c2\u00a0She<\/p>\n
was glad to know that no money was needed to get started\u00c2\u00a0 because the News would be sent<\/p>\n
by e-mail.\u00c2\u00a0 The Selectmen were informed and the first, very modest Town News was sent from<\/p>\n
Herlihy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00c2\u00a0home computer to a handful of people in November 2009. \u00c2\u00a0By 2010 a regular group<\/p>\n
was attending monthly RCL meetings at the library and the distribution list was growing as was<\/p>\n
the content of the News. 2011 saw an even more active presence at Civic League meetings and<\/p>\n
at town board meetings.\u00c2\u00a0 Residents began to bring ideas for petitioned warrant articles to<\/p>\n
meetings where they were discussed and debated.\u00c2\u00a0 Nine out of ten of these articles was passed<\/p>\n
in the March 2012 election.\u00c2\u00a0 2012 also saw the publication of an RCL created Town Government<\/p>\n
Handbook, incorporation of RCL as a 501 c 3 nonprofit organization with an elected Board, a<\/p>\n
vibrant web site, a greatly expanded newsletter with a new name (Civic News), a regular<\/p>\n
presence at town board meetings, a new brochure and a distribution list which soared over the<\/p>\n
1000 mark at the November election. \u00c2\u00a0RCL meetings remain lively and filled with diverse points<\/p>\n
of view and these monthly gatherings serve as an opportunity to learn from each other and do<\/p>\n
the necessary homework to be able to engage intelligently at town board meetings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
RCL will become a membership organization in 2013 which will connect people to a<\/p>\n
variety of tasks and a stronger engagement in town government. Today the mission of the<\/p>\n
Civic League remains the same \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to educate and motivate Rye residents to be informed citizens.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rye Civic League, PO Box 971, Rye, NH 03870\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 www.ryecivicleague.org<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\n