Before we start, let us tell you a little about us. The League of Women Voters was founded soon after women finally won the right to vote, in August, 1920. Its purpose was to educate women for citizenship and to study the public issues of the day. More than ninety years later, we're still doing that, but we've widened our reach to include all voters, and men are welcome to join our membership.

We are non-partisan; we don't support or oppose candidates or political parties. Our goal is to educate the public, so that they can use their vote well, whichever side of an issue they're on. And we do advocate on some issues after careful study and consensus.

The League of Women Voters has about 250 members in both Erie and Niagara Counties. We've studied issues of local government for the past several years. Our work on land use planning prompted this education campaign. It is our hope that it will lead to a greater understanding of the costs of unchecked growth.