A Good Citizen, Indeed

Colleen Bennett is a driving force with League of Women Voters

By Cliff Newell

The Lake Oswego Review, Oct 2, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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“I kept running into people who were very knowledgeable about school affairs, and all of them turned out to be members of the League of Women Voters.

“That impressed me, so I went by their office to ask if I could speak to their chairman for schools.”

As it turned out, the Spokane chapter of LWV soon did have a school affairs chairman: Colleen Bennett. As soon as she made the inquiry she was offered the position, and 30 years later she is still going strong as one of the LWV’s strongest supporters.

Bennett has held just about every office in the organization worth holding: President of the Clackamas County chapter, president of the state organization, and a member of the national nominating committee. Currently, she chairs the nominating committee and is on the library study committee.

Bennett has also initiated some highly innovative programs for the league, including the corporate affiliate program (of which the Lake Oswego Review was the first member) and the arrangement with Strand Tea Company to produce the league’s very own special brand — Voter’s Choice Tea — as a fundraiser.

Bennett even sold 900 boxes of Voter’s Choice Tea at the recent LWV convention in Portland.

For such good work she was honored with the league’s Carrie Chapman Award in 2005.

Indeed, she is engrained.

“I couldn’t have done it without Joe’s support,” Bennett said.

In fact, Joe’s support has been so enthusiastic that he even gave her an automobile license plate with the letters LWV on it.

Oddly enough, when the Bennetts moved to Lake Oswego in 1982 Colleen had intended to taper off from her league activities. Of course, it didn’t work out that way.

She said with a laugh, “I had a friend in Beaverton who called the Clackamas County chapter and said, ‘Do you know who is living there now.’”

In other words, a real ringer. Bennett has been going strong ever since and shows no sign of slowing down. That’s good news for democracy around here.

“You’re never out of the league,” Bennett said. “It’s in you. I always go back to the league.”

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