Chautauqua County Libertarian Party
| Chautauqua County Libertarian Party | |
| |
| General Information | |
| Jurisdiction: | Chautauqua County, New York |
| Established: | October 3, 2015 |
| Chartered: | October 4, 2015 |
| Status: | Active |
| Officers | |
| Chair: | Andrew Martin Kolstee |
| Vice-Chair: | Bob Peterson |
| Secretary: | Vacant |
| Treasurer: | Andrew Martin Kolstee |
| Media | |
| Website: | Website |
| Facebook: | |
The Chautauqua County Libertarian Party is a local chapter of the Libertarian Party of New York. It consists of Chautauqua County, New York, the westernmost county in New York. It was established in 2015 by Andrew Martin Kolstee.
History
Andrew Martin Kolstee was appointed Temporary County Chair in June 2015 and worked throughout the summer to form a chapter in Chautauqua County, with the first meeting held in July 2015 at hte See-Zurh House in Bemus Point, New York. On October 3, 2015, the inauguaral convention of the chapter was held. Mark Glogowski, State Chair, was the keynote speaker. The first set of officers were Andrew Kolstee as Chair, Sean Connolly as Vice-Chair/Secretary, and Anne Kwasneski as Treasurer. The affilaite was charted by the State Committee the following day. The chapter participated in the holiday parade in Jamestown, New York in December 2015.
In 2016, the chapter had a booth at the Chautauqua County Fair and promoted Gary Johnson for President, Bill Weld for Vice-President, and Alex Merced for U.S. Senator. The county convention was held in October 2016 with Michael Sullivan as the keynote speaker.
In 2017, things slowed down regarding activity of the party following the 2016 election. They had one candidate, Nathen Conrad, who ran for office in the Town of Carroll. After Kwasneski was not as involved, at the 2017 convention, Kolstee was re-elected to a 3rd term as Chair, with Len Morlock as the newly-elected Vice-Chair along with Connolly re-elected Secretary and Kolstee also elected Treasurer.
In 2018, the chapter was involved in promoting the campaing of Larry Sharpe for Governor. They held their second booth at the county fair. Gerrit Cain got involved with the affiliate and filled the vacnacy in the Secretary position on December 5, 2018.
In 2019, with ballot access for the Libertarian Party, several candidates came forward seeking an endorsement. Several vetting sessions were held and several candidates were nominated. Most of them were cross-endorsed. Libertarian Gerrit Cain ran for County Legislature District 16. Raven Mason, running for Jamestown City Council, switched from Republican to Libertarians. Andy Liuzzo, incumbent Jamestown City Councilman running for Jamestown Mayor, switched from Republican to Libertarian.
In 2020 when COVID hit, the affiliate met over Zoom for a few months before the See-Zurh House was opened back up. Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen were promoted and there was a sign wave held.
In 2021, Gerrit Cain ran for County Legislature District 16.
In 2022, Larry Sharpe was promoted for governor. They held a booth at the county fair for the first time since 2018.
Cain moved out of state and at the October 2022 convention, Kolstee having been elected State Chair, Morlock was elected Chair, with Bob Peterson as Vice-Chair and Kolstee as Secretary/Treasurer.
The See-Zurh House closed in late 2023, and the last meeting held there was in November 2022. Meetings were held online from December 2023 to April 2023.
The 100th meeting was held at the Lakeview Hotel & Restaurant on May 6, 2023. The Lakeview became the new meeting space. They held a booth at the county fair in July 2023.
In 2024, they held a booth at the County Fair in July, promoting Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat, but also speaking about the ballot access issues.
On August 26, 2024, Len Morlock passed away very unexpectedly at the age of 52. Per the affiliate's bylaws, Vice-Chair Bob Peterson succeeded Morlock as Chair.
Leadership
Current
- Andrew Martin Kolstee, Chair (October 3, 2024—present)
- Bob Peterson, Vice-Chair (October 6, 2022—present)
- Vacant, Secretary
- Andrew Martin Kolstee, Treasurer (July 6, 2017—present)
Former
- Chair
- Andrew Martin Kolstee (October 3, 2015—October 6, 2022)
- Len Morlock (October 6, 2022—August 26, 2024)
- Bob Peterson (August 26, 2024—October 2, 2024)
- Vice-Chair
- Sean William Connolly (October 3, 2015—July 6, 2017)
- Len Morlock (July 6, 2017—October 6, 2022)
- Secretary
- Sean William Connolly (October 3, 2015—June 2, 2018)
- Vacant (June 2, 2018—December 4, 2018)
- Gerrit Cain (December 4, 2018—October 6, 2022)
- Andrew Martin Kolstee (October 6, 2022—October 3, 2024)
- Treasurer
- Anne Kwasneski (October 3, 2015—July 6, 2017)
Conventions
| Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, October 3, 2015 | Bemus Point, New York | Guest speaker: Mark E. Glogowski |
| May 2016 | Bemus Point, New York | Guest speaker: Michael Sullivan |
| Saturday, May 20, 2017 | Bemus Point, New York | Guest speaker: Alex Merced |
| Saturday, July 6, 2017 | Bemus Point, New York | Special Convention |
| Saturday, June 2, 2018 | Bemus Point, New York | Guest speaker: Jim Rosenbeck |
| Saturday, April 14, 2019 | Fredonia, New York | Guest speaker: Larry Sharpe |
| Saturday, October 3, 2020 | Fredonia, New York | Guest speaker: Cody Anderson |
| Thursday, October 6, 2022 | Bemus Point, New York | Guest speaker: Duane Whitmer |
| Thursday, October 3, 2024 | Mayville, New York | Guest speaker: TBD |
Documents
Bylaws
| Document Name | Date |
|---|---|
| Original Bylaws Adopted October 3, 2015 (info) | October 3, 2015 |
| Revised Bylaws Adopted January 5, 2017 (info) | January 5, 2017 |
| Revised Bylaws Adopted May 3, 2018 (info) | May 3, 2018 |
| Revised Rules Adopted April 14, 2019 (info) | April 14, 2019 |
Meetings
External links
| Chautauqua County Libertarian Party | |
|---|---|
| Conventions: | 2015 • 2016 • 2017 • 2018 • 2019 • 2020 • 2022 • 2024 |
| Other: | Documents • Meetings • Reports |
| See also: | Libertarian Party of New York |