Document:LNC Minutes 27-28 April 1991
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Minutes of the Meeting of the
Libertarian National Committee
27-28 April 1991
Atlanta, Georgia
Members Present:
Chair Dave Walter
Vice-Chair Mary T. Gingell
Secretary Joseph W. Dehn III
At Large I. Dean Ahmad
Toni L. Black
William Redpath
Region 1 Karen Allard
Region 2 Geoffrey J. Neale
George O'Brien
Region 3 Stephen L. Dasbach
Region 4 Ron Crickenberger
Region 5 Clifford F. Thies
Region 6 Vicki Kirkland
Region 7 Steven I. Givot
Region 8 Gary Johnson
Absent:
Treasurer Stephen R. Fielder
At Large Steven Alexander
Norma D. Segal
Also present:
Director Nick Dunbar
Asst. to
the Chair Don Ernsberger
1. CALL TO ORDER: The regular meeting of the Libertarian National
Committee was called to order by Chair Dave Walter at 9:20am on
Saturday, 27 April 1991, at the Colony Square Hotel in Atlanta,
Georgia.
2. WELCOME: Carole Ann Rand and Ron Crickenberger welcomed the members
of the Committee to Georgia.
3. CREDENTIALS: It was noted that three members of the Committee were
absent.
4. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES: Redpath moved to defer this item to
first thing Sunday morning; there was no objection.
5. REPORT OF MAIL BALLOT: Dehn reported the results of the mail ballot
on a resolution concerning Middle East intervention [Attachment A].
Dehn explained that there had been some controversy about the fact
that the resolution in question contained "whereas" clauses; he did
not think that the rule against arguments was meant to apply in this
sort of case, where the argument was within the text of the resolution
and addressed to the public rather than the people voting on the
motion. He moved to amend the rule to read: "Mail ballots shall not
include argument for or against passage of the motion (the term
argument shall include whereas clauses), but this shall not preclude,
in the case of a motion to adopt a resolution for public consumption,
inclusion in the resolution of language arguing for the Libertarian
position."
Ahmad said that he had taken a similar position when he was Secretary,
but had been overruled by the Chair. He suggested prohibiting whereas
clauses in all cases.
Thies moved to substitute that the rule be changed to "Mail ballots
shall not include argument (the term argument shall not include
whereas clauses).", saying that it was disingenuous of the Secretary
to try to change a rule he didn't follow, that Dehn's proposal would
give too much discretion to the Secretary to decide when to allow
arguments, and that simply allowing whereas clauses in all cases would
solve the problem.
Various members suggested that: the rule really was intended to
prohibit accompanying arguments, rather than language within the text
of a motion; that it could be left up to the Secretary to decide
whether too much of a motion was really argument; that allowing
whereas clauses was a good idea because people who disagree with them
are likely to vote against a motion, making mail ballots harder to use
for passing resolutions; that it was strange to have a different rule
for what can be passed by mail ballot in contrast to at a meeting.
Thies' motion to substitute failed on a voice vote.
Dasbach moved to amend Dehn's motion to read simply "Mail ballots
shall not include argument for or against passage of the motion."
Ahmad argued in favor, saying this was better than the original
proposal because the Secretary would not have to decide on a case by
case basis. Dehn said the point of his proposal was to limit the
discretion of the Secretary by making clear under what circumstance
there could be "arguments" that are not "arguments for or against
passage of the motion". In response to a question from Givot, Walter
said that his own feeling was that if five people ask for a vote,
whatever they ask for is OK, but that if Dasbach's language were in
place he would have to rule against inclusion of any arguments.
Ahmad moved to insert "accompanying" in front of "argument". Walter
said that given that language, he would rule that anything could be
included as long as it was within the motion.
Ahmad's motion to amend Dasbach's amendment passed on a voice vote.
Dasbach's amendment passed on a voice vote. The main motion passed on
a voice vote.
6. SETTING OF THE AGENDA: Allard moved to add 30 minutes as the second
item on Sunday for Dick Boddie to address the Committee. O'Brien moved
to increase the time for Internal Education to 10 minutes. Black moved
to increase Outreach to 30 minutes. Crickenberger moved to move the
Advocates for Self-Government presentation to after lunch on Sunday.
These changes were made without objection.
Crickenberger asked for time to discuss the Georgia lawsuit; Walter
said it could be discussed as part of the Budget Committee report.
Givot moved to reduce the Program Committee item to 5 minutes. Thies
moved to add time to talk about Wes Dietchler as item 17A. There were
no objections.
In reply to a question from Dehn about TV ad testing, Black said she
planned to discuss it during her report and Walter said the funding
should be discussed under the Budget Committee report.
[Gingell assumed the chair.]
7. CHECK OF PAPERWORK: Gingell reviewed the paperwork that had been
distributed up to that point.
[Walter resumed the chair.]
8. CHAIR'S REPORT: Walter reviewed activities that had taken place
since the previous meeting, including: the resignations of the Finance
Chair and direct mail contractor and the appointment of Don Ernsberger
as Finance Chair; the initiation of the Tax Cut Action project;
achievement of ballot status in four additional states; LP involvement
in anti-war activity, Tax Day protests, and Bill of Rights
demonstrations; attendance by himself and Ernsberger at the
Conservative Political Action Committee conference; and Nick Dunbar's
involvement at the THRO conference.
He noted the recent drop in membership, but said it was not unusual
for that time of year. He reported that we lost some members because
of our stand on the war, but would have lost several times more if we
had taken the opposite position. He said the main problem with
membership is lack of recruiting by the affiliate parties.
Don Ernsberger reviewed some long-term problem areas. He said that the
"performance team" had become sloppy, citing as examples his own
carelessness in literature production, the Secretary's slowness in
delivering LNC minutes, and the Treasurer's failure to provide
reports. He said that the Party was suffering from a "Rodney
Dangerfield problem", not getting respect from its contractors
[Attachment J]. He suggested that the Task Force Concept [Attachment
K] needed to be formalized more, saying that they often start out with
lots of enthusiasm but then suffer from lack of followthrough. With
respect to membership, he acknowledged that we were in a slump but
said we have made long-term progress and have had slumps before.
Ahmad said that some people joined the Maryland LP because of our
stand on the war. Dunbar reported that there had been a total of 114
people marked "deactivate" between 15 January and the end of March;
not all of these were because of the war but the comparable figure for
the previous month and a half was only 20.
Givot said that what was lacking in the Task Force Concept was the
setting of actual political objectives; just raising some money and
producing some literature is not sufficient. O'Brien said what was
needed was a business plan; without one we don't know what kind of
commitment we are making and the project turns out like stone soup.
Other members suggested we need to do a better job of publicizing
these projects.
9. VICE-CHAIR'S REPORT: Gingell offered to answer questions; there
weren't any.
10. TREASURER'S REPORT: The Treasurer was not present; there was a
discussion of whether any of the reports were done and, if so, whether
he could provide them for this meeting.
Ernsberger provided an overview of monthly revenue based on the weekly
flash reports:
Jan 43,000
Feb 22,000
Mar 41,000
Apr 36,000 (through the 25th)
After some discussion and calculation, it was estimated that year to
date revenue was approximately $5,000 over budget. Dunbar noted that
the balance sheet produced by the office shows an increase of about
$10,000 in cash since the start of the year. Gingell noted that the
office has been providing the Executive Committee with a weekly report
of accounts payable.
Givot said it was a waste of time for the LNC to have to be doing this
analysis at a meeting, and suggested that as a backup procedure, if
the Treasurer does not produce a report, the Executive Committee
should release the reports generated by the office.
Thies moved: "Whereas the Libertarian National Committee is
disappointed in the Treasurer's repeated failure to submit monthly
reports, including financial reports, to this Committee, impairing our
ability to conduct our business, and whereas the National Committee
deems this due cause for suspension under Article 8 of our Bylaws, the
Treasurer is hereby suspended effective May 10 unless he shall have
delivered all reports due through that date by that date."
In response to a question about whether the slow provision of
information by the office might be part of the problem, several
members responded that the raw information has been available from the
office, that it is the responsibility of the Treasurer to make sure
the information is provided, and that the Treasurer has not complained
that the office has not provided the information he needs.
There was discussion of who could do the job. Ahmad pointed out that
the proposed motion would leave a vacancy to be filled by mail ballot.
Thies suggested that Dunbar could be named Assistant Treasurer and we
could simply accept his reports in the interim. Gingell and Dehn
offered to do the work as a team. The possibility of appointing
someone not currently on the Committee was discussed.
Ahmad moved to postpone further discussion of this item to Sunday
morning, as item 21C; the motion passed on a voice vote.
11. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT: Dehn noted that all LNC members have
been receiving the minutes of the EC meetings, and offered to answer
questions. In response to a question from Neale about the cost of the
fax distributions he has been receiving, Dehn said it was not costing
the LP anything. In response to a question from O'Brien about how the
EC has been functioning, Walter said that he has been sharing more
power with the EC than he is required to, but that another Chair might
want to do things differently.
12. HEADQUARTERS REPORT: Dunbar reported that updates had been made to
the computer system to support the new membership categories. He said
that programming is still needed to deal with sending membership
packets to renewing members, including pledgers and life members whose
memberships are automatically renewed. He reported that some account
codes were changed to deal with additional mailings, and that changes
had also been made to procedures relating to the BAC. He said he is
trying to keep things simple so that the next Director will be able to
take over quickly.
He reported that the office remodeling project was completed in March;
although not everything he wanted was done, it is an improvement, and
not as much money was spent as was planned. His old office will be
available for interns or guests, allowing us to rent out the first
floor.
He reported that call volume on the 900 number has been low. He is
working with Ernsberger on adding a "hero of the month" feature.
Dunbar also reported on his participation in the THRO conference. The
participants divided up into six interest areas, and he became the
spokesperson for the "third parties" group. Another conference is
planned. He said the LP was favorably received, and said several
Florida Libertarians also attended and were helpful.
There was a discussion of the "Taxpayers Party" being started by
Howard Phillips. Kirkland reported that this party has been elected as
a member of COFOE. Redpath reported that he is trying to contact
Phillips about cooperating with us in ballot access lawsuits and
lobbying.
Walter asked for the sense of the Committee as to whether Dunbar
should continue to participate in these THRO-initiated activities;
there was some concern that he already has enough to do at the office,
but reaction was generally favorable.
Dasbach and Black reported that in calling around to various states
they had gotten no complaints about the performance of the national
office.
13. MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT: Allard submitted a written report
[Attachment B]. Dehn distributed graphs of membership [Attachment L].
Allard reviewed some of the activities of the Membership Committee.
She said she was looking for examples of good membership recruiting
letters that could be supplied as examples for local groups. She
recommended that we wait a while before doing another mailing to old
non-renewers, as the most recent mailing did not make any money. She
reported that work on the "year end report" fundraising letter,
promised as a benefit of basic membership, was interrupted by the
resignation of the direct mail contractor.
Allard moved to amend Resolution 65 by adding at the end of Section 1:
"An individual becomes a life member after the first cumulative $1000
contributed in a 12 month period.", saying that this additional
wording would help clarify the rule.
In response to a question about whether this was meant to include
contributions to the BAC and to special projects, Allard said any
contributions would qualify, and Dunbar said that BAC contributions
are currently not taken into account. Ahmad moved to amend Allard's
wording by substituting "member" for individual and to insert "to the
national LP or any of its committees" after "contributed"; these were
accepted as friendly amendments.
There was a discussion of the implications of treating contributions
to special committees as life dues, points including: in the case of
the BAC, the transfer might have to be reported as a contribution;
people who make a large contribution to a specific project don't
necessarily want to be life members; there is a conflict between this
rule and the proposal to save most of the life membership money in a
trust.
Ahmad moved to table this proposal until after consideration of the
trust fund idea; there was no objection.
Allard moved to add to the end of Resolution 65 Section 1: "To receive
the benefits of the membership category premium clubs, contributions
must be current.", in order to make clear that club membership lasts
for one year. Black moved to substitute that "for one year" be
inserted after "Torch Club"; this was accepted as friendly. The
substitute wording passed on a voice vote.
Allard moved:
Whereas contributors above a designated amount are promised a
lifetime membership, and
Whereas the LP is thereby obligated to provide certain benefits
over the Member's or organization's lifetime whichever is less, and
Whereas these benefits constitute a long-term liability on the part
of the Party,
Therefore be it resolved that the LP fund this long-term liability
according to the following terms:
1. That ninety percent (90%) of all designated Life Memberships be
deposited into a Perpetual Trust in the name of the LNC.
2. That ninety percent (90%) of the earnings on said Trust be
distributed to the General Fund each quarter.
3. That the Fund be administered by a Board of Trustees comprised
of three Trustees, each serving for a six year term.
4. That, whether in case of end of term, resignation, or other
vacancy, the Chair of the LNC shall appoint the Trustees and the
appointment shall be ratified by two thirds (2/3) vote of the LNC
during the next regularly scheduled meeting.
5. That the terms of office of each Trustee be staggered in such
a manner that one Trustee is appointed every two years.
6. That the Senior Trustee shall preside over meetings of the
Board of Trustees.
7. That a Trustee may be removed from office by two thirds (2/3)
vote of the LNC, but only by cause related to management of the
Fund.
Upon adoption of this resolution the Chair shall be charged with
nominating one Trustee for a two (2) year term, one Trustee for a
(4) year term, and one Trustee for a six (6) year term. The
announcement of nomination shall be at least thirty (30) days in
advance of the next regularly scheduled meeting.
She said this was Dunbar's idea, that she agreed with it, and that if
it is approved she would use it as an argument in trying to get people
who have contributed close to $1000 to make an additional contribution
and become life members. In response to questions about how the
numbers were derived, Dunbar explained that he wanted the trust to
have enough money to at least cover LP News for all existing life
members.
O'Brien moved to recess for lunch; the motion passed on a voice vote.
[The meeting was recessed at 12:20pm, and reconvened at 1:44pm.]
Allard moved to table the trust fund proposal; the motion passed on a
voice vote.
Ernsberger presented statistics on response rates to renewal notices
in recent months, pointing to a 9% rate for the first notices that
went out with the new dues amount, lower than for any of the previous
months. Others noted that those were also the first notices that went
out after the delegate allocation deadline, and some of the people who
would normally have responded during February had probably renewed
earlier.
Ernsberger also reported that there were 83 people during February and
March who would have been automatically renewed if we were operating
under the previous policy of crediting any contribution at or above
the minimum dues level as a renewal. Various arguments for and against
this policy were repeated; several people argued that the new policy
should be given time to work.
14. AFFILIATE PARTIES COMMITTEE: Gingell provided a written report
[Attachment C] and additional material [Attachment M]. She reported
that there has not been much interest expressed by affiliate parties
in having a field organizer visit them, and asked that regional
representatives remind states of this possibility. She said she is
working on improving the arrangements for getting the APC News out on
schedule, and passed around a sample of the new improved activist
directory.
Gingell moved to appoint Dasbach as new chair of the APC; the motion
passed on a voice vote.
In response to a question from Allard about the cost of producing the
new directory, Gingell said it was covered by the existing contract
with MKR. In response to a question from Ernsberger about the
effectiveness of calling the affiliate parties, she said that most of
the states had been reached by the various callers, but that it was
taking longer than expected and the revised MKR contract would reduce
the frequency of their calling to three times per year.
15. AFFILIATE CAMPAIGNS SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT: Dasbach reported that he
is seeking information from the affiliate parties about current
officeholders and candidates and commented that the national office
has been good about providing him with this kind of information as
they become aware of it. He said there would be an opportunity during
the national convention week for candidate training. He also reported
that he was appointing Crickenberger as subcommittee chair.
Crickenberger said he plans to put emphasis on finding and training
candidates. There was a discussion of what sort of help candidates
most want from the national LP; Dasbach said what they want most is
money, next is training. Other kinds of help mentioned in the
discussion included "talking points" and advertising scripts. There
was also some discussion of what sorts of districts were most
promising.
16. REGIONAL REPORTS:
Allard (Region 1) submitted a written report [Attachment D] and
reviewed highlights of it. She reported that lost membership material
from Utah had been returned by the postal service, and that a dispute
about notification of the Washington LP convention had been resolved
by rescheduling the business meeting for 29 June. In response to a
question from Gingell, Allard said that LPWS's financial problems have
been caused by having no dues and not following up on their pledge
program.
Neale (Region 2) submitted a written report [Attachment N] and
reviewed highlights from it. He reported that TV ads were run on Tax
Day weekend.
Dasbach (Region 3) submitted a written report [Attachment O] and
reviewed highlights from it.
Crickenberger (Region 4) submitted a written report [Attachment P] and
reviewed highlights from it. He said that Mississippi was the biggest
problem in his region, with the state chair not willing to do
anything, not even pass on checks that he receives. He reported that
Arkansas was not doing anything about selecting convention delegates
and asked what Arkansas residents who want to be delegates could do;
this triggered a discussion of getting copies of affiliate parties'
bylaws.
Thies (Region 5) submitted a written report [Attachment Q] and
reviewed highlights from it.
Kirkland (Region 6) reported that progress is being made on ballot
access in Maine, and that Rhode Island is finally going to have a
state convention.
Givot (Region 7) reported that members in Illinois are getting excited
about the national convention.
Johnson (Region 8) submitted a written report [Attachment R] and
reviewed highlights from it. He said the Texas LP will probably decide
to nominate in 1992 by convention rather than primary.
17. FINANCE COMMITTEE: Ernsberger submitted a written report
[Attachment S]. He reviewed the work he had done since being
appointed, and plans for future work on direct mail, telephone
fundraising, the pledge program, and the Torch Club.
There was a discussion of the prospects for making money on the 900
number. Dunbar estimated the breakeven point at about 200 calls per
month.
Allard distributed the results of the "Plans and Progress"
survey/fundraising letter [Attachment T].
17A. WES DIETCHLER: Thies reviewed the situation of Wes Dietchler of
Montana, 1990 candidate for U.S. Senate, who is now in prison. He
passed around a greeting card for LNC members to sign. In reply to a
question from Dehn regarding the specific charges which led to
Dietchler's current imprisonment, Thies said they related to his
making up his own license plates.
17B. DEANN PULLAR PROPOSAL: DeAnn Spratt-Pullar of Washington was
allowed to address the Committee to describe a fundraising plan based
on participation in a network marketing system [Attachment E].
Several members commented on potential legal, tax, and campaign
finance regulation problems that could arise from the LP's involvement
in such an arrangement, on the uncertainty of our being able to get
people to sell enough "memberships" to be worth the up-front
investment, and on the question of whether we should be involved in
any sort of "business" at all.
18. AUDIT REPORT: Thies submitted a written report [Attachment F]. In
reply to a question from Gingell, he clarified that the "report"
referred to in section 6b was the field organizing manual. In reply to
a question from O'Brien about section 3d, he clarified that although
the net worth shown on the books was close to zero, we had additional
assets not represented such as the mailing list and fully depreciated
but still functioning equipment. In response to a comment by Gingell
about what appeared to be inconsistent processing of reimbursement due
her for expenses in 1990 but not paid until 1991, he said that this
was really a question that should be answered by the Treasurer and
that he did not find problems with the accounts payable items that he
had checked.
There was a discussion about whether an income tax return should have
been filed for 1990; Dunbar reported that it had not been done.
Thies reported that he would be notifying presidential candidates that
he was ready to audit their campaign accounts when they reached
$100,000 in contributions. He said that this was a level at which it
would be worthwhile to spend LP funds on an audit, and would also
serve as a way to let people know which campaigns had achieved the
level required for matching funds independent of whether they actually
applied for them.
[Gingell assumed the chair.]
19. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT: Ahmad presented a proposed
reorganization of the standing resolutions in the form of a policy
manual [Attachment G]. He proposed that the Committee first adopt the
entire manual without discussing substantive changes, and then
consider substantive changes if there was time left over. He noted
that changes to resolutions made earlier in this meeting should be
considered as incorporated in his proposal.
[Redpath assumed the chair.]
Ahmad said this draft represented only changes in format and
construction, with no intent to change the meaning, except that the
resolution calling for "NatCom Profiles" was omitted since it had not
been observed.
He noted the following changes in the proposal suggested by Dasbach:
In II.4 - delete "Resolved, that" and capitalize "the"; In VII.4.B -
change "under resolution 291" to "as an SFAC"; In VI.3.C - capitalize
"membership committee"; In IV.3.B - change "Resolution" to "section".
[Gingell resumed the chair.]
After a brief discussion about the "NatCom Profiles", Ahmad concluded
that deleting the provision would be a substantive change and proposed
that it be restored as section III.2.G, deleting from the introductory
remarks the note about its deletion.
There was a discussion of the omission of the "whereas" clauses from
Resolutions 346 and 344. In the case of 346, there did not appear to
be significant feeling that the clause needed to be included. In the
case of 344, after concern was expressed that including just the last
sentence would not adequately reflect the original purpose of passing
the resolution, Ahmad proposed leaving out the whole thing for now.
It was noted that resolutions of this sort are intended as public
announcements, are not normally amended, and a record of them is
retained in the minutes.
There was a brief discussion of the omission of resolution 330. Some
members felt it would be valuable to retain a record of the criteria
used in selecting the office location, but it was noted that the
record still exists in the minutes and that the office has additional
information that was used during remodeling planning.
Ahmad moved to adopt the policy manual with the changes noted. In
response to a question from Dehn, he clarified that the effect of the
motion would be to replace all current standing resolutions, and that
from now on all changes would be made as amendments to the manual. In
response to a comment by O'Brien about formatting, Ahmad said that
should be left up to the Secretary.
The motion to adopt the policy manual passed on a voice vote.
Thies moved to delete LNCPM III.2.G (NatCom Profiles). Dehn noted that
many profiles were in fact returned, and Walter said he found them
useful. The motion failed on a voice vote.
20. OUTREACH COMMITTEE REPORT: Black submitted a written report
[Attachment H] and an update [Attachment U].
[Walter resumed the chair.]
Black reported that she was having trouble getting schedule
information from NOW about their Commission on Responsive Democracy
"hearings", which was making it difficult to arrange for Libertarians
to testify.
She proposed allocating $250 for a comparison test of the Nathan TV ad
in Tucson where they just ran the Nolan tax ad.
She also proposed allocating $2000 to support the Tax Cut Action
project, to be spent on travel for James Tobin, for local activities,
and to pay MKR for work on producing a manual. There was a discussion
of whether additional money was actually needed. It was noted that
Tobin, although designated as director of this project, had not
requested any funds or communicated to the LNC any spending plans.
Gingell said someone was needed to interface between the LNC and the
people doing this project. Ernsberger said that everything described
in the TCA fundraising letter could be done under existing budgets.
Dasbach reviewed the activities outlined in the letter and asked
Ernsberger to explain who would be responsible for getting each done.
There was disagreement about the scale of effort being promised in
some cases; in particular, the item "solicit sponsorship of tax cut
bills" was variously interpreted as anything from sending out a news
release to active in-person lobbying.
Various members questioned who authorized and/or approved the
fundraising letter and what understandings existed between them and
MKR about how much of the work was covered by their existing contract.
Walter and Ernsberger said that it was a Finance Committee project and
reiterated that it was their understanding that funds beyond the
current budget would not be needed.
Various members commented that this was an example of a more general
problem of inadequate planning of special projects.
Givot moved to recess and to schedule 15 minutes on Sunday for this
topic as item 21D. At the suggestion of the Chair the motion was
divided: the motion to continue discussion for 15 minutes on Sunday
passed on a voice vote; the motion to recess failed on a voice vote.
21. BALLOT ACCESS COMMITTEE REPORT: Redpath submitted a written report
[Attachment V] and noted that Maine should have been mentioned in the
second paragraph as a state which was added since December to the list
of states in which we have 1992 ballot status. He said there are a
number of other states in which we could achieve ballot status before
the convention, but that lack of funds would limit what we can
actually do.
He reviewed the status of various states outlined in his written
report. He noted a snag in getting petitions filed in Alabama, and
that collecting additional signatures to get on the ballot in South
Dakota as a party (rather than as an independent) might be worthwhile
as a way to put pressure on Florida, the only other state where that
has never been done.
Givot reported that he has contacted an Illinois state legislator
about getting ballot access law changes incorporated in an existing
bill; one of the changes would be to allow circulation of a party
petition before the name of the candidate is known, as would be needed
to deal with our nomination for president in 1996.
Redpath reported that he is working with Jim Lark on drafting a
proposal for improvements in the Virginia ballot access law. Ahmad
reported that there is increasing support in Maryland for improving
the ballot access law there.
There was a discussion of the performance of the recent BAC
fundraising letter and the prospects for raising additional money
before the convention.
[The meeting recessed at 6:02pm, and reconvened at 9:20 on Sunday, 28
April, with Walter in the chair.]
21A. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES, part 2: Allard pointed out that the
references to "Basic" membership in the last two paragraphs of item
16B should have been to "Subscribing" membership.
Redpath pointed out that in the sixth paragraph of item 4, the word
"move" should be changed to "moved", and that the lawsuit in question
is against "Georgia Public Television" rather than "PBS". He also
said that the reason he gave for the delay in BAC telemarketing (third
paragraph of item 23A) was "due to the need for Alexis to concentrate
on LNC fundraising" rather than poor response to a fundraising letter.
Dunbar asked that the minutes show that he was present.
The minutes, with these corrections, were approved without objection.
21B. BODDIE FOR PRESIDENT: Dick Boddie presented an overview of his
approach to the presidential campaign, outlined the goals of his
nominating committee, and described his campaign team. He showed a
tape of an approximately four minute interview he had on a WGBH-TV
news program. He reviewed some of his past campaign-related
experiences. He said he is running a low-budget "guerilla" campaign
that would not require a lot of money or matching funds, and that he
was the candidate who could expose the ideas of freedom to the most
people at the least cost.
In response to questions, he said that he is looking for a white male
as a running mate, that he has a mailing list of about 4000 names and
is willing to share the list with the LP, and that once he is
nominated he would let the LNC audit his campaign. He also answered
questions about his position on abortion and how he would explain the
LP's position.
21C. TREASURER'S REPORT, part 2:
Ahmad reported that he had contacted Robert Creager about the
possibility of taking over as Treasurer; he was willing to do the work
but probably would not be able to come to Chicago.
Dunbar reported that he spoke with Fielder and that Fielder was
willing to resign.
Thies argued for proceeding with the motion currently on the floor to
suspend the Treasurer if the reports are not done.
Givot moved to substitute that we accept Fielder's resignation,
arguing that it was necessary to get the situation resolved now rather
than allowing further delay.
There was a discussion of the necessity of appointing a replacement,
and of how things would be handled if a decision was not made at this
meeting.
The motion to substitute passed on a voice vote. The substitute
motion, to accept Fielder's resignation, passed unanimously (15 in
favor, no abstentions).
The discussion of possible replacements continued. Various members
expressed various degrees of willingness to be appointed. Givot moved
to appoint Redpath; the motion passed on a voice vote.
At the suggestion of O'Brien, Redpath said he would discuss with
Creager the possibility of appointing him as Assistant Treasurer.
Thies moved to appoint Ernsberger to fill the vacancy in the at-large
slot previously occupied by Redpath; the motion passed on a voice vote
with no opposition.
21D. OUTREACH COMMITTEE REPORT, part 2: The Committee viewed the
Nathan TV ad.
Ernsberger handed out a report on college outreach [Attachment W] and
one on the Bill of Rights project [Attachment X]. He reviewed plans
for activities relating to the Bill of Rights, including efforts to
get local groups involved with the Philip Morris tour, getting non-LP
groups involved, appointment of a national advisory board, and
correction of errors in the literature. He said the money set aside
in the budget for this project would probably not be needed.
In reply to a question from Allard, he said that names generated by
this project would be available to any contributing organization
(including the LP), but that no other organization had asked about it.
In response to a question about errors in the literature, he said that
the corrected versions had not been sent out yet. Givot asked that
Ernsberger prepare a statement of objectives for the project, giving
as examples of objectives collection of a certain number of new names
and creation of alliances.
Ahmad moved to insert as LNCPM X.1 (renumbering following sections):
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SPECIAL PROJECT OR
TASK FORCE:
A. PROPOSAL: A detailed proposal specifying the purpose,
means, personnel, and objectives proposed for the project or
task force must be prepared in writing and approved
by the Chair and by the chairs of all involved committes.
B. PROJECT DIRECTOR: A person responsible for the final development
and execution of the project or task force chair must be
appointed by the Chair.
C. BUDGET: A budget for the project or task force must be approved
by the Chair and by any committee chairs whose budget funds will
finance the project. If previously unbudgeted funds in excess of
the Chair's discretionary funds are needed, the approval of the
National Committee is required.
and to add to LNCPM VI.1:
Special Projects and task forces may not be used to raise
money unless and until the requirements in Article X, Section 1
have been fulfilled.
and to add to LNCPM VII.3.H:
Special Projects and task forces may not be promoted unless and
until the requirements in Article X, Section 1 have been fulfilled.
There was a discussion of whether additional questions, such as how to
ensure that money raised in the name of a project is kept available
for that project, should be addressed at the same time.
Ahmad's motion passed on a voice vote.
Ernsberger said he would prepare a breakdown of how the various
special projects are integrated into the various committees. He also
reported that since Saturday's discussion he had discussed with
Kathleen Richman the question of who would be doing the various Tax
Cut Action work, and she said most of it would be initiated by Tobin.
In response to a question from Thies about the LP announcing through
the 900 number positions on pending legislation, Ernsberger said
positions should be decided by the LNC, but that the messages on the
900 number don't actually say that we support or oppose specific
bills.
22. CONVENTION OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE REPORT: Neale submitted a written
report [Attachment Y], and LEI provided a written quarterly report
[Attachment I].
There was a discussion of the selection of speakers for the
convention. Neale noted that the contract does not provide for our
involvement in this except that we can veto a speaker.
At Neale's invitation, Don Meinshausen described his plans for an
event relating to hemp legalization or virtual reality, to be held in
conjunction with the convention. Neale recommended that we direct the
LP News to say something about it. There was a discussion of whether
such an event would compete with the convention or complement it by
attracting people who would not otherwise be involved. Meinshausen
said that his event would pay for itself and that any profit would be
contributed to the LP.
Thies moved to recommend to the editor of LP News that he give some
coverage to this event, contingent on the approval of LEI; the motion
passed on a voice vote.
Neale reported that LEI asked that the LNC pay for Ernsberger's hotel
room for the convention, so that Ernsberger could act as a commentator
and advisor for C-SPAN. Johnson offered to be the commentator and pay
for his own room.
Neale reported that Clay Conrad of New York had made a proposal for
staging and lighting for the convention. Kirkland distributed a memo
from Conrad [Attachment Z] and said that Conrad felt his proposal was
not treated properly. There was a discussion of the budget for this
sort of thing, including: the total limit of $5,500 which is intended
to cover printing, publicity, and other convention-related items as
well; C-SPAN's interest in and tolerance of fancy staging; the
possibility of seeking additional bids if we decide we want to do this
kind of production.
Givot noted that he has been working on the possibility of a
computerized voting system with projection TVs. Walter said Ernsberger
would check with C-SPAN about their interest in this.
Neale also reported that LEI would like more free space in the LP
News.
Neale also reported that he had received two expressions of interest
about the 1996 convention, from Williamsburg, VA and from Los Angeles,
CA.
22A. ADVERTISING/PUBLICATIONS REVIEW COMMITTEE: Without objection this
item was taken up.
Ahmad reported that there was a controversy about a pamphlet about the
Bill of Rights; the pamphlet said that the United States and South
Africa are the only countries that detain people without charge; Ahmad
thought Israel should also be mentioned. There was a general
discussion of the role of the APRC, including: what sorts of problems
it is supposed to address; whether documents must be reviewed again by
the APRC after the author makes changes that he feels satisfy an
objection; the authority of the APRC to prevent documents from being
printed or distributed.
23. CONVENTION COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS: At the suggestion of the Chair,
the Credentials Committee was considered first.
Ahmad nominated Dehn and Frances Eddy. Johnson nominated himself.
Black nominated herself. Kirkland nominated Kevin Delaney. Each of
the five nominees were elected by voice vote. Ahmad nominated Dehn to
be temporary chair; Dehn was elected by voice vote.
The Bylaws and Rules Committee was considered next. There was a brief
discussion of the fact that this committee does not have a place on
the agenda during a presidential nominating convention.
Thies nominated None of the Above for all positions. Givot objected,
saying that the same person could not occupy more than one slot. The
Chair was asked to clarify the voting procedure; he proposed that the
initial voting be by written ballot with members casting as many votes
as there are positions, that an additional vote be taken to appoint
people who did not get a majority during the initial voting, and that
members be allowed to vote for NOTA1 ... NOTAn.
Allard nominated Ruth Bennett. Gingell nominated Steve Reed.
Crickenberger nominated Don Winfield. No other nominations were
offered.
There was a discussion of the implications of appointing only three
people to a committee that is supposed to have ten members, in
particular the question of a quorum. In reply to a question from
Thies, Walter ruled that for quorum purposes the committee size would
be determined by the number of people we elected. Givot moved to
postpone consideration of this committee until after selection of the
Platform Committee; there was no objection.
Thies nominated for the Platform Committee: Dean Ahmad of Maryland,
Lyn Atherton of Missouri, Bruce Baechler of Texas, Virginia Cropsey of
Michigan, Williamson Evers of California, Matt Gaylor of Ohio, Steve
Givot of Illinois, Dale Hemming of Minnesota, Jacob Hornberger of
Colorado, James Lark of Virginia, Nancy Lord of the District of
Columbia, Ed Marihart of Oregon, Toby Nixon of Georgia, Milton Norris
of Ohio, Kathleen Richman of Virginia, Norma Segal of New York, Ludwig
Vogel of New York, and Donald Warmbier of Michigan. Johnson nominated
Greg Clark of Texas.
Comment up to one minute in favor and one minute in opposition to each
candidate was allowed.
The initial voting was by written ballot and the votes cast were as
follows:
A A B C C E G G H H L L M N N R S V W
h t a l r v a i e o a o a i o i e o a
m h e a o e y v m r r r r x r c g g r
a e c r p r l o m n k d i o r h a e m
d r h k s s o t i b h n i m l l b
t l e r n e a s a i
o e y g r r n e
n r g t r
e
r
Ahmad x x x x x x x x
Allard x x x x x x x x x x
Black x x x x x x x x x x
Crickenberger x x x x x x x x
Dasbach x x x x x x x x
Dehn x x x x x x x x x x
Ernsberger x x x x x x x x
Gingell x x x x x x x x
Givot x x x x x x x x x x
Johnson x x x x x x x x x x
Kirkland x x x
Neale x x x x x x x x x x
O'Brien x x x x x x x x x
Redpath x x x x x x x x x x
Thies x x x x x x x x x x
Walter x x x x x x x x
14 2 9 5 2 13 3 13 8 7 12 12 3 12 1 10 7 5 2
* * * * * * * *
with the candidates indicated by an asterisk receiving a majority.
Hemming was approved by show of hands.
A runoff vote was taken to decide the tenth position; with 15 LNC
members present, the vote was 8 for Hornberger and 7 for Segal.
Segal was approved as the first alternate by show of hands.
Clark and Vogel were approved as alternates by show of hands. A
separate vote was taken to determine who would be second alternate;
the vote was 4 for Clark and 3 for Vogel.
Thies moved to end the election of alternates; the motion passed on a
voice vote.
Election of the Bylaws and Rules Committee was resumed. Black
nominated herself. Ahmad nominated himself. Allard nominated
Kirkland and O'Brien. Dasbach nominated Milton Norris. O'Brien
nominated Janet Parkes and Dehn.
Givot moved to elect the whole group. Thies moved to divide the voting
for Ruth Bennett from the rest, arguing that she should not be elected
because of her alleged failure to report certain information relating
to the 1987 convention finances to the LNC. Several other members
argued that she had done nothing improper. The motion to divide failed
on a voice vote. The motion to elect the group passed on a voice vote,
with Thies voting no.
Dasbach nominated Steve Reed to be temporary chair of the Bylaws and
Rules Committee. Givot nominated Black. Black was elected by a show of
hands.
Dasbach nominated Givot to be temporary chair of the Platform
Committee. There were no other nominations, and Givot was elected on
a voice vote.
[The meeting was recessed at 1:34pm and reconvened at 2:12pm.]
24. MEDIA RELATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT: Johnson reported that since the
last meeting a contract had been signed with MKR to do media work. He
reported that some news releases are being sent out, and that these
are being cleared by him beforehand. He said that because MKR is being
shared with other committees, media work may not be getting the same
kind of attention as with the previous contractor, Tonie Nathan. He
also reported that an improved ad has been placed in a media
directory, and that MKR has prepared a media handbook for affiliate
parties.
He reported that after attempts by many people to get Nathan to
provide the media list she was supposed to turn over at the end of her
contract, the list we have is still not satisfactory. There was a
discussion of the technical problems that might be involved in
transferring the database, and of whether the information we are most
interested in -- a record of past contacts with specific media people
-- was ever entered into the database.
He also reported that there was a dispute about paying Nathan for
expenses she incurred because the media 800 number remained routed to
her phone for a period after the end of her contract. He agreed to pay
her for this, but the payment was then held up because the mailing
list situation was not resolved.
He also reported on a delay in reimbursing MKR for the purchase of two
commercial media lists.
There was a discussion of getting MKR to start on building a list of
people who can be placed on talk shows.
In response to a question from Ernsberger, Johnson said that people
who want news releases issued should contact MKR directly; MKR will
check with him before sending them out.
25. INTERNAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT: O'Brien reported that the
main emphasis of the committee has been on publishing a series of
articles in LP News; several have been published already, and
additional ones on a variety of topics are in preparation. He said he
has been putting less time into management training, but that there is
an updated "Libertarian MBA" document that can be printed out as
needed.
Janet Parkes reported that her questionnaire on leadership revealed
that 90% of the activists thought we need more and better LP leaders.
She also distributed a report on taking a leadership role in
disseminating ideas on political issues [Attachment AA].
25A. ADVOCATES FOR SELF-GOVERNMENT: Carole Ann Rand gave a
presentation on the status of Advocates for Self-Government, of which
she is now president. She urged that we make use of the tools they
have available for marketing libertarian ideas and let LP members know
about the resources available through ASG.
In reply to questions from Walter, Rand said that we could continue to
order Operation Politically Homeless kits from ASG, and that the time
the LP had bought on the ASG teleconferencing system, sold to Marshall
Fritz's new organization, is still available to us.
26. ADVERTISING/PUBLICATIONS REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT (see item 22A)
27. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT: Givot reported that no new Program plank
drafts were ready for consideration. He noted that Life magazine had
done a survey identifying the most important issues of the day, and
that he intends to work on getting the Program to address them. He
also will be contacting a member who identified problems in our
Savings and Loan plank. In reply to a question from Dehn about
comments sent in by a Colorado member, Givot said he would be
reviewing them.
28. LP NEWS REPORT: Dehn presented a proposal for bulk subscriptions
for media, libraries, and LWV chapters [Attachment BB], and moved the
adoption of the following plan:
1. There shall be a bulk subscription program for the LP
News, intended to increase awareness of the Libertarian
Party among those who provide political information to the
public.
2. The program shall be administered by a manager
designated by the chair of the Media Relations Committee.
3. Eligible subscribers shall be (a) news media, (b)
public, academic, and school libraries, (c) chapters of the
League of Women Voters.
4. Affiliate parties shall arrange for bulk subscriptions
by providing a mailing list of eligible subscribers to the
manager. The affiliate party is responsible for providing
valid addresses and other information that the manager may
require.
5. The annual cost shall be four dollars per subscription.
6. The minimum quantity shall be 25 subscriptions.
7. The manager may designate a common starting or ending
date for subscriptions, and may pro-rate the fee for
subscriptions that start out of cycle.
Dunbar said the actual cost of LP News is about 50 cents per copy, but
that he would not object to the plan as long as the office does not
have to figure out who is eligible.
In reply to a question from Redpath about providing the same deal to
LP committees, Dehn said this was intended as a way of letting
affiliate parties provide funding for additional outreach at a
reasonable price, and that if committees wanted to send copies that
should be handled separately as an internal budget matter. In response
to a question from Givot about the minimum quantity provision, Dehn
said that was included to emphasize the idea that states should be
doing this on a significant scale, to minimize the temptation for
states to use this plan as a way to get cheap subscriptions for
individuals, and to reduce overhead in processing the subscriptions.
Gingell moved to refer the proposal to the Affiliate Parties and Media
committees to work out the details and determine the degree of
interest among the states. Dehn argued against this, saying that it
would mean delaying the whole thing for months, that he was willing to
set it up, and that he already knew that at least Colorado would be
interested in taking advantage of it.
Givot moved to substitute that the plan be adopted and also referred
to to the committees for consideration of possible changes. The
motion to substitute passed on a voice vote. The main motion passed
on a voice vote.
29. LEGAL ACTION COMMITTEE REPORT: Walter reported that he received
several responses to his call for lawyers to volunteer to help the
Party, and that he would be contacting them to get them to form the
Legal Action Committee and select a chair.
30. BUDGET: Black proposed reducing the leasehold improvments line in
the capital budget by $500 and adding $500 to the outreach projects
budget to support the THRO activities. She also proposed adding $250
to pay part of the cost of testing the Nathan TV ad in Tucson.
Walter proposed adding $500 for convention decorations. Givot proposed
adding $2000 for a computer voting feed for C-SPAN, available to be
spent by the Executive Committee after determining what C-SPAN would
be interested in using. Dasbach proposed grouping these together and
letting the EC spend it on whatever is most needed to improve our
presentation.
Crickenberger reviewed the Georgia public television lawsuit
situation. He said the exact costs were not yet known, and that there
would be additional local fundraising efforts, but that he wanted the
EC to be authorized to send another $500 if necessary. Walter observed
that the this could be done within the existing budget but that would
leave less than half the original amount left for all other legal
cases.
Adding $250 for TV advertising was approved on a voice vote. Adding a
new $2500 item for convention decorations and staging was approved on
a voice vote. Increasing the legal costs item by $500 was approved on
a voice vote. Reducing the leasehold improvements item by $500 and
increasing Outreach Other Projects by $500 was approved on a voice
vote.
31. ADVOCATES FOR SELF-GOVERNMENT (see item 25A)
32. CONCLUDING BUSINESS:
Allard moved to thank Ron Crickenberger and the Georgia LP for their
hospitality; the motion passed on the sound of applause.
Walter proposed that the next meeting be held at 1pm on Wednesday 28
August; there was no objection.
Walter asked how many current LNC members planned to run for election
to the next LNC; seven so indicated.
Givot moved to adjourn; the motion passed on a voice vote.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:44pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Joseph W. Dehn III
Secretary
Attachments:
[Attachments distributed prior to the meeting]
A. Report of Mail Ballot
B. Membership Committee Report
C. Affiliate Parties Committee Report
D. Region 1 Report
E. DeAnn Pullar Proposal
F. Auditor's Report
G. Policy Manual Draft
H. Outreach Committee Report
I. LEI Report
[Attachments distributed at the meeting]
J. "Rodney Dangerfield" Problem Overview
K. Task Force Overview
L. Membership Graphs
M. APC Additional Material
N. Region 2 Report
O. Region 3 Report
P. Region 4 Report
Q. Region 5 Report
R. Region 8 Report
S. Finance Committee Report
T. Plans and Progress Survey
U. Outreach Committee Update
V. Ballot Access Committee Report
W. College Outreach Report
X. Bill of Rights Project Report
Y. Convention Oversight Committee Report
Z. Memo from Clay Conrad
AA. Leadership on Political Issues Memo
BB. LP News Bulk Subscription Proposal