Document:LNC Minutes 29-30 April 1995
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Minutes for The Phoenix, Arizona Meeting of The Board of Directors of The Libertarian National Committee, Inc. April 29 - 30, 1995 Item 1 Called to order at 9:00 am by the Vice Chair Karen Allard 2 Announcements 2a Mr Richard Schwarz requested permission to video tape the session. 3 Credentials John D. Famularo National Committee Members in attendance: Stephen Dasbach Chair Karen Allard Vice-Chair John Famularo Secretary Hugh Butler Treasurer Sharon Ayres At Large Ron Crickenberger At Large Gary Johnson At Large Tamara Clark At Large James Dan Region 1 Thea McLean Region 2 Joe Hauptman Region 3 Dan Karlan Region 5 Joseph Brennen Region 6 Robert Franke Region 7 Tom Paswater Region 8 Absent: Bill Evers Region 2 Gary Ilardi Region 4 Don Ernsberger At Large Alternates in attendance Jesse Markowitz Region 5 Non-Voting: Perry Willis National Director Bill Winter Communications Director New Alternates Lynn House Region 1 Steve Winter Region 6 4. Approval of Minutes Minutes of December 10th, 1994 meeting were approved without objection 5 Setting Agenda Item Estimated Minutes 1 Call to order 9:00 1 2 Announcements 5 3 Credentials 5 4 Approval of Minutes 10 5 Setting Agenda 10 6 Check of Paperwork 10 7 Chairs report 30 8 Executive committee report A Review of minutes 5 B Ratification of Articles of Incorporation 20 9 Headquarters report A. National Director 60 B. Communications Director 30 Lunch Break 60 10 Treasurers Report 15 11 Auditors Report 15 12 Convention oversight committee 45 13 Program Committee 20 14 Development Report 20 15 Campaign Support 45 16 Affiliate Support 45 17 Legal Action Committee 10 18 Regional Reports Region 1 5 Region 2 5 Region 3 5 Region 4 5 Region 5 5 Region 6 5 Region 7 5 Region 8 5 19 1995 Budget Amendments 30 20 Resolutions 5 21 Future meetings 10 6 Check of Paperwork Chairs Report Executive Committee Minutes Headquarters Report Program Committee Report Treasurers Report Auditors Report Convention Oversight Committee Report Development Report Campaign Chairs Report Ballot Access Report Organizing Area Report Legal Committee Report Region 2 report Region 3 report Region 4 report Region 5 report Region 8 report Budget Amendment Letter from Peter Schmerl Meeting recessed for 15 minutes to view Karl Hess video tape at the Arizona State Convention Meeting reconvenes with Chairman Steve Dasbach presiding. 7 Chairs report Stephen Dasbach Mr Dasbach said that our press release on the Oklahoma bombing incident opposing the proposed ant-terrorism legislation was quoted by CNN. The LPHQ was contacted by Congressman Stockman of Texas looking for information in opposition to that legislation. We have signed the lease for the new office space in the Watergate office complex. We are now fully incorporated as the Libertarian National Committee. Inc We are now at an all time high in membership. Discussion of the two groups in Arizona claiming to be the official Arizona libertarian party. The position of the Pima county group is stated in the letter from Peter Schmerl to Stephen Dasbach, and the position of the LNC is stated in the letter from William Hall to Stephen Dasbach. Mr Dasbach asked the regional reps to make sure that the current bylaws of all the states be forwarded to the attention of the National Secretary at the LP Headquarters. 8 Executive committee report A Review of Executive Committee minutes. Some of the minutes of the Executive committee were delayed in publication due to the confidential nature of some of the discussions which required careful review before publication. B Ratification of Articles of Incorporation This item was tabled until copies of the Articles could be copied and circulated to the committee. 9 Headquarters report A. National Director Perry Willis Discussion of the new headquarters and moving plans. Discussion of the transition of the telemarketing activity from the outside contractor Alexis Thompson to an inside activity managed by Scott Kohlhous and the move from a strict fundraising operation to an integrated continuity program working from a single database. Both the inside and outside operations will continue while the inside operations are being evaluated and refined. B. Communications Director Bill Winter Written report submitted at the meeting (see attached) Discussion of call from Congressman Stockman's office and information we sent to assist him in writing an Op-Ed piece. discussion of attention of our Press Release on the Oklahoma bombing (WCBS, Talk RadioReuters, CNN) We are getting positive coverage as the "More reasonable, calmer, anti-government organization". 10 Treasurers Report Hugh Butler Discussion of continuing the pre-funding process without formalizing it into the policy manual. Mr. Butler said that our experience with this method could guide the next LNC or treasurer in establishing policy. 11 Auditors Report Thea McLean Ms. McLean suggested that an audit is not necessary in August this year if the LNC agrees, she said that the December audit should be sufficient. Ms. McLean made a motion to eliminate the August audit. The motion passed without objection. Mr. Franke raised the question as to the procedures for cash contributions and possible theft. Mr. Willis and Ms. McLean said that the procedures in place should be reasonably sufficient to secure against theft. 12 Convention oversight committee Dan Karlan written report submitted (see attached) Mr. Karlan said that the convention oversight committee has found that no convention and meeting planners are interested in bidding on our business. He conjectured that our requirements and our policy of not charging delegates for attending the business sessions make us an undesirable client. Discussion of potential site for future conventions. Discussion of role of Convention oversight committee if future conventions are managed by headquarters staff. Discussion of how the headquarters staff could manage the conventions. Mr. Butler made the following motion: Proposed that, 1. The National Director develop a proposal to be presented at the August 1995 LNC meeting which will enable and require the director to assume the duties of preparation and conduct of the LP 1998 Convention. 2. That the Director prepare, also for that meeting, a proposal including a timeline, a site, and date for the 1998 Convention. The motion passed without objection. 13 Program Committee Stephen Dasbach Review of first draft of "Ending the Welfare State" to be forwarded to the APRC for comment and suggestion. (see attached) Mr. Dasbach suggested that when the current supply of the Program is exhausted we should replace the sections on crime and health with the summaries of Project Healthy Choice and Operation Safe Streets. Decision postponed until Sunday session. 14 Development Report Ms Ayres reported that we will shortly be receiving our first $2,000 contribution to our major donor program. Mr John Robertson requested permission to video-tape the session. Ms Allard made a motion to limit the number of people video taping to one. The motion failed on a voice vote. Mr Dasbach noted that it was the sense of the committee that the committee could request that the video tape be turned off at any time. 14a Articles of Incorporation. John Famularo At the last meeting the LNC voted to incorporate the LNC as the Libertarian National Committee, Inc. The Executive Committee directed Mr Richard Mayberry to draw up articles of incorporation(see attached), and after review and Amendment by the executive committee, they were formally submitted to the District of Columbia and the Libertarian National Committee was officially incorporated as of February 9th, 1995. Other actions were taken as follows: Changing the statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission. Changing the official stationary Changing the banking account titles. Notifying the Party members of the new status No specific action is required to elect officers of the corporation, nor to elect members of the Board of Directors since the Corporation has adopted the Bylaws of the National Libertarian Party as the bylaws of the Libertarian National Committee, Inc. For the purposes of future corporate filings, the Chairman of the National Libertarian Party shall be both Chairman and President of the Libertarian National Committee, Inc. Mr. Famularo made the following motion: "The Bylaws of the National Libertarian Party are hereby adopted as the bylaws of the Libertarian National Committee, Inc.; and, all previous actions of the Officers and Executive committee in the matter of incorporation are approved and ratified; and, that the seal, and impression of which is affixed in the margin hereof, be adopted as the seal of the corporation." after discussion, the motion was passed without objection.. 15 Campaign Support Ron Crickenberger Written report submitted. Mr Crickenberger announced his new phone number 404-717-9287 He discussed the lack of interest in the Sal Guzzeta seminars. The candidates survey is ready to go when the 92 candidates database is loaded into Ron's computer. The survey will also be used as a candidate recruiting tool. Beginnings of the Technology committee has been named: Aaron Starr, Terry Savage, Daniel Donavan, Bruce Baechler, James Dan, and others. A LP voters profile is being worked on by Bruce Baechler to determine who votes for the Libertarian Candidates. A new goal has been proposed for 1996 which is to run 218 candidates for house of representatives in order to claim we can put in a majority. Discussion of the Natural Law Party an their financial ability and plans to field a large number of candidates in 1996. (the following is only a summary of the essential items required for the minutes and is not intended to be a transcript of the actual discussion. A video tape of the proceedings will be available for the cost of reproduction and mailing) At the beginning of the Tamara Clark funding discussion Ms Clark asked if there was any action contemplated being taken and whether she should seek council before proceeding. Mr Dasbach said that the only item on the agenda was the report from Mr. Crickenberger, but actions could be initiated by the LNC during the meeting. Mr Dasbach said that Mr Crickenberger should present any items he wanted to add to his report or items he wanted to emphasize. Mr Crickenberger said that the issue was difficult but the problem was a convoluted accounting practice and state reporting requirements concerning various committees such as the: Tax payers Action Committee Secretary of state race fundraising State Senate race Ms Clark explained the history of the various campaigns from 1992 through 1994, and the reason for the similarity in names between the Taxpayers Action Committee and the Tamara Action Committee. She also discussed the personal attacks and animosity from elements within the LP of Nevada. She said that she had experience with having people around her being attacked by her political enemies which made here reluctant to disclose the names and addresses of her vendors. Further discussion concerning details of the $4,500 early funding of the Tamara Clark campaign by the LNC, and the use of those funds, . Discussion of the change of administration in the Nevada Party and the effect on Ms. Clarks race. Discussion of disposition the materials purchased with the funding. Ms Clark said that no materials are left after her move to Arizona. Ms. Clark apologized about any accounting irregularities and stated that she did not control any of the checking accounts and that there was some confusion between her volunteers in various committees. Mr Butler raised the question of accountability to our contributors as to the use of funds disbursed. Discussion of why Ms. Clark decided to provide a false report to the LNC. Ms Clark maintained that the report was correct as to the amounts but inaccurate as to the names and addresses of the vendors. Discussion as to the level of detail that the LNC should require of candidates receiving funds. Discussion of any mechanism whereby the purchases of the signs could be validated. Discussion of the purpose of further discussion. Mr Butler raised the question of the obligation to our contributors to see to it that true and accurate reports are submitted to the LNC. In that vein Mr Butler made the following motion: "Whereas , Tamara Clark has deliberately supplied false information to the National Committee, Whereas, she has purported this information to be her sworn statement of truth, The National Committee does hereby censure Tamara Clark for these actions" After further discussion the question was called and passed on voice vote with James Dan abstaining. Mr Crickenberger called for a roll call vote. James Dan Abstain Thea McLean Yes Joe Hauptman Yes Dan Karlan Yes Joseph Brennen Yes Robert Franke No Tom Paswater No Karen Allard Yes Hugh Butler Yes Sharon Ayres Yes Ron Crickenberger Yes Gary Johnson Yes Tamara Clark Abstain John Famularo No Stephen Dasbach Not Voting Motion passes with 9 aye, 3 nay and 2 abstentions Ms Allard made a motion to recess for 10 minutes. Motion passed without objection Recessed for 10 minutes Reconvened at 4:00pm 16 Affiliate Support Karen Allard organizing area report submitted (see attached) Mr Jesse Markowitz, state chair of Maryland, was recognized to address the committee as to the status of the ballot access project. MD will be on the ballot with over 14,000 signatures. 17 Legal Action Committee Joe Hauptman Report submitted (see attached) 18 Regional Reports Region 1 James Dan Concentration on races in Sparks, NV. There is an incumbent libertarian running for re-election. Even though this is a non-partisan race, our candidate is well known as a Libertarian. Tamara Clarks Tax Accountability committee will be on the ballot in Sparks. Mr Dan has loaded the voter registration lists into his computer and will be using it for targeted mailings. Region 2 Thea McLean report submitted (see attached) California is getting a 10 % return on early renewal labels from National Headquarters Region 3 Joe Hauptman report submitted (see attached) Region 4 Gary Illardi report submitted (see attached) Region 5 Dan Karlan Pennsylvania chair remains Ken Sturzenaker, Treasurer is John Famularo New Jersey chair is long time activist Len Flynn Region 6 Joseph Brennen Maine submitted some ballot access reform legislation which is now in committee. Vermont, 8 to 12 active members meeting regular Rhode Island, 20 active members Connecticut, planning events New York convention being held this weekend. Mass, New Hampshire have not been contacted Region 7 Robert Franke North Dakota, State Chair thinking Nebraska No Contact Iowa State Chair resigned Missouri No Response from Chair, Newsletter shows active state party Kansas Submitted reports to regional Rep Minnesota Submitted reports to regional Rep Wisconsin 240 members - Illinois New set of State Officers Mike Ginsberg, new state chair of Illinois, was in Serbska (Bosnia) consulting with the government in developing a new constitution. Region 8 Tom Paswater Written report submitted (see attached) Discussion of Arizona ballot access drive. 19 1995 Budget Amendments postponed until Sunday session. 20 Resolutions Discussion of mechanisms for resolutions. Chairman is spokesman for the Party, but where policy considerations are not clearly delineated by the Platform, advice from the Executive committee or a vote of the LNC may be necessary. 21 Future meetings written report (see attached) Next LNC Meeting August 26 - 27 Radisson Hotel Arlington Heights 75 West Algonquin Road Arlington Heights, IL 60005 (708) 364-7600 guest room rate $69 December Meeting December 9-10 Washington, DC Discussion concerning potential hotels and room rates and meeting sites and preview of convention site. 22 Program Committee Stephen Dasbach Motion based on the proposal by Michael Tanner to replace the text of the Violence, Crime, and Drugs section of the National Program of the Libertarian Party with the test of the summary of Operation Safe Streets, and similarly replace the text of the section Health Care and Health Costs with the text of the summary of Operation Healthy Choice. Titles of these sections will be the same as the sample brochures. Mr Johnson raised the question about the mechanism for objecting to the text of the program. Mr. Johnson disagreed that Welfare is the root cause of Crime. Discussion about getting proposed changes out to the committee earlier in the future. Motion passed on voice vote. 23 1995 Budget Amendments. Motion to transfer 20,000 from Direct Mail to Headquarters Memberships increase infopaks from 0 to 10,000 Add 1,000 to Major Donor program Add 1,000 to database maintenance Decrease Material Sales by 6,000 Discussion on budget adjustment rationale. Direct mail transfer to Headquarters memberships reflects the changes due to the activity of Scott Kohlhaus in membership renewal via in-house telemarketing. Motion passed on voice vote. Earnest Hancock an Arizona activist was recognized to address the committee for 15 minutes. He emphasized the no compromise approach to politics and running good candidates and attributed the increased media coverage to this policy of the Arizona party. 24 Report on Arizona Convention Bill Winter 320 proxy votes from Pima County were voided. Rich Thompkins elected Chair Tamara Clark elected vice chair New bylaws adopted. Pima county objected to the credentialing procedure and indicated that they may take the matter to court. The convention disaffiliated the Pima county party but declined to take any further action. Reconciliation with the Pima county party was urged by the State Chair and Vice Chair. Stephen Dasbach indicated that all legal material surrounding this convention and the affiliate dispute will be forwarded to Bill Hall for study and a legal opinion. Mr. Butler suggested that the LNC formally indicate its support of the affiliate party of Arizona. A motion to "Affirm the actions of the Chair in support of the recognized Arizona affiliate party ". The motion passed unanimously. 25. Reports for Next Meeting Reports to be included in the agenda packet for the August meeting should be mailed to the Headquarters by August 7th 1995. Meeting Adjourned. Respectfully Submitted, John D. Famularo, Secretary