Document:New York Newsletter December 1999 Free New York

FREE NEW YORK DECEMBER 1999

WHAT I LEARNED ON MY L.P. CAMPAIGN

by Audrey Capozzi

Suffolk County Libertarian Organization (SCLO) was successful for the first time ever of achieving ballot status for seven members. This was accomplished by use of paid petitioners, without whom we could not have gathered 1700 signatures in the heat wave of last summer - hot, muggy, 98°-100° remember!

(I learned that without an organization similar to the older parties who have masses of unpaid party workers, we have to hire petitioners.)

Once on the ballot, there were numerous "Meet the Candidates" nights held by various community organizations, civic associations, etc. I was speaking every night in the week - sometimes twice in the same night - until my voice became as hoarse as Bill Clinton's. (It is the only thing we have in common.) This was fun! To look out over a sea of faces and see the response to the use of L.P. jargon - Demopublican, Republicrat, Incumbent Party, politically homeless, etc. was exhilarating. Even the other candidates from a variety of parties seemed to take notice. I have been approached to run for other offices for a variety of minor parties.

(I learned that running for office can put you in touch with potential libertarians, both audience members and candidates from other small parties.)

Most of the candidates running for a variety of offices - town council, highway dept., town supervisor, county legislator - entered the meeting room preceded or trailed by an aide who would distribute slick literature, while I was usually alone.

(I learned that fundraisers well in advance must be held, a budget established, and literature produced.)

LPNY STATE CONVENTION APRIL 29 IN YONKERS

The next convention of The Libertarian Party of New York will be on April 29, 2000. The location will be the Royal Regency Hotel in Yonkers and it will be for one day only.

Seating is limited, so you must register in advance. The meals will be a deli buffet lunch and a sit-down dinner. The costs of the meals are below.

If registered by:

Feb 15: - - - - - Lunch - $30 Dinner - $50 Both - $75 After Feb 15: - - Lunch - $33 Dinner - $52 Both - $79 At Door: - - - - Lunch - $40 Dinner - $55 Both - $89

To register for the convention, contact the LPNY at: LPNY P.O. Box 728 Bellport, New York 11713

You can also contact Audrey Capozzi by calling: (631) 286-7631 or 1 (800) 204-6209 option #2 or by e-mail at Audgeo@aol.com.

To get to the Royal Regency Hotel, take Exit 6 off of I-87 (NYS Thruway). It is West of I-87 and on the North side of the road. The address is 165 Tuckahoe Road Yonkers, NY 10710. Rooms are approximately $109 plus tax, but you can obtain a 20% discount by mentioning the LPNY. You can call them at (914) 969-7500 for reservations.

LPNY WANTS YOU TO BE A CANDIDATE IN 2000!

by Richard A. Cooper, Media Director

In Y2K every Congressional seat and every State Senate and State Assembly seat will be up for election, together with many local offices. Start thinking now about running for office and reach a decision early in the New Year.

Contact the NYS Board of Elections (1-800-367-8683) or your local Board of Elections to find out the signature requirements for getting on the ballot.

To prepare yourself, read the State and Federal Constitutions. Read "The CATO Handbook for Congress" and Raymond Keating's, "New York by the Numbers." Think about what issues you would campaign on and how you would campaign. Come to our State Convention, April 29th, network and learn more techniques. You should also contact National for their LP candidates kit.

DELEGATES NEEDED FOR NATIONAL CONVENTION

Would you like to be a state delegate at the 2000 national convention in Anaheim, California in July?

The number of delegates that each state can send to the convention is determined by the number of members in the state and the number of votes for the LP candidate in the last presidential election. New York State will be allowed to send about 45 delegates.

Delegates will be selected at the state convention on April 29, 2000. You do not need to be present at the state convention, but you should contact the LPNY by letter or e-mail asking that your name be placed in nomination.

All costs of attending the national convention are the responsibility of the delegates.

To have your name placed in nomination, write to: LPNY P.O. Box 728 Bellport, NY 11713

Or e-mail Caryn Cohen, LPNY Secretary at: Ccohen@suffolk.lib.ny.us

Local Chapter News: TWO NEW LOCAL CHAPTERS FORMED

Central New York Organized in September

On September 24 the Central New York chapter of the LPNY was formed. The founding convention was attended by seven members from Onondaga and Oswego counties, as well as Dave Harnett, LPNY State Chairman. Elected at the convention were: Steve Gordon, Chair and Bridget Rutty, State Committee Representative.

Although it was originally intended to include only the counties of Onondaga and Oswego, it was decided to expand the region to also include, for the present time, the counties of Madison, Oneida, Cortland, and Cayuga.

Chapter meetings will be held at 2:00 PM on the second Sunday of every odd month at the office building at 300 Tulip Street in Liverpool, NY. Interested friends, spouses, or relatives are welcome to attend. For directions, contact Brian McLaughlin at (315) 451-1566. For general information and to get matters of interest to you placed on the agenda, please contact Steven Gordon, MD at (315) 445-9279 or e-mail him at: swgordon@aol.com.

Brooklyn Libertarian Party Started in October

On October 16, 1999 the Brooklyn Libertarian Party came into existence, thanks to the work of Matt Siegel. An organizational meeting, which was attended by both members and non-members of the LPNY, was held in Park Slope.

No officers have been elected yet. Matt Siegel is Acting Chair in the interim. For information, contact Matt by calling (718)-252-1651 or, you can e-mail Matt at: mattzees@erols.com.

POSITION STATEMENTS WANTED FROM CANDIDATES

In an effort to keep the LPNY membership informed, Free New York will be offering space in the next two issues for any person(s) interested in running for a position on the State Committee.

Although it is not required, we encourage candidates to take this opportunity to explain to the members why they want to be elected to the committee and where they would like to steer the LPNY over the next twelve months.

The committee positions are: State Chair, two Vice-Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer and five At-Large members. The committee meets quarterly, with the first meeting occurring at the end of the state convention.

To qualify, candidates must be members in good standing of the LPNY and be at least nineteen years old. Nominations for office are submitted from the floor of the convention, so you should either be present or arrange for someone to place your name in nomination.

The duties of the various officers can be found in the LPNY by-laws. Position statements should be 250-300 words in length and must be submitted to FNY by January 8 for the February issue, or by March 11 for the April issue.

GROWING THE PARTY THROUGH CAMPAIGNS

Running for office as a Libertarian can be an arduous task in New York State. We have yet to qualify as an official political party, so candidates must collect numerous signatures to get on the ballot before they can really start their campaigns in earnest.

But, there are benefits to the Libertarian Party from those campaigns. It helps to spread the libertarian philosophy to the general public and, by so doing, increases the membership.

For example, take the recent elections in Suffolk County. National Headquarters tracks the number of hits from different locations. The hits from Suffolk County jumped in July and August when petitions were being circulated. In September, there was a jump in membership. The numbers are in the table below.

Mon Web Hits Membership Apr 10 1050 May 5 1053 Jun 4 1062 Jul 49 1068 Aug 24 1068 Sep ?? 1098

LPNY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES - NOVEMBER

New York Libertarian Party State Committee Minutes:

November 20, 1999

Sloatsburg, NY

Present: Dave Harnett, Brad Arter, Blay Tarnoff, Caryn Cohen, John Ayling, Audrey Capozzi, Bonnie Scott, Lloyd Wright (and son, Eric Wright), Jeff Russell, John Reed, Jim Harris, Bridget Rutty (representing Central NY), Jim Strawhorn (representing Queens), Bill McMillen (representing Albany), Jeff Doty (non-voting)

Secretary's Report: The Secretary's report was deferred until the next meeting due to temporary misplacement of handwritten notes. [Ed. The Secretary moved recently.]

Treasurer's Report: We had $5,853 in our account at the end of October. We will end November with approximately the same balance, given some expenses we must pay and the incoming monthly UMP money.

New Business:

New Chapters The State Committee unanimously voted to accept Central New York County as a new chapter, with Bridget Rutty and Steve Gordon as officers. Bonnie moved to accept Kings County as a new chapter; Lloyd amended this motion to read: "contingent upon their submitting their bylaws." This motion passed with one nay vote.

National Convention Delegates Jeff Doty will publicize the upcoming National Convention in the newsletter, and will ask for volunteers to be New York State Delegates. The National Convention has 1,400 total delegates; 1,000 are based on membership and 400 are based on the votes in the last presidential election. New York is eligible for 42 delegates (30 + 12) . Free Web Site There have been two offers made for free web sites. Bonnie suggests that we accept the offer from the individual who has an ISP, as compared with the individual with a web server. The State Committee will save $360 per year by switching. Apparently the GOP offers its members web access at market prices; there was discussion regarding whether the LPNY could do the same. Blay moved to delegate to Bonnie the decision regarding free web sites. The motion passed unanimously.

Essay Contest Proposal Rich Cooper proposed that the LPNY sponsor an essay contest with prizes. He outlined this proposal in more detail via e-mail. The State Committee expressed interest. There was some discussion regarding possible prizes and costs. Bill moved to authorize $500 for an entire pilot project for one contest at Rich Cooper's discretion. The motion passed with one nay vote.

National's "Key Issue" Question Dave Harnett discussed a question sent to state chairs by National: "What is the single key issue for your state?" There was some discussion of this question; Bonnie proposed first amendment issues and police brutality. Dave wondered about the interest among blue collar workers in upstate New York.

Newsletter (Old Business): Dave Harnett brought up possibility of going back to six issues per year, which would cost $4,200, much less than it did before recent cost-cutting measures. He also discussed sending it to lapsed members (1,400) and prospects (5,500). Dave explained that new prospects currently get one mailing from National. We can encourage them to sign a "non-initiation of force" statement and become instant members with National.

Bill McMillen and Bridget Rutty requested the names from their respective districts. Jim Strawhorn also suggested that we send the newsletter to contacts from other organizations. Dave stated that the current difference in price between four and six issues is $2,800 versus $4,200.

Caryn Cohen suggested giving free issues to people who sign up at OPH booths.

Jeff Doty pointed out that, financially, it is better to mail the newsletter in large numbers to people in a particular section. Bonnie suggested assigning one person in each area to coordinate this effort. Jim Strawhorn moved to change the newsletter to a bi-monthly mailing; this motion passed unanimously.

Dave asked what to do about the 800 to 1,000 people who signed up as prospects last year. Caryn suggested that a first issue to new prospects be an "Introduction to the New York Libertarian Party" Newsletter. Then, prospects could receive two "regular" issues. Dave pointed out that if the new initial newsletter goes out right away, we will need to send it first class. However, he reminded us that we will need to develop the content of this issue first; in the meantime, we will send three regular issues to new inquirers. Bonnie volunteered to help Jeff develop the content of this issue. Caryn moved that we send new inquirers three issues of the newsletter at no charge. This motion passed unanimously.

Later in the meeting, Dave indicated that we can get a non-profit bulk mail rate, but sometimes this mail takes much longer. Our printer has a business rate permit. The rate for non-profit is a $100 application fee and a $100 yearly fee. Blay moved to change to a non-profit rate; the motion passed unanimously.

More New Business:

Tim Slagle Videos Dave discussed possibility of buying ten Tim Slagle videos for $12 each. Brad moved to purchase; the motion failed with one supporting vote.

New York State Convention: Dave indicated that Jim put down a deposit on the Treetop Holiday Inn near Yonkers, which has a capacity of 80 people. The train is ten minutes away by cab on the Hudson River Line. The deposit is refundable up to one month prior to the event. We are still waiting for confirmation of the date by Harry Browne. Jim has an alternative site: the Royal Regency Hotel. We need to guarantee a minimum of fifty. An event planner costs $800. Our cost would be around $76 per person (for fifty people), not including room cost of $89.

Some possible speakers are: Harry Browne, someone from a gun organization, Peter Christ, Mary Ruwart, Robert Leiderman, and John Fund. Jim Strawhorn suggested contacting Carla Howell and Michael Cloud regarding ideas for publicity.

Dave asked for a volunteer to chair a promotion subcommittee. Jim S. volunteered to contact Carla. Jim Harris is now handling the entire convention. We will need to set a date and location for the next convention. Bonnie suggested offering a discount for people coming from out of state, similar to what was done in Massachusetts.

Later in the meeting, Blay asked whether we can get credit card capability for the State Convention. Jim Strawhorn will ask Carla about this.

More New Business:

Request for Funding Motion Blay Tarnoff made a motion in three parts: 1.) The State Committee will issue official guidelines for requests for funding, to include the amount requested and a proposal. The proposal should include the following: what you intend to do with the money (purpose), how you intend to spend the money (steps), and what you intend to accomplish (results).

2.) The State Committee authorizes the release of up to $1,000 with an online vote if the majority of the State Committee members vote yes. (Thus, nine members are needed as there are now a total of 17 voting members.)

3.) All members of the State Committee need to be notified of an upcoming vote, if done between meetings. The Secretary and Treasurer will keep track of the vote totals.

There was some discussion of the above proposal. Dave reminded the Committee that we are still waiting for a representative from Kings County. The Treasurer would be expected to inform the Committee regarding our current financial status before a vote is taken. Brad suggested that any proposal should go through Dave first, who would review it and pass it on to the Secretary, who would post it to e-mail.

The proposal (as stated in 1,2, and 3 above) passed with one nay vote.

Mayoral Race: There was some discussion regarding Roy Innis' possible race for mayor. He is looking for the endorsement of a major party, but is also a Libertarian and has mentioned the possibility of running on the LP line. He does not always mention the Libertarian Party in his speeches, depending on his audience.

Next Meeting: The next meeting will be held on Saturday, February 19, 2000, 10:00, at the Sloatsburg Rest Area.

The meeting adjourned at 3:35 PM.

(Please submit agenda items for the next meeting, preferably via e-mail. Thank you.)

As requested, here are a list of commitments made at this meeting:

Kings County: Will submit bylaws to LPNY Secretary via snail mail or e-mail with no attachment. Will elect a representative to the State Committee and inform the secretary of this person's name

Bonnie Scott: Will look into new free web site Will work on initial newsletter issue with Jeff D.

Jeff Doty: Will publicize National Convention in newsletter and request volunteers for delegates (can send names to Caryn via e-mail, if preferred) Will publish newsletter six times per year Will work on initial newsletter issue with Bonnie Will send three free issues of newsletter to new prospects Will switch to non-profit bulk mail rate

Richard Cooper: Will coordinate pilot essay contest

Dave Harnett: Will send new prospect names from their districts to Bill M. and Bridget R. Will send names of new prospects to Jeff D. so he could send free issues Will continue to try to confirm date of State Convention with Harry Browne

Jim Harris: Will switch deposit to Royal Regency for Convention

Jim Strawhorn: Will contact Carla Howell now to obtain convention suggestions and information. re. credit card capability and will post these to e-mail list.

Caryn Cohen: Will distribute State Committee Minutes soon after meetings Will keep track of online voting for funding proposals

John Clifton: Will inform committee via e-mail regarding current finances when there is a new online funding proposal

Document:New York Newsletter December 1999 Free New York

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