| Volume 3 Issue 1 | "Montani Semper Liberi" | February 1997 |
The major areas of LPWV goals were Membership Growth; Fund Raising; 1997 State Convention; Candidates for 1998; County Chairs; Shadow Government Press Releases; and Updated Voters Registration Forms.
The enclosed 12-page prospecting brochure was created to aid membership growth-- the LP's top priority. Contact the LPWV to receive (at cost) additional copies.
Other highlights of the meetings were:
> This years state convention will be held Saturday, October 25 in
Charleston.
> The LPWV is actively recruiting candidates for political office and
county chairs. Contact the LPWV if you or someone you know is interested.
> Dr. Joseph Whelan (VP-Campaigns) and Karl Swisher (VP-Membership) were
named to the LPWV ExeCom.
Present: John Brown, Roger Fritz, Dr. Wallace Johnson, David Wolfe, Bill Clem, Dr. Joseph Whelan, John Sturgeon.
The meeting was called to order by State Chair John Brown.
A motion was made to dispense with the reading of the minutes of the previous meeting. The motion was seconded and passed.
A motion was made to hold the executive committee meeting on the fourth Saturday of each quarter at revolving sites around the state. The motion was discussed, seconded and passed.
A motion was made to hold the next meeting on January 25, 1997 at Hoss's Restaurant in Martinsburg, West Virginia at 2:00 P.M., and in the case of inclement weather to make the date one week later. The motion was discussed and passed.
A motion was made to amend the by-laws of the LPWV and to add the office Vice-President - Campaigns and to appoint Dr. Joseph Whelan to the position immediately. The discussion added that this would have to be approved at the next LPWV convention. The motion was passed, and Dr. Whelan accepted the position.
Dr. Johnson announced that he planned to meet with Governor-elect Cecil Underwood in January to present the LPWV's goals.
The treasurer's report was given by John Sturgeon: Checking account balance: $164.46.
David Wolfe reported that the Johnson for Governor campaign had approximately $2600 left with some bills outstanding. The campaign fund ended in the black, and should have about $2000 to give to the LPWV.
Vice-Chair Roger Fritx reported that he sent thank-you letters to media people who were friendly to the LPWV. In the letter he mentioned that if they had any questions about the Libertarian position on issues they should feel free to call on us.
The District One report was given by District One Chair David Wolfe. There is a strong grass roots movement going on, with libertarian video tapes and literature being distributed by LPWV member Karl Swisher. Mr. Swisher is also checking into the possibilites of gettin contributions from the coal industry in Lewis, Barbour and Harrison counties. There were 64 straight Libertarian ballots cast in Lewis County. The LP organizers at WVU have graduated, so we need replacements.
The District Two report was given by District Two Chair Bill Clem. There was nothing to report except he had tried the Operation Politically Homeless booth.
The District Three report was given by District Three Chair Dr. Wallace
Johnson. He reported that he has sent paperwork to Secretary of State
Ken Hechler to organize a Libertarian Political Action Committee which
would have as its goal the removal of the health care provider tax by
phasing it out to nothing in four years. State Delegate Dr. Robert
Pulliam may be available to introduce Libertarian legislation into the
House of Delegates, and he may challenge Bill Wooten for his State Senate
seat in 1998. In regard to the 1996 campaign he reported the successes as:
> 2.6% of the vote
> The LPWV was the first third party in 72 years to get 1% and got the highest
total of any except for the Progressives in 1912.
> The vote for Dr. Johnson was five times the total for Kelly in 1980 and
also five time that of 1996 candidate Harry Browne.
> Support was state-wide with one percent reported in 54 of 55 counties.
Only Morgan County deviated.
The major deficiency was financial. No one was concentrating on the financing of the campaign, resulting in 70 of 80 contributors of $100 or more being either direct acquaintances or patients of Dr. Johnson.
Newly appointed Vice-President of Campaigns Dr. Joseph Whelan reported that he probably would have gotten more votes in his Ninth District State Senate race if the United Mine Workers had not declared a miners' holiday on Election Day to increase the Democrat vote for Charlotte Pritt. However, he intends to visit the UMWA to express his appreciation of their support for him. Raleigh and Wyoming countieshad similar percentages for him. All in all, he assures, it was an exhilarating time and although he is disappointed he is not discouraged.
No old business was pending.
New business: 1997 LPWV Convention. The fourth Saturday in October 1997 was proposed as the date. This was judged not too early to start a campaign, being 12 months from the election. A mini campaign school could be held for Libertarian candidates. New candidates for the 1998 election could be recruited. Beckly, West Virginia was proposed at the 1997 site. Charleston in 1999 and Huntington or Parkersburg in 2001.
A motion was made to set the date fo the convention as the fourth Saturday in October, 1997 with the site to be determined later. Motion seconded and passed.
Goal Setting. State Chair John Brown pointed out that so far the LPWV has
reached all of its goals and it was time to set new ones. Everyone then
read the goals they had been asked to prepare and these were listed and
discussed. There were 15 different goals. These were then arranged in
priority order by everyone with 15 being the highest and one the lowest.
The lists were read and the calculations done by Roge Fritz to determine
the order. The final list was:
1. Membership: 200 members by 12/31/97 and establish new position:
V.P.-Membership.
2. Fund Raising: $15,000 raised by 12/31/97 and new position:
V.P.-Fundraising.
3. Convention: To be held Oct. 25, 1997 in Beckley/Oak Hill area.
4. Campaigns: 20 candidates in 1998, including House of Representatives
in all three districts, and Libertarian elected to office at any level.
5. County executive committees and chairs organized in 55 counties by
10/25/97.
6. Shadow government: To comment on any significant action by the Incumbent
Party, including a Libertarian response to the State of the State address
by Dr. Johnson.
7. Voter registration: To have Libertarian as an explicit choice (instead
of other).
8. Expand state executive committee to include new V.P. positions and
county chairs.
9. Continue Press releases: Let the world know we're here and active.
10. Libertarian Speakers Bureau: Stable of speakers to be available to
civic clubs, service organizations and others.
11. Organize events: Tax Day protest etc.
12. Lobbying Legislature: Let them know there are other ways.
13. PAC's: Organize our own.
14. Young Libertarians: Enlist the Youth of West Virginia.
15. Constitutional by-laws: Revise LPWV constitution.
Roger Fritz proposed a special resolution to reprimant the Libertarian National Committee an have them return power to the local levels. The motion failed.
Roger Fritz announced changes on the LPWV Internet home page.
The meeting was adjourned.
Present: John Brown, Dr. Wallace Johnson, Dr. Joseph Whelan, Bill Clem, Christine Fishbeck, Karl Swisher, John Wells, Frank Ney, John Sturgeon.
State Chair John Brown called the meeting to order.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read by Secretary-Treasurer John Sturgeon. There was one change: the word sales was replaced by health care provide in the District Two report of Dr. Johnson. Reading approved, seconded and passed.
Special Reports and Orders:
A motion was made to amend the by-laws to add the office Vice President-Membership to the Executive Committee and to appoint Karl Swisher to the office immediately. The motion was seconded and passed pending approval at the next LPWV convention.
A motion was made to amend the by-laws to allow District Vice Chairs to substitute for District Chairs if necessary. The motion was seconded and passed.
State Chair John Brown reported that he will be sending a letter to all County Clerks in West Virgina requesting a lis of names and addresses for all registered Libertarians in their counties. The letter advises the Clerks that the LPWV will be requesting this information periodically so it would be to their benefit to start using a separate code for Libertarians. The state is also in the process of redesigning voter registration forms. Brown also reported that anyone who registered Libertarian before 1995 will not appear on these lists because of a change made in that year when the Motor Voter program went into effect.
Officers Reports:
The Treasurer's report was given by John Sturgeon. The LPWV currently has a checking account balance of $22.64 with outstanding bills of $62.57. With Major Party status comes deficit spending. Dr. Wallace Johnson reported that a refund of approximately $700 from Bell Atlantic for the Johnson for Governor campaign will be forthcoming. In addition, a newsletter to be sent after the Executive Committee meeting will incur costs of approximately $300 for printing and mailing. There is also a new recruiting pamphlet to be printed and mailed to everyone in the LPWV data base. The cost of this was unavailable.
The State Vice Chair report was not given. Roger Fritz could not attend due to the imminent birth of his second child.
District One Report was not given, District One Chair David Wolfe being absent.
District Two Chair Bill Clem advised he had nothing to report.
The District Three report was given by District Three Chair Dr. Wallace Johnson. There will be no Libertarian response to the State of the State address on Public Television. The reason given was that there are no Libertarians in the legislature. However, Dr. Johnson's response will be issued the following day in a press release to be prepared by Roger Fritz. Dr. Johnson will also be appearing on Dr. Joseph Whelan's radio show to present the Libertarian side. A tape of this show will be sent to other radio stations around the state. The Political Action Committee set up by Dr. Johnson has received nearly 200 letters in response, giving some ability to lobby the legislature once he and Dr. Whelan register as lobbyists. A Founders Day Banquet was proposed for April 13, Thomas Jefferson's birthday. Charleston was discussed as a possible location, and $35 a plate as the price of admission. No definite plans have been made.
The Vice President - Campaigns report was given by Dr. Joseph Whelan. In keeping with the Ninth Infantry motto, Keep Up the Fire, Dr. Whelan has had on his radio show National LP Communications Director George Getz and LP National Chair Steve Dasbach. The destructive nature of the War on Drugs was one of the main topics. As mentioned earlier, Dr. Johnson will appear and give the Libertarian response to the State of the State address. Dr. Whelan also reported that the United Mine Workers were very appreciateve of his thanks for their support of him. He emphasized the importance of the Shadow Government to respond to every major move by the Incumbent Party to keep the LPWV's name and concepts before the public.
The Vice President - Membership report was given by newly appointed Karl Swisher. He is continuing to discuss libertarian issues with people he knows, and has received more copies of Harry Browne's book to distribute. He is also circulating copies of Browne's acceptance speech at the 1996 LP National Convention. He solicited ideas for organizing students at the snall colleges in West Virginia, and he intends to make this a top priority.
Old Business:
Goal Inplementation: The list of goals set at the previous meeting was reviewed and discussed. John Brown pointed out that the purpose of this meeting would be to implement those goals.
1997 LPWV Convention: John Brown announced that LP National Chair Steve Dasbach has agreed to speak at the convention. A motion was made to set the location of the convention in Charleston, West Virginia. The discussion involved the proximity of Charleston to other population centers and access to more media outlets. The motion was seconded and passed.
New Business:
Membership: A proposed new recruiting pamphlet was presented by John Brown. This is a compilation of several different pieces of existing LP literature, but has been edited and aimed at West Virginia. Everyone agreed that it should be very effective in explaining libertarianism to the uninitiated. It will be made part of the next newsletter. Brown also indicated with a chart that membership had slacked off since our phenomenal growth spurt of 1995. This was probably due to our emphasis on the 1996 election.
Fund Raising: The goal of $15,000 by the end of the year has been set. Now we need someone to focus on it. It was agreed that this all goes back to the primary goal of increasing membership. Increase the number of members and everything else must follow.
Convention: Already taken care of.
Candidates and County Chairs: A minimum of three candidates are needed for 1998. These will be for the three House of Representative seats, giving everyone in West Virginia the chance to vote for, or at least see on the ballot, a Libetarian. Possible candidates include either Dr. Johnson or Dr. Whelan in the Third District and John Brown in the Second District. Even a paper candidate may be considered, if necessary.
Shadow Government: Already covered.
Other new business: Ballot Access News reports the requirement that anyone voting in the primary is ineligable to sign a petition for a third party is being challenged. John Brown has already appeared before two legislative sub-committee hearings on this. Any third party would benefit from the removal of this requirement. The Liberty Council has listed the LPWV effort in attaining ballot access a success. John Brown will be attending a meeting of State Chairs at National Headquarters March 1 & 2, 1997.
Next meeting is to be held April 26, 1997 at 2:00 P.M. in Beckley with the site to be determined later. Clarksburg was named as the tentative site for the third quarter meeting.
The meeting was adjourned.
Libertarian Party of West Virginia
P.O. Box 75423, Charleston, WV 25375
(800) 524-LPWV or (304) 345-LPWV or lpwv@aol.com