The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania is currently having a board meeting in Harrisburg (1:15 pm on Saturday, April 13, 2013).
Dr. Tom Stevens resigned as LPPA chair earlier this month. A board meeting was called to cancel the upcoming state convention (formerly to be held in Danville on April 27), reschedule a new state convention with 50 days notice, fill board vacancies, and rebuild the LPPA. 28 people are in attendance.
Jim Babb of Montgomery County has setup a live stream of the meeting through uStream:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jim-babb2
That’s good news! I hope you enjoyed your vacation.
I’ll be home from vacation tomorrow night. There are several articles I’ll post.
FYI, the speaker line up, pricing and registration site are almost finalized. When we have all the details, I’m sure Jill or Paulie will hook us up with a convention announcement.
Maybe someone will.
@45 Someone should probably post that as an article.
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania
2013 Annual Convention
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Harrisburg Hilton
One North 2nd St., Harrisburg, PA 17101
Business Session: 9:00 AM
The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania is proud to invite you to our 2013 Annual Convention. The business session begins Saturday at 9:00 am. The evening program will include a VIP reception, keynote presentation and dinner. Details will be announced
The business session is free with additional options for the evening program. In addition to the regular convention activities, members are invited to attend the Montgomery County Hospitality Suite on Friday & Saturday nights.
The full schedule and pricing information will be announced soon.
Please email [email protected] to receive a registration package.The Harrisburg Hilton is accessible from all parts of Pennsylvania. This high quality venue has been the site for numerous successful LPPa conventions. Book your room by calling (717) 233-6000. A generous discount room rate of $89 has been arranged for LPPa members.
David @38
The Marketing Committee Chair is the individual who was requesting funds for printing additional brochures.
This is the same individual who is in-charge of the LPPA’s website, which for the most part has not been upated for over 2 years.
He has also been budgted $2,000 to overhaul the LPPA website. I hope that the final deliverable is not just the same static content on a new platform. The current website is on Joombla and the “new” website is going to be on the WordPress framework.
The past WVC and current LPPA Chair Jim Fryman has not until about a week or so ago had acess to the LPPA’s Yahoo Groups, does not use Facebook and seems to think that brochures, letters and phone calles are the tools the LPPA should use to promote the LPPA.
What I have seen in my short time with the LPPA wide divde between the urban/tech saavy members and the rural/luddite members.
For example the LPPA’s current website can be reviewed here: http://www.lppa.org , its content other than the home page and convention page are quite dated.
The new website has been in development for months and has a budget of $2,000 for redevelopment.
On the other hand the LPPA Board voted on April 13 to have the Montco LP produce this years convention. The gentleman chairing the convention hosting committee registered a website to announce the LPPA Convention and went live with in on April 15 and it did not cost $2,000. Granted it is currently only an annoucent page but will have content added as the convention details are fleshed out. The page is located at http://www.LPPAConvention.org
The “old guard” seems to be affraid of embracing technology to grow the party.
This is why we need metrics to see which communicaiton vehicle produces more new members.
We are spending money on communiction tools without knowing what our return on investment is.
Lastly, the spending of $2,000 to create new website is a complete waste of money, especially when there are many members who can provide those services for free.
@38 you seem to grossly misunderstand what I have presented.
@33 – James; I have no desire to work at a state level in Libertarian politics at this point. Given your logic, perhaps my presence was unmerited.
I agree 100% that ideas presented (especially to an institution as structurally fleeting as the LPPA) are best backed with a commitment by the presenter. To my defense, the ideas I presented are all in place in York, where I am active.
I apologize that I’m unable/unwilling to step into LPPA work at the present moment.
@36 – Chuck; understood. You have a very good grasp of what it takes to remain stable as a Libertarian institution and I value your input tremendously.
It was nice meeting you and I appreciated our discussions. When I scoffed at being told to join the marketing committee, it was a mix of my general aversion to state level party work, and my innate rejection of being told what to do. Nothing more, nothing less. I completely understand you made the suggestion in good faith.
Best of luck down in Va! (and thanks for blogging, too – we in York appreciate you.)
The current flyers have done well, from my view, in Bucks County.(although it is a small view since we only have used them in one main event.) We handed out about 20, at a voter registration drive at BCCC ,and had 3 people come back the next day to register as LP. Thats not to bad in my book as I am sure maybe 2-3 more will not consider voting LP in the future. We hope to us more at Rice’s Market this up coming Saterday Aptil 20th.
David, I while I get what you are saying, the problem that Manuel brought up was not about the expense of the flyer.
It was more a direct commentary about the efficacy of the Marketing Committee, for years now…. For example, having no metrics or accountability in place for anything… No clue if the flyers do anything at all, etc….
Personally, I believe that it is very cost effective to spend a little and determine exactly what works before we start doing things….
Sincerely,
Steve Scheetz
@32: As someone who works in the private sector, you’d be amazed how much gets done in the “petty cash” side of the ledger and how little thought is really spent on it. A $60 purchase is relatively low-risk – spending $600 in equivalent volunteer labor-hours determining if it’s worth it or not isn’t cost-effective.
Now, if you were running a government agency, you’d absolutely have to spend that $600 in equivalent labor-hours because we the voters don’t allow government agencies any leeway or flexibility because we (rightly) don’t trust them. Consequently, it’s not uncommon for any government purchase, no mater how menial, to require the sort of oversight you’re requesting for these fliers – if government wants to spend $1.39 on a ballpoint pen, they need to declare the business need, secure at least two competing closed bids for individual ballpoint pens, create three committee meetings – one to declare the intent to purchase a ballpoint pen, one to process the closed bids for ballpoint pens, and one to finally authorize purchase of the ballpoint pen using the winning closed bid – and finally push the purchase through the remainder of the procurement process. If this process happens to consume over $1000 to purchase a $1.39 pen, well, that just proves the system is “transparent” and “works”.
All best t0 LPPA members and officers.
Manuel Gomez wrote (@32):
Sorry for the errors!
I definitely missed the text of the Moser motions (though I understood the gist of the concerns) because I was running back and forth from the table to where my laptop was plugged in.
Manuel Gomez wrote (@32):
As a libertarian, I agree with you. As an attorney, I see legitimate reasons to have such a policy. In any case (as some people have mentioned elsewhere) it should not be applied retroactively if it is eventually adopted.
James Babb wrote (@33):
I strongly agree.
When I immediately suggested that Manuel join the marketing committee to share and implement his ideas he seemed offended though.
That should read “…protect individuals FROM sexual harassment…”
If anyone is interested, this was my motion to draft a sexual harassment policy:
“I so move to recruit a standing committee to draft an appropriate Sexual Harassment Policy, designed to better protect individuals for sexual harassment from the LPPa board, employees and volunteers. This committee will draft the policy, have it reviewed by the LPPa Legal Committee and presented to the LPPa Board of Directors or Convention Body for approval within 60 days.”
If anyone has concerns that such a policy could be un-libertarian in anyway, I encourage you to participate.
Manuel, I was one of the people that appreciated your interest in metrics and accountability in marking efforts. As a marketing professional, I think about these things too. I didn’t a get the chance, but after hearing your comments, I immediately wanted you to join the marketing committee.
Valid criticism is best received when combined with an offer to do the job correctly. For instance, I was appalled by the Danville convention plan that the board had approved. So, when the opportunity presented itself, I identified a proper venue, checked availability and then volunteered to produce the convention with our county committee.
When the board failed to notify the membership of the botched convention, I volunteered to personally fulfill that responsibility this time.
I was tired of hearing stories from creeped out members about wildly inappropriate sexual advances, that sent them running for the hills. So, I made a motion for the board to draft work on an appropriate policy.
Manuel, I encourage you to take a similar approach. You have a lot of great ideas that would benefit the organization. There is no need to feel like an outcast. If the LPPa is to emerge from a period of slumber, it’s going to need folks with your rebel spirit. I personally welcome this. Criticizing is easy. Solving the problems is a tougher challenge.
There are some minor errors in the motions as documented here by Mr. Moulton. None of the errors are fatal, though. The general gist remains.
Moser motioned to have the membership list restricted in light of recent jockeying and campaigning by the LPPA factions.
The first motion failed. A second motion was made by Moser to sequester the membership list within the convention committee and prevent release to MontCo, for the same reason. That motion was withdrawn by Moser after discussion of the LPPA non-disclosure policy. (if you watch: that was an INTERESTING exchange)
I still don’t understand the reasoning or practicality of a ‘sexual harassment policy’ in the LPPA.
…wouldn’t be the first LPPA course of action or endeavor that sees me perplexed.
The LPPA marketing committee was granted an allocation of funds for an admittedly untested ‘government gone wild’ brochure. I was taken back by the amount of scorn directed at me for requesting a budget, dissemination strategy and metrics be applied to all marketing committee endeavors, including the brochure.
We were told it’s ‘only $60′(something like that); so to hell with demonstrable metrics, accountability and effectiveness. Those are all bad things, yes. It was painful to watch the board snicker and jeer in glee at their own laxness.
You wouldn’t get away with such unbridled recklessness and inefficiency in the private sector.
I also recommended the board consider the adoption of a contingency plan and retention policy for LPPA communications. I recommended the board explore a self-hosted option for communications and abandon the use of Yahoo lists where ‘freedom’ and ‘moderation’ is limited by Yahoo’s terms of service. That was also deemed backwards, as the board stated we ‘need to move forward’; and that ‘those things require work’.
They sure have time and resources to implement and study the execution of a ‘sexual harassment policy’ though…
It was a fine meeting in the sense that existing factions are yet to become re-grounded and entrenched, but the overall glimmering generality of ‘moving forward’ needs to be rooted in real world practicality if it’s to be more than just a feel good cliche.
All in all, I’m happy to keep the ‘York problem’ in York, and hope the current board has learned from the previous boards – stay out of York’s backyard and all our joint ventures will be fruitful.
Fuck with us, and you grant yourselves one hell of a foe. We don’t fancy bureaucracy, internal or external. Shouldn’t be too much to ask of a Libertarian institution.
“Steve Scheetz // Apr 14, 2013 at 1:23 am
I met Andy in the flesh for the first time this evening, and I am very happy to have done so! ”
Yeah, I happened to be in the area, so when I found out that the meeting was going on I decided to go, although I was only at the “after meeting” get together at the Appalachian Brew Pub. I’m glad to see the LP of PA getting back on track after a couple of years or so of dysfunction.
I met Andy in the flesh for the first time this evening, and I am very happy to have done so! I look forward to working with all of the Libertarians who attended the meeting today, and I am very hopeful, based on the fact that we had more in attendance than the past two years’ conventions at this board meeting, that we will be able to rebuild the LPPA moving forward from the disaster that was this past year.
Thanks to all who came out!!
Sincerely,
Steve Scheetz
Re: 27
You are always a class act! You never disappoint.
Very Great News & A Very Well done to all ! Great Job !
It was very encouraging to see the excitement level today. Great progress was made. If this enthusiasm continues, good times are ahead.
Thank you Dr. Douche for uniting the LPPa in common cause. 28 people at a board meeting is epic. Folks seem ready to surge ahead.
Congratulations LPPA for getting back on track! Warn the others.
Great! You folks will be back to the business of spreading the news about liberty in no time at all.
No moderation? Somebody elect me back onto the Board so I can post strings of expletives FOR LIBERTY. ; )
Continuing:
Meeting done. Reporting done.
No fireworks. The LPPA is back on track.
This is an Extraordinary Alert: the Montgomery County Libertarian Committee shall produce the 2013 LPPa Annual Convention. June 8th, Harrisburg Hilton.
Continuing:
Congrats to Drew Bingaman also.
Meeting attendees (* = voting member):
Note:
Barry Dively was elected fundraising committee chair during the meeting
Drew Bingaman was elected legislative committee chair during the meeting
Good meeting from what I can see from the live feed. So glad we now have the live feed now, makes it transparent and nice to see the party coming together
Continuing:
I will attend the next one and provide some fireworks.
Erik Viker wrote (@14):
Several IPR contributors requested a live stream and a live blog of this meeting.
I posted this article and am doing the live blog (from Harrisburg… I’m at the meeting) even though it’s a really dull meeting. I knew it wouldn’t have fireworks like LNC meetings do, but I guess transparency will show that Pennsylvania is back on track.
Glad it’s interesting to someone though.
Thank you for these updates. I am currently between dull conference meetings out of state and cannot use the livestream where I am sitting. Kudos for instant transparency on all fronts.
Continuing:
Steve @11, thanks. That information, while valuable, does not conflict with my observation that Jim Fryman is State Chair and not some sort of interim or acting chair. He is free to reject any hypothetical nomination for re-election in June.
Erik, According to Jim, he only accepted the job based on the idea that he would not have to do it beyond the convention.
True, he was elected by the board, but he will not seek any re-election come June 8th.
Sincerely,
Steve Scheetz
Techically Jim Fryman is not “interim chair” in that the Board elected him via email vote when Tom Stevens’ resignation was accepted. Jim is the state chair without any “acting” or “interim” qualifier.
That is correct.
Steve
Ok, so until the June 8th convention, I assume Jim Fryman serves as interim chair? And then on June 8th all the officer elections, like chair, will take place?
Continuing:
Congratulations to Drew Bingaman on his election to Legislative Committee Chair!!!
Sincerely,
Steve scheetz
Continuing:
The stream is at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/jim-babb2
Kudos to Jim Babb for the live stream. I don’t have time to watch it, but I’m sure there’s at least a few people out there who will be interested in doing so.
So far at the meeting:
All the action has been going on here the last few weeks:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LPPA_BUS/