A recent request to discuss the potential sale of the Libertarian Party headquarters by two members of the Libertarian National Committee has prompted significant debate in Libertarian circles.
The subject initially came as an October 24 request by LNC members Rich Bowen and Pat Ford. In an email titled “November Agenda Request – Consider the Sale of the Alexandria VA headquarters,” Rich Bowen requested 30 minutes to tackle several questions related to selling the Party’s current headquarters. In addition to his request, Bowen asked several questions about current parking access, transportation, operating cost concerns, staffing, and the necessity of a greater Washington metropolitan location.
Little discussion has taken place on the public list outside of concerns about timing posited by LNC Secretary Caryn Ann Harlos and her suggestion of having a subcommittee tackle the topic instead. Still, the conversation has rapidly spread across Libertarian social media circles.
“The headquarters should be sold and relocated to somewhere less expensive. No benefit is gained from proximity to DC,” said one New York Libertarian in the official LNC – Membership Connection Group Facebook group. “If we are to be getting rid of the building, we should consider a few regional headquarters instead of a centralized national office. This will give us redundant and distributed digital back-ups as well as locations to conduct regional trainings,” said another commenter.
In LNC Business – Discuss, another Libertarian discussion group, some members were more critical of the idea of selling the headquarters. “Nothing says success like closing shop. It’d be one thing if there was another physical address somewhere else already,” wrote Richard Longstreth, a former member of the Libertarian National Committee.
Steve Scheetz, former Chair of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, sent a letter to the LNC directly, criticizing the Party and questioning the LNC over if the sale is to continue supporting “Sore Lose Republican Re-treads.” Independent Political Report’s sibling site, Third Party Watch, has a full copy of the letter available here.
This discussion is not the first instance where the current Libertarian National Committee has discussed the idea of selling the current Alexandria headquarters. In a June 26, 2022, thread titled “Long term planning idea: New Libertarian HQ in DC area”, several full-voting and alternate members of the LNC discussed the logistics of downsizing and early questions following a proposal submitted by Libertarian Party activist Starchild. A request for a motion would additionally be asked by Martin Cowen but did not proceed further following LNC chair Angela McArdle requesting the Committee to wait for a SWOT analysis.
According to LPedia, a comprehensive online encyclopedia of Libertarian subjects and personalities, the Libertarian National Committee has had eleven total offices over its lifespan. Starting in Colorado, the Libertarian Party would open its doors once in California, twice in Texas, and several times in Washington, D.C., before settling on Alexandria, Virginia. It has operated out of Alexandria since 2015.
The November meeting of the Libertarian National Committee will take place in Austin, Texas, on the weekend of November 5, 2022. Interested viewers can still watch live streaming of the event through the party website.
It makes sense than an LNC all about not campaigns IRL would advocate strip mining our last physical asset after directly doing damage to virtually ALL ballot access in CT by way of shitty messaging and wilful inattention to what voters care about.
I spent over 13 years, a marriage and 500k plus of time, energy and treasure of my own, and I served as a state chair to rebuild from the 2008 Bob Barr burnout where only 3 of us did anything at that point. We built from there to all counties having affiliates and months where we pulled in per month what most state parties did in a year. Plus we had thousands at our events that weren’t pandering to Republicans or the Woke.
Between the Professional Asshole Caucus (Mises) and the Woketarians who blew the historic opportunity COVID overreach handed us, it’s us party builders and the sane, normal rank and file who paid dearly for the cafeteria food fight. They burned that down. The vast majority of CT woke up November 9 unable to be registered libertarians.
We’re now WORSE off than 2008. The only real reason to liquidate the headquarters is to fully realize that we don’t want to do the things that political parties do.
In fairness, the new party leadership said, before it began, that it didn’t need or want the old donors, that it would bring in new, more principled donors. Not sure who they were referring to, maybe the Libertarians for Masters Crowd?
Anyway, I am certain selling the only physical asset because there is not enough revenue to cover expenses will lead to a higher level of success.
I have heard from many sources that any proceeds from a sale of the HQ building must be used for another HQ building. I was unaware of this fact. That’s good to know.
Funds were raised to purchase an office building to honor and memorialize David Nolan. I gave $1,000. If the building is sold and not replaced by a building of equal original value, then it would be appropriate to ask donors if they want a proportional amount of their donation back.
On the same topic, I thought it was apparent that one of the Mises Caucus plans, if they won, was to relocate the headquarters. They won decisively. Admittedly, their opposition was anything but impressive, but they won decisively. Victory has its consequences.
The money would still need to be spent on building(s). I was able to find one estimate of a price for the building, whose accuracy I might or might not doubt, indicating that the value of that real estate has increased several-fold. I would doubt that, except I have looked at more-or-less local real estate prices, suggesting that the nominal price of my home — I am not selling — has gone up perhaps fourfold, which is absurd.
Why NewFederalist, that means when the HQ is sold that would mean more money goes back into party coffers. Paying off a mortgage early does not cost you money, it saves you money in the interest expenses you don’t pay, and you can put more of the sold price into the bank account.
Buying a building versus renting was a sound investment choice made because they can make money on the building selling it. But I do kind of question having an office in the D.C. area in comparison to somewhere much cheaper. If you want to be close to D.C. you could still be in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Richmond, Wilmington, DE. Your money would go further. The topic is open for discussion if there is something that the D.C. location gains the party. For example, constant face-to-face communication with libertarian-oriented think tanks and NGO’s. If we had Libertarians elected in government I think a D.C. area location makes sense.
At best you can just state it’s a topic of discussion for serious people to weigh the pros and cons, and I’m not sure how many serious people are around, either in the National Committee or on anonymous message boards or comment sections.
The money would need to go back into the building fund.
If the HQ is ultimately sold I would guess a whole lot of people who put forth a lot of money to pay off the mortgage early will be pissed off.