Libertarian National Committee August 20, 2023 Meeting Liveblog

Meeting came to order. Public comment…what we are doing in West Virginia.

Discussion of agenda.  Chair is proposing changes. Asks to discuss candidate training and stewardship. Chair keeps being interrupted by Harlos.  Agenda amended without objection.

Treasurer notes chat function of youtube was off.  Harlos denounces opening chat function: What was going on in the chat yesterday was destructive and full of unproductive nasty comments.  Debate: Hagopian: I was able to insert clarification and corrections into chat because I was there.  Harlos: Members who were here in person are allowed to record it. Harlos goes on condemning the use of the chat. Orders of the day called.

Appoint credentials committee and chair.  Moved to go into executive session to discuss personnel issues after we hear from committee applicants. Robert Kraus applies to convention committee.  (someone) If the are two competing groups in a state, we admit the one recognized by the LNC. Various people speak in favor of different candidates.  When Redpath spoke in favor of Susan Hogarth, he referenced a split in the party related to Reno; there was an objection from someone to the reference.  Now taking a break.

They emerge from Executive session.  Harlos moves to elect the committees using Overvote, with approval voting, majority vote required, seven days to vote required, chairs to be chosen when the committee is known.  For the Convention Oversight Committee Adrian Malagon and Robert Kraus were nominated.  Question was called.  Waiting for electronics to support taking the vote.  Redpath votes for Tuniewicz. Vote was 12-0-0, the chair not voting.

Budget discussion and motion is the next session.  Treasurer has slides and then a motion. Treasurer: Plan had been a 1.7 million budget.  We need to reduce that to 1.23 million.  Reduction is $470,000, including $170,000 of fundraising.  Huge mistake that we did not spend money on fundraising.  Reduce ballot access by $50,000.  We are now spending twice as much on fundraising as we did in the first half the year.  Cut employee expense by $100,000.  Lower professional services by $90,000.  Reduce ballot petitioning by $60,000. Many other cuts.  Hard to understand at times.

Chairs asks about overspending. Treasure mumbles.  Members complain.  Activism and outreach can stay level.  Chair asks about direct mail.  Treasurer: 1.23 million is a stretch goal with which he is not comfortable.  Treasurer anticipates more budget changes will be needed.

Harlos: We have a much higher reserve in than in the past.  Why?  Expect a heavy ballot expense next year that current revenue will not cover. Could spend another $170,000 from the reserve.

Ford: Core spending must be spending on ballot access and then legal.  Everything else should be cut.

Chair: Need the reserve for ballot access.  Need more money on fundraising.  Staff must emphasize fund raising.  Will hire an operations director.

Question if we can reach 1.23 million.  Treasurer: This is an aggressive goal.  Budgeted income and expense cuts match.  Could not tell how much of the 1.23 million in income is the hypothetical direct mail effort.

They returned at 2:45P:  They appear to have had another executive session.

CiviCRM motion.  There are several of them.  Discussion as to which motion has arisen.  Chair: We will not finish everything today.  Motion to postpone some civiCRM motion indefinitely.  Passed without objection.

Return to Mr. Hagopian’s motion.  Lists a series of budget adjustments.  The budget numbers are six digit numbers, not even, many being read as six-digit strings of integers.  This is a 28% reduction in most categories. Roll-call vote.  Bowen – No   Motion passes 12-1-0, the chair choosing not to vote. Discussion on how to change the budget.  Are these motions to reconsider?

Candidate training is discussed.  Chair asks what she can do to help.  Discussion between Chair and Treasurer on money availability.  Discussion that LNC will pay for training, and region will pay for location, site, food,…  LNC will pay $2000 or so for each region.  Chair works through regions to see which regions are interested.  [Editorial Aside: This year there are six states with legislative elections this year, some of which have significant numbers of Libertarian candidates.]

Advance to discuss Stewardship.  Luke Troxell, speaking,  is the Fundraising Director.Need to treat our donors well, showing them appreciation.  We working on getting membership cards out.  We used to give out tzotzkes to show our appreciation.  Spending money on them is desirable.  A small thank you goes a long way.  Ship, e.g., bumper stickers. Electronic delay for file transfer.  We will have a discord server for donors.  There is a discussion of donate levels, silver and gold and rewards.  One reward for members are special coins, e.g. silver.  These are somehow pressed. Another reward would be access to special discord channels.  Issue…What if Discord vanishes?  There are more customizable platforms.

Staffer called just under 4000 lapsed members. 3300 phone numbers were reached.  Something like 400 were inclined to renew.   Ballot access: 1250 called, 84 finally donated.  Process of reaching is phone call, text message, email. Trying to take credit card numbers over the phone is challenging.  Civi is slow on occasion.  The issue is believed to be the server.  There are demographics that are more willing to give a credit card number over the phone.

Location of the next LNC meeting.  California is proposed, not San Francisco.  It will be in Orange County, 15 miles from the John Wayne airport. Proposed date November 4 and 5?  Speaker: Hard to persuade Californians to go to the east coast for a national convention if the LNC will not travel to California.  Debate about how the locations should be chosen.  Debate about which weekend.  No  decision made.

Arguing about striking spending time on the regional reports, which are written. They appear

The New Mexico affiliate is trying to choose a  name for their group.  They expect to be the Free New Mexico Party.  Motion to approve name change of affiliate from Freedom Libertarian Party of New Mexico to Free New Mexico Party.  The issue is that the state will not approve a party name for the LNC affiliate that includes the words Liberty or Libertarian, because it is too similar to a current party. Passes 12-0-0 the Chair not voting.

Chair will unilaterally schedule a meeting.

Duque motion #1 is moved.  Proposal is to publicly release the  EPCC policy document.  There are legal needs to do this.  There is nothing confidential about the policies. Motion passes 11-1-0.

Duque Motion #2 to delete the manual … no one moved it.

Duque Motion #3 to eliminate EPCC.  Moved.  Fails for lack of a second.

Duque Motion #4 to make public the confidential LNC threads other than legal.  Motion not made.

Duque Motion #5.  Made a motion to terminate the staff contract of Austin Padgett.  Requires a vote of a majority of all disinterested directors to terminate contract. Debate if this is a motion about the person or the way the way the contract is approved. Harlos: There is no contract.  It requires approval.  There is a search for coffee.  They go into executive session.  They return.

Moved by Malagon and seconded to table the motion pending consultation with the EPCC and Party’s Counsel.  Tuniewicz differs.  He much preferred a vote today, saying:  Just because something can be done does not mean that it should be done. In non-profits, it is generally considered nepotism and reflects poor judgment on the part of the chair. Harlos: I want to know the legal implications first. Ford: The entire body needs to be well-informed, so I rise in support of the motion to table. Malagon: Critically important that the body be well-informed. Hagopian calls the question. Vote on the motion to table 11-1, chair not voting, Tuniewicz opposed.

Motions to censure the chair or the LNC were not moved. Moved to strike the regional reports from the agenda, passed without objection. Moved and Seconded to move committee reports to the next online meeting. Reports are on the one-note.

Moved to remove Huston and Kraus from all bank accounts. This is a pro forma motion to satisfy the bank. McArdle and Hagopian shall be the only signers on any of our financial accounts. Harlos: Bank may complain. Made it a resolution. Passes 12-0-0

Moved to remove Huston and Kraus from all social media accounts. Passes 12-0-0 chair not voting.

Meeting adjourned.