Libertarian Party

State Chairs Conference

 

 

 

Nashville Embassy Suites

February 23-24, 2002

 

 

Written by

Bob Sullentrup, MO

 

 

Reviewed and Enhanced by

Jacqueline Bartels, WA

Sara Chambers, AK

Richard Pearle, TN

 

Table Of Contents

 

Preamble. 3

Most Important Findings. 3

Ballot Access. 4

National / State Expectations. 4

Membership. 7

How to Nurture Volunteers. 10

Candidates. 12

Training.. 15

Local Organizations. 16

Media Relations. 20

Strategy Items. 23

Fundraising.. 26

Miscellaneous. 28

Errors and Omissions. 30

Attendees. 30

 

 March 9, 2002

 

Preamble

 

Approximately 60 people attended the second State Chairs Conference in Nashville representing 39 states and the District of Columbia. The states not in attendance included Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. See the attendance list at the end.

 

Mark Nelson, LNC District 1E representative, was the MC for most of the sessions. Mark started by noting he participated in the recent LNC strategy meetings. That group came up with thousands of ideas, but they had no idea what exactly worked. Accordingly, the LP is going to address ‘branding’ by turning over the work to professionals who should tell us what works.

 

Most Important Findings

 

A theme in the remarks of the attendees indicated how the success of projects was correlated with the fundamental political activity of simply telephoning people and asking them for what you want – applying high touch, not high tech.

 

This was particularly true as a means of finding candidates to run for office. In turn, getting candidates to run is the fundamental step in party building. Candidates generate membership and media attention, which in turn builds membership.

 

In 1998, for example, one third of Vermont’s members ran for office. In that year, the state chair got on the phone and simply called people. And one of their candidates won.

 

Another important finding was to start small and build incrementally. For example, instead of trying to crack a major market newspaper, court smaller outlying papers first, then approach your version of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after you’ve built something.

 

This point also dovetails OR’s experience. Oregon spent only $700 and a small number of nights in hotels to conduct their “LP Tour for the No Tax Increase Initiative.”

 

First they hit small towns starting with a “Southern loop tour” which bypassed the two major population centers of Portland and Eugene in the northwest part of the state and headed down to Klamath Falls. They then made an “Eastern loop” tour. They found a sympathetic broadcaster willing to feature daily updates of the “Libertarian No New Taxes Tour.”  By the time the organizers arrived at points on the eastern loop, a “buzz” was building. After both loops, it was then time to hit the major population centers.

 

This approach backed the Republicans into a corner, who solidified their opposition to tax increases. Now the governor wants to come back to the well for his tax increase. If it fails, Oregon will have no tax increases. If it passes, Libertarians will say of Republicans “See, I told you can’t trust them to oppose low tax.” This works in Oregon because the state houses are almost 50-50. But the point of starting small and building works.

 

This was more of a nuts-and-bolts meeting from the start, and less of one discussing operational procedures. Many of the good ideas MO took from Indy last year were embedded in a 3-ring binder, some of which was from the national staff’s Success 99 materials.

 

(In MO’s opinion) The most impressive states this time around were Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts and Indiana.

 

Ballot Access

 

Before the meeting started on Saturday, Bob Sullentrup spoke with Steve Dasbach about MO’s ballot access problems in St. Louis and St. Charles Counties.

 

Steve recommended we contact Richard Winger of Ballot Access News. Richard is an expert in ballot access issues. He knows precedents, and by tapping into his ‘knowledge base’ we can perform a lot of research. ban@igc.org, 415-922-979, or Ballot Access News, Box 470296, San Francisco, CA 94147.

 

Steve said if the situation warrants, e.g. a civil rights matter, attorney fees might be recoverable.

 

National / State Expectations

 

The first session dealt with concerns state chairs had previously identified. Three-quarters of this session with database issues.

 

Database

Nick Dunbar is the person at National responsible for database work. Nick sends data to states in seven different formats in order to accommodate their disparate processing needs. He receives data in (almost) 50 different formats. When Nick receives data from states, frequently he concludes, “Yes, I can figure this out.” If so, he’ll work on it if he has time. If not, the matter gets folded into his priority list.

 

Nick has published his preferred input formats in a document entitled “How to Send Updates to National.” (Missouri has reviewed this document and is working through the remaining problems that apparently are due to inconsistent column headers).

 

Nick currently uses Windows 5 FoxPro, primarily because FoxPro offers unlimited users without a license fee.

 

The database design is complicated by the varying data needs of 50 different states. Geoffrey Neale of Texas wants a county field in the volunteers’ database. This was a change readily agreed to.

 

In addition, many fields contain inconsistent labels. For example, “apartment” is spelled out in some cases while in others it is “apt.” Nick runs addresses through a “CASS certification engine” (as Tom Wahl does for us in MO). If the address is resolved, his CASS software standardizes the address, e.g., changing “apartment” to “apt,” and adds the Zip+4. This process still leaves ambiguities (100 North Main versus 100 South Main), which Nick cannot resolve.

 

Work is underway to redesign database processes, and include the Web in the solution. The work should be done 60 days after Nick is satisfied the design is appropriate and the specs are in place.

 

Ron Crickenberger (LP Political Director) wanted to know if a solution that involved giving state chairs or their designees access to the whole database and permit them to “mine” it or extract portions and manipulate it, would be an acceptable solution. Geoffrey Neale of Texas said “great,” and I concur.

 

The discussion then touched on several of the issues that make this topic more involved than apparent at first blush:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donna Mancini of KY (only quasi-jokingly) recommended we refer the matter to a “geek committee.”

 

The group agreed that Nick would send out external design specs consisting of what the screens would look like with descriptions of how they operate, to state chairs. The state chairs are responsible for having their states review the document and provide feedback within one week.

 

Nick Dunbar was empowered to make decisions and judgments. After that Nick would get to work on the new database. With every state given this opportunity for input, Nick would not be second-guessed or forced to deal with complaints.

 

Literature

The group also discussed national’s plans to produce better brochures. Work is in progress to produce full color, glossy brochures with the pricing the same as now (7 cents) or 1-2 cents more. National will produce them as current inventory runs out. The “Family Budget” brochure will be phased out.

 

Longer term, after the strategic branding work is complete, national will revisit the brochures and change the wording to dovetail the branding recommendations.

 

New brochures suggested include an education brochure targeted to home-schoolers, a group with which the party is making inroads. The brochure would focus on the failure of government educational systems.

 

Another brochure suggested was to target high school teens and youth.

 

Someone suggested bumper stickers be recognized as a form of advertising and give them away. Nick Dunbar noted the price was not to make a profit but to use a market mechanism to allocate the supply. 

 

Austin Hough of Illinois has “Libertarian on Board” suction cups, which appear to be vastly superior to bumper stickers in their effectiveness.  In addition, Illinois gets 100-200 extra copies of LP News per month and puts them in libraries, laundromats, and so on.

 

Another possibility mentioned is to make PDFs of the brochures downloadable. They don’t have to be inventoried or shipped, but simply produced locally as needed.

 

Several people are “sick of brochures” including Eli Israel of MA. Eli prefers we focus on candidates and promote THEIR names.

 

Washington’s needs are modest as well. They want one sheet describing that the LP is about, a bumper sticker and candidate brochures.

 

Oregon, wants a touchy-feely brochure NOT on issues. Instead, they want it to focus on families. They also want a tri-fold mailer that includes tasks volunteers are interested in helping with.

 

Austin Hough of Illinois noted that as we get more candidates, then we would need fewer brochures (which CATO or ISIL could provide) and more candidate brochures.

 

Steve Rosile of Kansas noted we need TV presence above all.

 

Where are things going well between National and State Organizations?

 

The group noted:

 

·        Ballot access support

·        Candidate recruitment (manual available from National)

·        LP News is outstanding

·        National’s promptness in responding to requests

 

Membership

 

Helmut Fossel of Georgia started this session by asking, “Why do we kick people out for not paying dues”? Churches don’t kick their members out. Active “members” of the church are the ones who run the church meetings and show their involvement in other ways. 

 

Steve Dasbach, who finally got a chance to speak only much later, clarified that LP “membership” is initiated when someone signs the pledge. Failure to pay annual dues does not revoke that membership. Dues-paying “membership” is a metric reported for INTERNAL consumption.

 

Moreover, said Steve, tests have shown that appeals to “contribute” versus “join” elicit a stronger response to “join.” Subsequent renewals are stronger down the road as well.

 

Most states experienced declines in this internal metric. A closer inspection of the data reveals that declines occurred in 1993 and 1997 as well.

 

Demoblicans have “sustaining members,” roughly equivalent to the membership class we report internally, and about 400k in number. As such, it is a simply a donor class. Eli Israel from MA called it a “proxy” for all the kinds of support we might get. Demoblicans fundraise from all donor classes.

 

In some states, this distinction is important. In Tennessee for ballot access, 24,000 card-carrying, dues-paying members are needed.

 

Eli Israel from MA, a consultant by trade, noted his client cable TV firms have learned that in months in which they do not look for new members, membership declines by 3%. People move, finances change, attrition occurs.

 

Eli also reported prospecting expense is not correlated with membership gains. The most fruitful membership campaign in MA cost nothing. An e-mail using Carla Howell’s distribution list got 90 members. By contrast, a mailing to encourage members to mail friends and family inviting them to join cost $1000 and produced nothing.

 

MA gets 20% renewals by calling lapsed members, while in Iowa Mark Nelson reported a return mailing to lapsed members pays for itself.

 

Mark reported Iowa offered a trial membership for $10. With the state paying $15 initially, $12 returned via the UMP arrangement with national. If 25% renewed, Iowa recouped its investment.

 

The gubernatorial candidate got 50 new members on the campaign trail saying, “give us $10 to keep up with this campaign, and by the way, sign this and you can be a member.”

 

An energetic candidate from Iowa initiated an annual “Freedom Fest” party that attracts even more members. Iowa’s goal is to increase its mailing list by 50% to 3000 good names. It uses candidates as its outreach tool.

 

Iowa has been able to attract more and better candidates, improved conventions and improved parties including “more drinking, less thinking.”

 

Sara Chambers of Alaska (formerly of the Indiana LP) does not put a chair in the Operation for the Politically Homeless booths in order to encourage an active presence. Sara focuses on caring, having knowledgeable people work the booth, shaking hands, being sociable and giving something to the kids.

 

Sara, who is a member of the American Society of Association Professionals, advised the group to first figure out what members need and want, and then work to provide it. Simply “ask people what they want, follow through and follow up.” Continue following up through increased communications (the “high-touch” approach).

 

At that point, questions about the effectiveness of the OPH / Nolan quiz emerged. An alternative is at www.Quiz2d.com. Iowa does not use the standard quiz.

 

Helmut Fossel of GA reported they were the beneficiaries of Neil Bortz and his promotion of Harry Browne on his radio show. The GA party did nothing. Accordingly, membership went up in a year or two, but then down in subsequent years. GA’s seesaw membership reflects the drop-offs from non-renewals after membership spikes.

 

IA, AK, GA and MA were the four states whose membership has increased.

 

Three of the four states with the worst membership loss included MI, TX, and CA. On a percentage basis, VT, GA, WV, and PA sustained the largest losses. (Again, GA can be on both lists reflecting a large net gain, which includes a sizeable year-to-year drop).

 

Michigan said “we don’t touch them enough.” Michigan had grown in recent years. Without that recurring touch, Michigan suffered a setback.

 

Studies have found 44% of Libertarians typically renew after one year. In subsequent years it is 82%. This is consistent with other organizations. All organizations must prospect for new members.

 

MI was even able to model its membership. Allowing for the time that MI did not prospect for new members due to cash flow problems in 2001, and applying the percentages above to the base numbers, generates a result within 100 members of what MI has now.

 

Be careful in the use of gimmicks to improve membership because they create spikes in membership, which can less be sustained than otherwise. Take, for example, WV’s case, which offered free membership one year. The memberships did not persist.

 

Marty Miskey of ND noted that at Demoblican meetings, attendance swells when candidates show up. Moreover, the Demoblicans don’t focus on members. They focus on contributors.

 

At this point, someone noticed in the data that 1993, 1997, 2001, all post-presidential election years, showed drops in membership. Maybe this was something not to be concerned about but instead reflected normal post-year activity levels.

 

The overall conclusion, however, was to run for office. Candidates generate members. To get more candidates or more donations, simply ask people to run or ask people to donate.

 

And do the nuts and bolts recruiting. Call lapsed members. Ask people to join the Party in outreach booths. Make the personal touch. 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Nurture Volunteers

 

First off, ensure you stroke your volunteers. Hand out certificates. Make volunteer work fun and turn it into a game. Mark Rutherford of IN produces 20-30 hand-written thank you notes per week!

 

Beyond that, know your people – know what they like and what makes them thrive. Tennessee chair Richard Pearle goes to county meetings as often as possible and gets to know the people who are the most active. While very few people may show up at those meetings, those people are the hard core.

 

Indiana reported again its “Job Jar” which Missouri stole from the 2001 conference. IN has determined which things needed to get done worst. They produce a job board with envelopes and descriptions. A prospective volunteer takes an envelope from the job board and registers his or her name.  (This method was popularized by Perry Willis’ outreach manual, based on his experiences with his California LP county organization.)

 

Missouri institutionalized the Job Jar as a part of its monthly executive committee meeting minutes, which are always published within three days of the meetings. MO has gotten volunteers for 24 tasks including everything from making table decorations for the state convention to a campus coordinator, newsletter editor and database coordinator.

 

Getting Volunteers: To get volunteers in the first place, Austin Hough of Illinois has an e-mail distribution list of 2000 addresses! He recently put out a request for an activity director and got 10 resumes! (Austin: If you read this, let me know what engine you use to send out e-mails without getting thwarted by anti-spamming software – actually e-mail broadcasting is fairly common; who has a general, cheap, platform-independent solution?).

 

Several states maintain lists of prospective activities, including Colorado. This is important because it offers a buffer of projects for new activists and members to get to work on right away. However, WA experiences a ‘flake-out’ rate of 80% after a couple of months. Thus it is necessary to follow up.

 

Handling so-called “Bad Activists”: “Bad activists” pose another problem. Oregon dealt with this problem by having two parallel organizations. Membership in the “Mainstream Liberty Caucus” was by invitation only. This organization was composed of those with the time, talent, money or a simple desire to see the Libertarian Party win elections. When the group achieved critical mass, they showed up at conventions and won party offices.

 

WA tries to figure out where the bad activists are “coming from.” Frequently solving the problem is as matter of asking the so-called bad activists questions, then giving them the time to air their grievances and put the matter to a vote.

 

The apparent fear of the bad activists is to become irrelevant, as the entry of 1000 mainstream Libertarians would relegate them into a corner.

 

Keep in mind Gresham’s Law of Activists found in the binder listing 10 attributes of good versus bad activists.

 

Gresham’s Law of Activists

 

There are some people in the libertarian movement who are bad activists. Even though they may be “OK” ideologically, they do not forward the cause of freedom. On balance, they actually harm the movement.   If the Libertarian Party is going to accomplish anything, we need a real “gold standard of activists” to defeat Gresham’s Law of Activists and not put up with bad behavior.

 

The Good Activist

The Bad Activist

Tries to be reasonable, polite and considerate.

Tends to be argumentative, insulting, obnoxious, and is indifferent to the effect he or she has been on others.

Is more concerned about getting results and is anxious to give credit to others as a way to encourage them to continue what they are doing.

Tries to take credit for any accomplishments, even ones that are primarily the results of someone else’s efforts.

Is basically modest and recognizes the importance of cooperation of others.

Has delusions of grandeur and makes sure everyone is aware of his or her titles and status.

Wants other activists to participate in the decision process whenever possible and to understand what is being done and why.

Tends to be secretive and cliquish.

Is always interested in new ideas and encourages involvement by others.

Never listens to what other people have to say.

Tries to disagree without becoming personal or being disagreeable.

Reacts to any disagreement with angry outbursts, condemnations, or personal attacks. Is quite willing to disrupt meetings and alienate bystanders in the process.

Is very uncomfortable with factions and is reluctant to condemn even the worst bad activist, but will do so if necessary to limit the damage

Tends toward factionalism and is inclined to purge activists who are not included in the faction.

Is inclined to recognize good work by anyone and ignore the rest.

Is constantly critical of anything done by people in opposing factions.

Keeps criticism to a minimum and always has positive suggestions

Devotes considerable time and effort to criticizing other people in the organization.

Is inclined to give people the benefit of the doubt, does not get upset with inadvertent and unintentional slights, and will forgive even intentional acts if the person shows he or she regrets the action.

Is constantly being “offended” and is inclined to hold grudges

Managing Activists: NC and WA try to determine what individuals are good at, and have them do that. If someone is not very good in interacting with people, chances are they are good at writing and research.

 

The people at the top should not take up the “volunteer space.” Define activities and tasks and let the volunteers do it. Also consider paying for mundane activities like stuffing envelopes. Otherwise, find people who are retired or have time available.

 

Frequently prospective activists will call up and ask what can they do to help. Unfortunately, some are located in remote counties away from other Libertarians. To solve that problem, Illinois has an Activism Director with a list of things to do. There are typically 5-6 things going on in Illinois across a year, keeping the pot of tasks bubbling.

 

In other cases, you can always ask people to write letters to the editor, and especially to go to city council meetings.

 

Keep in mind some activists need more direction than others, as people enter the party at different levels of readiness. A good resource is the book “Situational Leadership” describing Percy & Blanchard’s theories on team dynamics. Bottom line: Approach every one and give them the technical and motivational input to do their jobs.

 

Augmenting Volunteers:  Demoblicans hire executive directors at $80k/ year. MA cannot match that. However, MA has a part time ED with a paid administrative assistant, hired at a much lower price, who stuffs envelopes, calls expired members, and so on. This frees up the ED to focus on political matters.

 

Also consider getting an office. It becomes a clubhouse of sorts, a place to get things done. If activists take work home, the tendency is to put it aside. In an office, if a volunteer gets 57% of the work done, the remaining 43% sits ready for the next person who comes in to complete.

 

Bottom Line: Remember the personal touch with volunteers, give them direction, ensure their jobs match their skills and provide feedback, recognition and thanks. 

 

Candidates

 

Mark Rutherford described Indiana’s candidate recruitment success. Indiana currently has about 100 candidates for 2002. They want 200 and might hit 250 as a stretch goal. Moreover, their candidates are becoming better and better. School board membership is the only nonpartisan office in the state.

 

On April 30, Indiana plans to have 120-130 candidates, and on June 30 anywhere from 200-250. A large number of candidates attract media attention.

 

How does Indiana do it? They start early – two years early, and use the “Ransberger pivot,” as in “Yes, I feel your pain, and you can stop it by running for us”.

 

Brad Klopfenstein is continually “hunting” in exactly this way, 18 months prior to the next election 24 months out.

 

Indiana grew from 89 candidates in 1998, then 29 in an off year of 1999. Indiana contested 25 out of the 29 races. Brad just called people up, again indicating ‘high-touch’, and a recurring theme of this conference. In. 2000, Indiana produced 118 candidates.

 

Indiana categorized its candidates as follows:

 

A   active campaign

B    moderate campaigning (attend forums and maybe a little more)

C   lend name to be on the ballot, provide picture, respond to surveys

     

Indiana agreed to help candidates with all the campaigning. All candidates had to be at least libertarian-leaning.

 

Indiana was not shy about proclaiming the “Great Libertarian Lie,” as in “we need just one person more to fill in this ballot spot and round it out, so will you do it”? Giving the impression the Libertarian Party was running out of slots on the ballot spurned people to get off the fence and file. The few contested races sparked additional interest.

 

Indiana’s ongoing candidate recruitment work has made them one of the main political players in the state.

 

Indiana found that activity snowballs! Success breeds success. Both IN and WA discovered that once the number of candidates passed 30, recruitment became easier. In these cases, the TELEPHONE was key.

 

Jacqueline Bartels reported Washington’s progress in 2000 and 2001. In 2000 WA ran 67 candidates and produced no electoral victories. In 2001, an off year, the party ran 36 and WON NINE!

 

Washington initiated a project called “L2000” to attract nine candidates to run active campaigns for statewide office. WA decided to employ a statewide campaign manager to recruit and later assist the active candidates. WA obtained funding for a campaign manager largely by telephoning people asking them to pledge for a year.

 

Washington was surprised to discover a class of people who were not active in the party, but who were willing to run.

 

Former Executive Director Carol Miller made pre-screening phone calls to prospective candidates to set up appointments for Brett Wilhelm. Carol asked if they would like to meet a Libertarian Party representative to talk about ballot opportunities.  Carol did not ask the prospective candidates over the phone if they wanted to run. The plan was for Brett to meet with and qualify them first.

 

Brett Wilhelm traveled to a particular part of the state and talked with the candidates to ensure they were philosophically grounded. One prospect supported abolishing the minimum wage but did not pass muster since he advocated a government-mandated maximum wage.

 

Brett counseled candidates to file for offices up or down the ticket depending upon their background and experience. WA had a lot of doctors running for US Congress, which adds credibility.

 

While WA was unable to find candidates to run active campaigns, they did get 67 candidates to run. This in turn allowed each candidate to make Libertarian points published in voters’ guides across the state, making it read like a Libertarian primer. It also made the campaign manager unnecessary. WA instead used the funds to help pay the candidate filing fees which amount to one-percent of an office’s salary.

 

As in IN, attracting candidates got easier once 30 had agreed to run. Many people were willing to run once they knew they weren’t going to be the only Libertarian on the ballot.

 

A full slate of candidates increased the perception, credibility and stature of the Party, as well as completing the spiral by attracting more members.

 

WA ended up with one statewide candidate getting 8% of the vote and three netting %5 or more. Parties in WA need 5% of the vote in order to achieve ballot status, which the Party has been able to garner.

 

This momentum led into 2001, an off year for elections. Most of WA’s 2001 elections were non-partisan. Still, Libertarians fielded 36 candidates and posted nine victories.

 

In 2001 the approach was different. Kelly Haughton collected information from volunteer surveys and from leads provided from national. If the individual checked the “I want to run for office” box, Kelly looked up where the individual lived, what districts the person was in and what offices were being contested in that person’s district.

 

When Kelly called, he employed an effective sales technique asking if they wanted to run for “Water Commissioner” or “City Council.” Giving people a choice in this way assumes a positive response. That approach is more effective than asking whether they want to run for office at all. Jackie underscored the power of this sales technique, especially for candidate recruitment, and Kelly’s success in getting a lot of candidates bears this out.

 

Washington fielded “Friday candidates.” Some people agreed to run if no one else would. The Thursday before the deadline, if no one filed for a particular office, Kelly called the “Friday candidates” and encouraged them to go file. That produced five victories.

 

WA helped recruit volunteers, recommended vendors, staged a campaign training workshop, telephoned and advised candidates and bestowed $15,000 on campaigns. Three candidates tapped into the Libertarian Party Victory Fund, which provided another $3-4k.

 

WA publishes a directory of candidates and encourages members to donate directly to candidates indicating where to send their donations.

 

WA also provided better support to LOWER level candidates than the Demoblicans. At the state level in WA, the Demoblicans are practically split down the middle. WA Libertarian Party got some defections because they supported lower level (county and lower) candidates better than the other parties whose attention was focused on state level offices.

 

In the end, nine of WA’s 36 candidates won including four in contested candidates. Of those four, the WA Libertarian Party helped fund three races, and that money made the difference.

 

Eli Israel of MA recommended state parties gather candidates in groups. That makes attendees feel like part of group and not isolated. Moreover, no one wants to let the group down in one way or another.

 

Ron Crickenberger reported that in 1998 in Vermont, one-third of Libertarian Party members ran for office. Vermont’s state chair simply got on phone and called people.

 

The Libertarian Party has a new release of its “Candidate Recruitment Manual.” (In MO, copies were distributed at the Executive Committee meeting on February 17. Fifty additional copies will be available at the MO Libertarian Party convention May 17-19).

 

Training

 

Group training helps establish communal expectations. Prospective candidates compare notes and zero in on performance standards.

 

Indiana has a county chairs’ conference analogous to the state chairs’ conference. There they train the county chairs about fielding candidates and running for office. County conventions are a great place to perform training.

 

In states with separate nomination and filing cycles, plan the training as soon after the nominating cycle as feasible. Explain all the forms needed by the state elections office. However, get the candidates to fill out as much of the forms as they can in advance, including signature. The state party can then file the forms.

 

For people who don’t fill them out and turn them over to the state party, remind them when the forms are due and what the requirements are.

 

In the training, also explain the ins and outs of media contacts, media relations, and so on. Have past candidates address the group. All candidates should emerge from the training with a fair knowledge of what to expect.

 

Colorado needs to get forms signed and notarized. They travel the state with a notary and complete the forms on the spot.

 

Toastmasters (a national organization dedicated to training public speakers) is wonderful for Libertarians, and has produced vast improvements in candidates. It teaches Libertarians to talk to the public, not just to other Libertarians.

 

Don Gorman’s Seminar, which Missouri hosted in Aug 2001, is power-packed and stellar. Don caught the MO chair, for example, lapsing into Libertarian theory when pretending to run for a local office. Don pointed out the local sewer systems is more germane in that context. This was a good smack up side the head, and the MO chair is better for it.

 

On the web at www.leadershipinstitute.org is another resource. Chris Azzarro’s “Liberty Victory Fund” is raising money to send people to it.

 

Local Organizations

Building, Nurturing, and Maintaining

 

Sara Chambers (formerly Sara Cotham) introduced this session by noting the checklist for successful state and local parties.

 

A successful Libertarian Party:

 

  1. Maintains an accurate, up-to-date database of members and prospects.
  2. Sends out a prompt, professional information package to interested prospects, and sends out timely membership renewal notices to current members, if the state or national party doesn’t handle this for you.
  3. Engages in ongoing, constant prospecting to increase the size of the organization.
  4. Publishes a regular, decent-quality newsletter to keep members and prospects informed. Uses newsletter to publicize activities and success.
  5. Has a bank account, a Treasurer, and an ongoing, implemented plan to raise money.
  6. Runs candidates for political office whenever possible. Monitors elections (or registration numbers), which affect ballot status, as necessary.
  7. Is active in the political system – whether through elections, referendums, lobbying or whatever.
  8. Has a regular, publicized, productive and interesting public meeting. Has a regular meeting of party leadership to play strategy and projects.
  9. Has an organized media outreach plan – which can include press releases, press conferences and personal contacts – to promote the party and earn publicity.
  10. Has leadership dedicated to growth, success, and professionalism – and determined to avoid factionalism, arguments, and obstructionism. Party leadership has a solid, realistic vision for success.

 

State committees and state chairs in particular, she added:

 

 

Jesse Brocksmith, the county chair of King County in Washington that includes Seattle, has a chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer. In addition, they have directors for membership and publicity. By state law, Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) are the voters at Libertarian conventions.

 

Washington passes on UMP money to counties.

 

Mark Mosley reported that growth in GA’s affiliates leaped from four to 26 recently, and they have a two-year process for affiliate start-up. In two years, GA expects new counties to make progress.

 

GA starts by asking two simple questions:

 

1)      Who is going to be your chair?

2)      Who is going to be your first candidate?

 

Mark gives the counties names from the database. He asks his contacts for a meeting place, and he makes a few phone calls. Who ever returns his phone calls are the county leaders. It typically takes five or more people to start an affiliate.

 

Support also takes the form of setting realistic expectations. A county organization is something that, just by being in existence, is a 100% success. However, county members will say that things are going poorly when in fact they are not. Things in the Party are better than ever.

 

For fundraising in GA, yard sales have proven useful. They are able to raise from $500 - $1500. It is an opportunity for members to get rid of their stuff and bring in money.

 

Several states have “templates” or new county binders. Oregon, for example, has a process to organize county and obtain candidates. OR will do the following.

 

 

Another approach, inspired by GA, is to mail all contacts in a given area where we are trying to build an organization the basics on starting a party. Invite them to call if they want to set up a meeting. Go to the first meeting, pay for first meeting postcard and newspaper notice.

 

Indiana has experienced growth in county organizations. They meet in places like Shoney’s, union halls, church basements, Denny’s – all for free. Indiana does not have a lot of “supper clubs” across the state. County organizations provide the opportunity to get more voters to meet candidates than state meetings otherwise might.

 

Indiana also has affiliation manuals with sample by-laws, etc., making it easy for counties to organize. In 1999, Indiana had 32 of 92 counties organized. As new county prospects emerge, a volunteer screens and assists the organization.

 

In addition, Indiana provides a “county chairs meeting” as mentioned in another context.

 

Indiana has discovered they have more candidates where they are organized. In addition, it drives up vote totals tremendously. The Libertarian Party polls 1 – 2 % in unorganized areas versus up to 18 – 19% in organized areas. In addition, membership holds steady or grows in organized, active counties.

 

Donna Mancini of KY reported it has lots of university affiliates. KY regularly brings in politicians and government officials to speak at their meetings. Politicians have to face Libertarians.

 

Donna recommended we mingle with other third parties and collaborate on common issues.

 

Helmut Fossel of GA decried the dinner meeting model saying “There has got to be a better way.”

 

What Helmut sparked was a discussion of social versus political meetings, and supper clubs versus election-winning machines. In what followed, various states noted the need for a social component of party activity.

 

OR addressed this by creating two kinds of organizations and meetings:

 

·        Meetings of affiliated county organizations to win elections and

·        Affiliated interest groups for gun rights, supper clubs and so on.

 

These helped OR go from three to 18 affiliates. Richard Burke of OR noted affiliates need an early success. Letters to the editor are helpful to get the group in the paper. Starting with that, they can then do more.

 

WA gets the “social stuff” out of the way before the meeting, but is keeping the supper club framework. Sociability, they say, goes a long way. Moreover, friends are more willing give one another the benefit of the doubt while strangers may take offense at some questionable remark. Social clubs promoting simple connections make enormous headway.

 

MA separates the social matters from working groups. They also hold monthly social meetings.

 

Donna Mancini of KY reported Louisville and Jefferson County are the strongest groups in the state. They meet in a private room at the Executive Inn with about 30 people, and not in a restaurant. That way members can order their food the way they like it – bourbon and dry baked potato – without risking other restaurant goers looking askance. KY has evolved from the supper club model to political activist meetings.

 

Dianne Pilcher requested states exchange County Chair’s manuals.

 

 

 

 

 

Media Relations

 

BetteRose Ryan of CO asked the group “why are there newspapers”? The answer is “to sell newspapers”! So the trick to media relations is to give the media something to help them sell.

 

For example, if a $600 tax refund is on the table, get a market basket of goods and show what $600 can buy. Makes good TV.

 

Not surprisingly, Don Gorman of NH knows how to do that. That pepper pot who graced MO with his candidates school in Aug 2001, went to crack houses in East Philly to illustrate the failure of the War on Drugs. A reporter was taking notes furiously and a big article appeared in the paper.

 

One in the group learned a lot by watching a long time activist in the city. He arranged for pickets one weekend on some issue. Then he got on his cell phone and called a TV station. “What’s going on here?” he asked, “there are people carrying signs, and Channel 2 is here.” Of course, Channel 2 was not there, but the ploy managed to get a TV crew to materialize.

 

Austin Hough of IL recommended we become friends with the “letters to the editors” editors. The Chicago Tribune gets 600-800 letters per day. Calling them up relieves them of some of the drudgery of having to read all those letters. All of the editors know Austin, the state chair of the ILP, by name! Austin says he is great at building relationships, and plans on moving up the food chain along with his contacts in the years to come.

 

Libertarians can improve our chances of getting published if we focus on what THEY are reporting or editorializing about. Dovetailing provides positive strokes for them by letting them know we think their issues are relevant.

 

Send your press releases to many newspapers, and sign your name with “Libertarian Party” as a suffix. Titles work! If you are the only Libertarian in Dexter County, then clearly you are the “Chair of the Libertarian Party Organizing Committee, Dexter County.” And don’t forget to use “Libertarian” in the body.

 

Another good point – rewrite national press releases and ship them for local consumption.

 

Sometimes, unintended consequences will arise. One day an editor asked Austin, “Hey, what about this”? Austin then got to write something about it. As I recall, it appeared as an Op-Ed piece.

 

Other times, your pieces will be edited. Sean Haugh of NC displayed remarkable restraint when what he had written got “butchered.” He called the editor, but instead of complaining, asked what he could have done differently to avoid the problem. The answer was straightforward – write more simply, use shorter words, shorter sentences, and target to the fifth grade level.

 

Send your work to the proper individual. News and opinions are different. News goes to the news editor. Opinions go to the contact for letters to the editor. Op-Ed pieces should be 300-400 words. Letters to the editor should be 100-200.

 

Andrew Horning, former LP candidate for mayor of Indianapolis and governor of Indiana, of IN has worked his way into becoming a bi-weekly columnist for Indianapolis Star, and he is paid for what he does. Brad Klopfenstein, Indiana’s Exec. Director, also belongs to the Press Club of Indianapolis and is on its board. This started with a lunch, and then snowballed. Brad advises getting a tie, not being afraid to be a weasely, yet be appropriate and reasonable.

 

Colorado has found the Denver news market to be a tough nut to crack. Smaller markets such as Grand Junction appreciate the attention the Libertarian Party devotes to it. For TV, be brazen and just ask. Announce, “I’m coming down for an interview.” Perhaps surprisingly – perhaps not, actually – that works.

 

Donna Mancini of KY also knows how to get on TV. As a candidate she was never invited to debates and events. So, she just showed up and started introducing herself as the Libertarian candidate whom the others won’t let in. At one event, she was being interviewed for TV as the discussion carried on inside.

 

Richard Pearle of TN recommended we court the street reporters. While the editors of the paper may give you pause, feed the street reporters stories. It puts food on their plate and makes their jobs easier (see above). 

 

Or try courting county newspapers, because nobody pays attention to them. They will print virtually everything. And don’t be afraid to make reporters think they’re special as in “we loved the way you covered that last time, can we give this to you first”?

 

When you meet TV people and others, add them to your database of contacts. Show up at awards dinners for the press. Schmooze and collect business cards. Get to know the reporters by name and put bacon on their table.

 

Nevada is even doing its own TV via a public access cable channel. (Libertarian Party On, Wayne!)

 

By far and away the most extensive yet cost effective media campaign is one Oregon orchestrated. This may well have been the highlight of the state chair’s conference.

 

Richard Burke of OR described its statewide media tour, which proved effective and cheap ($700).

 

Richard said the prerequisites included

 

  1. Having a big issue
  2. Being newsworthy
  3. And being politically relevant, in Oregon’s case by being a potential spoiler

 

The governor wanting to raise taxes was the big issue. The “No New Taxes” tour in progress was a newsworthy event. And with Oregon’s legislatures split almost 50-50, the Libertarian Party was primed for the spoiler role.

 

They announced the tour prior to the start – they staged a picture of them planning the tour pouring over a large state map.

 

Portland and Eugene are Oregon’s population centers both in the northwest corner. But they did not start there. Instead, the first, southern, loop headed toward Klamath Falls near the CA border on a Friday. Along the way they attracted TV and other media attention. The southern loop required two nights in motels, and only one vacation day.

 

Meanwhile, a sympathetic talk show host visited on the eastern loop and broadcast all over the state kept tabs on the progress with periodic updates.

 

Certain county chairs did similar interviews in places off the tour route. Then the eastern tour commenced, and a buzz was beginning to build. Finally, they hit the big places including Eugene and Portland. By this time the tour had established itself, and the media in the population centers took notice.

 

Although the tour solidified Republican opposition to new taxes, and the measure was defeated, the Libertarians got the credit. Two legislators originally opposed to the taxes wrote the Oregon Libertarian Party confirming that and thanking them for their help.

 

Now the governor is calling another special session to raise taxes, and the Libertarians are sitting pretty.

 

If taxes pass, the Libertarians can go on a “See I told you so, you can’t count on the Republicans” tour. If taxes fail, Oregon citizens win.

 

Bottom line of media relations: Do something! Make news and play smart. For example:

 

 

Trust is vital. At an initial lunch meeting with an Indy reporter, Brad did not discuss politics. It was important to first reassure the press you’re a reasonable person. Being appropriate is vital. Gents should invest in a tie if appropriate to the situation, i.e. if others are dressed accordingly—perhaps not if meeting with farmers or fishermen.

 

Don Gorman of NH reiterated we show up at press awards nights. There we should be sure to meet everyone and collect business cards. After that, create news and put food on table for reporters. Get to know them by name and take them out to coffee or meal.

 

 

Strategy Items

How to replace conflict with cooperation

 

Steve Dasbach recalled a Libertarian Party meeting on a particular issue which would have passed as stated by 75-25%. Instead, the group decided to take another half hour to air the concerns of the 25%. The discussion achieved a broad consensus, and the amended resolution passed with only one dissenting vote. The Libertarian Party respected the minority.

 

Colorado reduces conflict by granting autonomy. BetteRose Ryan reported a fundraising director, for example, is authorized to spend $150 without going to the board. This sidesteps the approval process and any impediments that may rise.

 

Geoffrey Neale, the chair of TX, readily accepts blame even for matters that are not his fault. This is much, much easier than having to prove he or one of his associates is “right.” A state chair needs to make peace.

 

Another ploy to dealing with opposition is to put the ball back into the complainer’s court. Remind him/her that in a convention of 63 delegates, only 31 others need to agree in order for to prevail. The problem then becomes his in persuading 31 others, rather than for you to participate in the debate.

 

An excellent suggestion that comes from Texas (that the MO chair plans to take to heart) is to be less direct. When presenting issues and options, describe pros and cons of each alternative. Then let the members decide the issue. Chances are good they will arrive at the same conclusion.

 

Sara Chambers of Alaska makes liberal use of e-mail’s delete key, and has unsubscribe from a large number of list servers.

 

Whenever an e-mail conflict is arising, use the TELEPHONE to resolve the conflict!

 

Barbara Goushaw of MI has a rule: Unless you have donated $100 or 100 hours to a project, you have not earned the right to render your opinion about it. If you’re not playing the game, don’t holler from the stands.

 

A final strategy: If everyone wants the same results and is bickering about process, consensus is possible. If there is fundamental disagreement about goals, then recruit like-minded folk until dissenters make up small percentage and give up.

 

Finally, keep ‘em busy! Busy people don’t have time to fight.

 

 

How can we reduce burnout?

 

Burnout occurs when people give positive effort but get negative returns. Accordingly, keep it fun. Set realistic goals that can be met, especially for candidates, rather than ones that are unlikely.

 

Invite volunteers to take some time off, not in a way that says their efforts are not valuable. Give them permission to take time off.

 

Get people to focus on the tasks they love doing and that energize them. The Jan 2002 LP News, page 27, listed this:

 

If you are:

You can, for the Party or a campaign:

An artist or graphic designer

Do the layout of posters, ads, brochures, flyers and newsletters

A photographer

Take pictures for posters, websites, brochures and newsletters

In the printing business

Donate printing services, or find reliable, low-cost printing

In print or broadcast media

Provide the names and addresses of contacts for press releases

In the clothing or fashion industry

Advise the candidates on appearance

In marketing

Design surveys to find out voters’ major interests and concerns in elections

In advertising

Recommend cost effective ways of making candidates better known

Belong to an organization

Invite candidates to speak to your organization

Own a video recorder

Videotape candidates’ appearances at various events and meetings

In sales

Raise funds

An accountant

Keep financial records for the Party and campaigns

A lawyer

Provide legal advice to the Party and campaigns

A secretary or administrative assistant

Design and maintain a filing system for campaign records

A computer programmer or software expert

Design and maintain a database or website

In computer hardware

Donate or lend computer equipment

A scheduler or coordinator

Arrange the candidates appearances and coordinate campaign staff meetings

Own a car

Transport the candidate and campaign materials to events

Have extra space in your house or apartment

Provide a meeting or storage space for campaign staff meetings, parties or materials

In telemarketing?

Make phone calls on behalf of a candidate or Party

Enjoy meeting new people?

Ask shop owners to place candidates’ flyers or posters in store windows

 

Some states do now allow people to hold two jobs. Not only does that help prevent burnout, but brings more people in.

 

Bob Sullentrup of MO mentioned that its “Job Jar” is reported as a part of the Executive Committee’s meeting minutes, which are always produced and distributed within three days of the meeting, has attracted new volunteers. The volunteers range from simple tasks like making table decorations for the state convention to a new newsletter editor, database coordinator and campus coordinator.

 

Candidate burnout? Throw them a big party, an appreciation dinner. Put apparent failed efforts in perspective -- 22,000 people thought our Libertarian candidate could govern this state.

 

Finally, don’t forget: Less thinking, more drinking.

 

How can we protect affiliate parties from external takeover?

 

By law, the Libertarian Party cannot turn away individuals who seek to join the party. The problem might arise if the members of another third party flood a state’s convention with delegates. By this means the Libertarian Party might find itself running Pat Buchanan for some office on its ballot in some state.

 

One safeguard is to have a provision in your state’s by-laws that members must be involved with the party for at least 30 days.

 

Another safeguard is to provide in the by-laws a delegate system. In that case if a takeover is to occur, it must it happen over the entire state. For example, giving each congressional district one vote means that a total of nine votes would be cast in MO. Busloads of people from Kansas City would only be able to collectively cast one vote. St. Louis, Springfield, Cape Girardeau and Columbia could stave off a takeover initiative.

 

Should there be a national provision for the expulsion of members?

 

At this time, the debate on this issue persists. There was no resolution drafted at the state chair’s meeting for introduction at the national convention in July.

 

Steve Dasbach noted that if an individual is not a state member, or has been expelled by a state, then that individual could still be a national member. There is no provision in place to do otherwise.

 

Some of the points raised in this discussion include

 

 

Sean Hough of NC argued for no provision. A provision would institutionalize conflict. He preferred a case-by-case, state-by-state analysis and action.

 

It turns out that if a given state adopts Roberts Rules of Order in its by-laws, then it can use those provisions for expulsion. Read them.

 

What makes this particularly troublesome is expulsion is what sparked the Arizona troubles highlighted in the 2000 presidential election. Harry Browne was not the Libertarian candidate on the ballot in that state. Twelve members, including conference attendee and current AZ chair Peter Schmerl, were expelled. Why? “Without going into the unseemly details, because”, according to Peter, “they (the expellers) did not agree with us”.

 

The national Libertarian Party in particular has a concern about due process in this matter. If a state asks for National to uphold an expulsion, national quite understandably wants due process requirements in place and not be forced to agree with the expulsion request. The due process requirement might have saved the twelve expelled Arizonans.

 

Fundraising

 

Eli Israel stated MA’s conventions were one day. Shorter conventions such as this are better because those who are successful and who have the resources are typically short on time. MA is a geographically small state, which shortens travel time.

 

MA slotted their best speaker for the evening banquet who was then followed by their best fundraiser. Eli says if you manage the emotional energy of the day and have projects that are worth funding, then you can expect to raise $80-$100 per person.

 

With 100 people at the convention, $8-10k should be attainable. MA had 257 attendees at its last convention in a state double MO’s size with 900 members.

 

“Butts in the seats” is the best accelerator for raising funds. MA advertises in gun publications, and sends post cards to likely attendees. It phones past attendees. MA also advertises in LP News to attract Libertarians from neighboring states.

 

MA prices its convention from $70 (early bird) to $85 or $90 pre-registered to $110 for walk-ins. “Politics is an inferior good” – you raise the price, demand goes UP; lower price, demand goes DOWN. Just like whiskey where the higher price conveys the appearance of higher quality.

 

MA had charged $40 in the past. But higher fees allowed better speakers and that boosted attendance.

 

A couple days before the banquet, MA called major donors, explaining what they were going to do and pitched them what they’d pitch at banquet. They asked for their support, and got $26,000 from major donors.

 

Then, a letter went out after the convention, stating “your friends donated $350 for the convention, (e.g., $95 convention admittance fee, plus a room for two nights, plus donations). Won’t you donate $350?” Many folks will write out the check on the spot for that amount. In some sense they got off cheap – it did not cost them a weekend.

 

The convention venue is great for fundraising because those who are unsure of how much to give will give higher amounts when they are among friends.

 

Capitalize on excitement and camaraderie, not shame and guilt. Trade value for value. Let them buy freedom and fuel party activity. Never be ashamed to ask for money. Reframe it. Tell people we offer a bigger, stronger, better LP, and find people who want to “buy” that. MA offers “ROI,” return on investment. Remind them to look at the candidates, the affiliates, and the media coverage their donations have engendered.

 

Let them see that others are giving. Hold the pledge cards in the air. Theatrics are important. A sketch of the collection mechanics follows.

 

When you do the rounds (note plural):

1)      Initial round: have donors hold up their donation envelopes so everybody can see a number of people donating. Well-dressed volunteers scurry out and collect the envelopes. Add it up as quickly as possible.

2)      Bring in a big sheet – 7 people – to hold up numbers showing the dollar amounts

3)      This inspires people to give more & numbers go up again

4)      Outsiders notice too – jaws drop to see Libertarians raising $50k

 

Avoid thinking zero-sum. The size of the pie is not fixed. Donations to states and counties increase along with donations to national.

 

And always thank the donors, before, after and during. Write thank you notes to donors, and for bigger givers stage parties and get-togethers.

 

The $20 bill ‘trick’ is to collect an extra amount by asking people to pony up an additional cash donation of $20 to generate another $X.

 

In 1994 Indiana started its pledge program in order to fund the Executive Director position. Sara Chambers, Brad Klopfenstein, Mark Rutherford were some of the primary initiators. Indiana was not afraid to take even $10/month, figuring that amount to rise down the road.

 

At the moment, Indiana’s pledges amount to $1900/month from 60 donors in a state with 550 members.

 

Every participant gets a ‘trinket’ – a pin with the state flag behind “94.” They also get their own reception at the state convention, and special newsletter called the “1994 Society” for the year Indiana gained ballot access without petitioning. The newsletter is a compendium of articles and letters to the editor, as opposed to the standard news, candidate spots and features of a standard ‘working’ newsletter.

 

Certain employers will provide payroll deduction. And banks will debit checking accounts. Cash pledges that require writing monthly checks have petered out after a couple months and are no longer accepted by the LPIN.

 

Miscellaneous

 

 

1.      The Demoblicans ganged up on the tobacco companies. We stand as a political release valve

2.      We won’t abuse them, castigate them or regulate them

3.      We will stay out of their way and let them prosper

4.      But what value would we produce? What would we do with their money? (Have an answer)

 

* The Washington state LP has formed a nonpartisan PAC to work closely with the LP on revocation of asset forfeiture laws.  This is an effective way to introduce community leaders to the LP’s views without committing them at first to a particular political ideaology.

 

·        How we can determine how much to ask for?

 

About 10% of what they give to the Demoblican Parties, since we have 10% of their sustaining members.

 

 

 

General website

www.lp.org

 

LP archive site

archive.lp.org

 

LPUS Library

www.dehnbase.org/lpus/library/

 

LNC Meeting Summaries

www.dehnbase.org/lpus/library/meetings.html

 

LNC Official Minutes

archive.lp.org/lnc/

 

LNC Audio Recordings

www.dehnbase.org/mav.cgi

 

Strategic Planning

www.dehnbase.org/lpus/library/spt /

 

 

 

 

o       My state has a written strategic plan for the next 1-2 year period

o       My state builds an annual budget and manages revenues and expense according to it

o       My state has an official web site

o       The web site can accept donations

o       The web site lists Libertarian candidates

o       The web site presents Libertarian news and opinion

o       My state has a newsletter published ___ (MO: 4-5) times per year

o       My state has a toll-free number: (MO: 877-Vote-4-US)

o       My state tracks state legislation and lobbies on it

o       My state maintains e-mail lists for activists and announcements

o       My state government treats the state LP as a recognized party, legally on a par with the Democrats and Republicans

o       My state has anti-takeover provisions in its Bylaws and/or charter’

o       My state performs new member prospecting on an ongoing basis

o       My state contacts new inquiries and asks them to join

o       My state contacts lapsed or lapsing members to ask them to renew

o       My state can put candidates including President and VP on the ballot without external assistance.

 

Errors and Omissions

 

These are the notes as I took them at the Nashville Libertarian Party State Chairs conference, embellished for readability and submitted to others for review. If you spot an omission, a lack of emphasis, or other error, contact me at:

 

Bob Sullentrup

140 Hunters Ridge

St. Charles, MO 63301-0427

 

rwsully@charter.net

636-946-3227

 

Attendees

 

Alabama

Mark Bodenhausen

Chair

Alaska

Sara Chambers

Representative

Arizona

Peter Schmerl

Chair

Arkansas

Robert Reed

Vice Chair

Arkansas

Gerhard Langguth

Chair

California

Joe Dehn

Representative

Colorado

Bette Rose Ryan

Representative

Connecticut

Lenny Rasch and wife Linda

Chair

District of Columbia

Kat DeBurgh

Chair

Florida

Frank Longo

Chair

Georgia

Helmut Forren

Chair

Georgia

Mark Mosley

ED

Idaho

Ryan Davidson

Chair

Idaho

Ted Dunlap

ED

Illinois

Austin Hough

Chair

Indiana

Mark Rutherford

Chair

Indiana

Brad Klopfenstein

ED

Iowa

Mark Nelson

Chair

Kansas

Steven Rosile

Chair

Kentucky

Donna Mancini

Chair

Maine

Fred Staples

ED

Maryland

Nick Sarwark

Chair

Massachusetts

Eli Israel

Chair

Massachusetts

Kamal Jain

ED

Michigan

Ghazey Aleck

Chair

Missouri

Bob Sullentrup

Chair

Missouri

Greg Tlapek

ED

Montana

Mike Fellows

Chair

Nebraska

Jerry Kosch

Chair

Nevada

Brendan Trainor

Chair

New Hampshire

Don Gorman

Representative

New Jersey

Emerson Ellett

Chair

North Carolina

Barbara Howe

Chair

North Carolina

Sean Haugh

ED

North Dakota

Marty Riske

Chair

Ohio

Jeff Zweber

Chair

Ohio

Matt Terry

ED

Oregon

Mitch Shults

Chair

Oregon

Richard Burke

ED

South Carolina

Chuck Williams

Chair

South Dakota

Nathan Barton

Chair

Tennessee

Richard Pearl

Chair

Texas

Geoffrey Neale

Chair

Utah

Gene Linder

Chair

Vermont

Hardy Macia

Representative

Virginia

Rance Edwards

Representative

Washington

John Mills

Chair

Washington

Jacqueline Bartels

ED

West Virginia

Richard Kerr

Chair

Wyoming

Dennis Brossman and wife Marie

Chair

 

 

 

Plus Others:

 

 

Washington

Jesse Brocksmith

King County Chair

Washington

Brien Bartels

 

Tennessee

Deryl Martin