Info from Mark Rutherford, on Indiana's recent small-business focus. They appear to be the ones to watch in this area. Wisconsin is also reaching out to restaurants and bar owners with good results. Thanks, Mark. Please keep "the particulars" coming so we can learn from your experience. --Bonnie ----------------------------- compiled from a few separate notes: Schreiber's outreach to the small business constituency is a good effort to stop doing the same thing, so we can try to get different and better results. In Indiana, we've been experimenting with Schreiber's program as he's developed it. Here is where we now are at: 1. Since January 31, 2002, we've grown by 50 national members (we are at 594 as of April 30, 2003). 2. We are in the best financial condition we've ever been in with a successful monthly pledge program, almost 2 times more cash in the bank then our previous record in February 2000, and with a major overhaul of our basic fundraising program in the works, the expectation of increased revenues for the year. 3. Media coverage is nearly a daily event. It is the very rare day when we have no coverage. The usual day has coverage in at least two newspapers across the State. 4. We have 35 county affiliates (out of 92 counties) 5. This is an off-year election for us - I still expect a minimum of 50 candidates will run in Indiana - even though we are emphasizing quality rather than quantity and are focusing more on fundraising basics in order to be better at it in 2004 and beyond. 6. We have a good chance at winning a city council race in Indianapolis. Our candidate has been called a celebrity by the Indianapolis Star, he has walking lists, volunteers, name recognition and the ability to raise money. ... Very truly yours, Mark W. Rutherford Chairman Libertarian Party of Indiana --- In both Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana, the local LP county affiliate has made contacts with local business in fighting local smoking bans. We've received a lot of publicity and press - all positive (i.e. our position was correctly stated, and sometimes even complimented). In turn, our reputation and coalition of similarly minded organizations have grown in those counties. I've started turning press interviews toward our small business strategy - unlike a lot of our previous efforts, the media is picking it up - and giving us a lot of attention. We've had front section, above the fold coverage in the first two newspapers in which we pushed this effort (the LaPorte Herald-Argus and Michigan City News-Dispatch). Our membership numbers have grown in 2002 and remained constant in 2003, which is contrary to the national trend. We are having a record year in fund raising. Most of our members are excited about the small business initiative - when I spoke about it during my "state of the state" address at last weekend's Indiana State Convention, I was getting interrupted by standing ovations. As to Schreiber's vision - the most telling thing is that we mirror small businesses. Around 80% of the leadership at the State Chair's Conference is a small business owner. We know the language, and can relate in a way small business owner's understand. Therefore, we will be very effective reaching out to them. Also, small businesses as a constituency is a good one for many reasons. This is because they meet these core criteria for a good constituency: 1. They must not be championed by someone else, or at least feel that way. 2. They must be liked and respected by others outside of their immediate group. 3. They must be credible as a group, so that others attach that credibility to us when we champion their causes. 4. They should be large in numbers. 5. They should be easily identified for out reach efforts and solicitations. 6. They should be able to quickly self-identify as members of the group. 7. They should be able to provide support to our party in many ways, financially, through community influence, and through personal skills in leadership and/or management. 8. Most of all they must have a natural "vested" and "personal" interest in our success without forcing us to compromise our principles. I hope this isn't too much information. If you want more, please let me know. Very truly yours, Mark W. Rutherford --- It was the lead story, front page, bold headline, above the fold of the Sunday News-Dispatch too. We couldn't have done better if we had paid for it. http://www.michigancityin.com/articles/2003/04/27/news/news02.txt Libertarians court businesses By Deborah Sederberg, The News-Dispatch The Libertarians know how to bring small businesses to Michigan City. Mark Rutherford, state chairman of the Libertarian Party, said, "We know small businesses, like antique stores, could fill the vacant store fronts in Michigan City." What's standing in the way? According to Rutherford, licensing fees, taxes and government red tape present obstacles to business development and growth. Speaking Saturday at the state convention of the Libertarian party at Krueger Memorial Hall, Rutherford said local, state and federal bureaucracies can choke the small business entrepreneur. "What are the Democrats and Republicans saying to small businesses?" he asked, and then answered, "They say you serve us." Rutherford believes small business owners spend too much time acting as immigration enforcers, tax collectors and health and safety inspectors for OSHA. "Every Libertarian here believes small businesses exist to serve customers, not the government," he noted. Speaking of himself in the third person, he added, "Mark Rutherford, attorney-at-law, is not in business to serve the government, but to serve clients." Rutherford, an Indianapolis criminal defense lawyer, was elected to his second two-year term as party chairman during a convention business meeting Saturday. Rebecca Sink-Burris was elected vice chair. About 85 Libertarians attended the convention, Rutherford said, although only about 50 were present for his State of the State address Saturday afternoon. The state is not in good shape, he said, "and that's good news for Libertarians, because we are the party with new ideas." Greg Kelver, LaPorte County Libertarian chair, said the convention was going well. As the owner of a small business, Thermo-Cycler of Indiana, in Union Mills, Kelver said he knows how difficult and time-consuming it can be to satisfy government regulations. "I am very, very pleased with the party's small business initiative," said Kelver, who last fall opposed State Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City, for the ninth district General Assembly seat. Rutherford said the Libertarians, not Democrats, represent union members. "If you talk to the rank-and-file, they'll tell you they're fighting big government within their own (union) leadership," he said. He praised Libertarians who keep their eyes on local government, opposing ordinances that complicate life for small business and individual citizens. Speaking to the nitty-gritty of party business, Rutherford said Libertarians need to be more active at fund-raising efforts. Admitting his own fund-raising shortcomings, Rutherford said, "I m not good at fund-raising." His audience chuckled when he explained his own work. "My expertise is in approaching a judge with a client with a bloody knife and blood all over himself, and then saying to the judge, 'It was an +accident.' " Coolspring Township Libertarian Dennis Metheny, who staged an informational picket in front of the local Post Office on April 15, made the motion to adjourn the business meeting. q Contact reporter Deborah Sederberg at +dsederberg@thenewsdispatch.com. -- Dear State Chairs: I received the following extremely positive email from Lisa Tennies, Chair of the Libertarian Party of Monroe County. They are having great success reaching out to small business as advocated by Mark Schreiber. I thought I'd share it with you all. (Also, HT stands for Bloomington Herald-Tribune, a local newspaper). Very truly yours, Mark W. Rutherford Chairman Libertarian Party of Indiana ----- Original Message ----- From: Lisa Tennis To: ; ; Cc: ; Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 6:19 PM Subject: Press Coverage Hi guys! The story I e-mailed you from the HT included a full color photo of the beautiful Margaret Fette, identified as vice-chair of the county party. Before we took on the small business initiative, a Libertarian could have stood on the square, poured gasoline over herself and set herself on fire to protest the income tax and the HT still wouldn't have mentioned the word Libertarian. None of our press releases ever got published. Now we're getting press and radio coverage. Kurt Van Der Dussen from the HT told us that our arguments against the smoking ban were the only ones that made sense. All three of us were interviewed after the meeting. Republicans applauded us at a luncheon afterwards. The County Clerk and Count Auditor both praised us for speaking out. We're becoming increasingly popular! Schreiber is genius. Please stick with this small business initiative. Also, we could use some particulars, since we just kind of took it and ran with it, and don't exactly know what we're doing. Lisa ------