On March 10, 2011, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Queens County unanimously adopted the following resolution, which contains a "strong recommendation" to LPQC members NOT TO ATTEND the New York Libertarian Party's State Convention scheduled to be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011 in Suffolk County:
The New York Libertarian Party and its State Committee continues to disrespect the Queens Libertarian Party, its largest and most active chapter and has rejected out-of-hand the many compromises that have been offered to heal the growing rift between the two organizations. The State Party and the State Committee have denied Queens LP members the right to decide who shall represent them on the State Committee and have successfully silenced the voice of Dr. Tom Stevens, LPQC's State Representative, who raised important questions and demanded professionalism from those involved in leadership positions in the State Party.
While the main culprits behind attacking the Queens LP and Dr. Tom Stevens (our unanimously elected State Representative) have been Blay Tarnoff, Gary Donoyan and M Carling (the same people behind the 2006 de-chartering of the Queens LP), they could not have accomplished these goals without the support of others serving on the State Committee. Instead of NYLP State Committee members holding the Queens LP up as an example of how to run a successful local chapter, our organization is constantly under attack. This has frustrated Queens LP members who have demanded from the State Committee substantive and immediate reversals of the actions taken against our chapter and its leadership as well as formal apologies to John Procida, our former LPQC Chair; Dr. Tom Stevens, our elected but unrecognized State Representative; Sam Sloan, an active LPQC member who sued the State Party to expose the rigged gubernatorial nomination process that took place at the last State Convention; and all Queens LP members who have been distracted by this ongoing nonsense.
The Executive Committee recognizes that each Queens LP member may decide for him or herself whether to attend the upcoming NYLP State Convention on April 30, 2011. However, in light of the many actions taken against the Queens LP and its officers, it is the strong recommendation of the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Queens County that Queens LP members boycott the upcoming State Convention in protest to the actions taken against it as a chapter during this past year.
It is our sincere hope the situation can be rectified and that peace can be achieved so the NYLP and the LPQC can work together in harmony for the sake of liberty. It disappoints us that many State Committee members continue to fail to exercise sufficient self-criticism to understand how their actions and votes have damaged the State Party and have insulted and alienated the Queens LP, NYLP's largest and most active chapter.
Until such time that our concerns have been substantively and fully addressed, we will not rest nor falter in our resolve.
No Justice! No Peace!
In the months leading up to this action, John Clifton, LPQC Chair, proposed two bylaws amendments to change the State Bylaws, the sum and substance of which would have allowed duly chartered chapters to elect a Chair and State Representative of their own choosing, without regard to whether those individuals were State Party members. Dr. Stevens, the duly elected LPQC State Representative, had his Life Membership in the State Party suspended and John Procida, the LPQC Chair, resigned after a movement was started to suspend his State Party Membership.
Mr. Clifton had informed the State Party that if his compromise amendments were adopted, the Queens LP would give up all of its other demands, which have included the reversal of the illegal membership suspensions of Sam Sloan and Dr. Tom Stevens, apologies to Stevens, Sloan, Procida and Queens LP members; restoration of the Life Membership of Dr. Tom Stevens, and a full public apology to the Queens LP for the continued attacks on it by the State Committee of the New York Libertarian Party.
On Sunday, March 6, 2011 at a State Committee teleconference, John Clifton's proposed amendments were defeated and rejected for consideration and possible adoption by the delegates who shall be in attendance at the upcoming State Convention. At that point, the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Queens County decided that the only logical step to take would be to boycott that upcoming State Convention, which resulted in the adoption of the above noted resolution.
No comments:
Post a Comment