LPPA Joins Double Region & Votes To Send Jim Lark Of Virginia To The LNC As Its Voting Region 5S Representative

Article 8.2.c of the national Libertarian Party bylaws allows the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania to band together with other affiliates to form a "representative region" to gain voting representation on the Libertarian National Committee. That bylaws section, in relevant part, reads, "Affiliate parties may, by mutual consent, band together to form "representative regions," and each such "region" with an aggregate national party sustaining membership of 10% or more shall be entitled to one National Committee representative and one alternate for each 10% of national party sustaining membership." The region formation period began 90 days before the start of the national Libertarian Party convention (which was February 3, 2012) and ended the second day of the convention (May 4, 2012).

Dr. Tom Stevens, elected LPPA Chair on April 22, 2012, led the negotiations on behalf of the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, obtaining feedback from party members along the way. Eventually, after much discussion regarding what affiliates would be included and what the Regional Formation Agreement would say, Dr. Stevens signed off on an agreement placing the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania in the southern part of a double region currently referred to as Region 5.

Region 5 South (the southern part of double Region 5) consists of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia & West Virginia. The Regional Representative for Sub-Region 5S is Jim Lark of Virginia. The Regional Alternate Representative is Scott Spencer of Maryland.

Region 5 North (the northern part of double Region 5) consists of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The Regional Representative for Sub-Region 5N is Rich Tomasso of New Hampshire. The Regional Alternate Representative is David Blau of Massachusetts.

The Regional Formation Agreement for all affiliates in Region 5 is the following:

Agreement Concerning the Formation of Region 5 for the 2012-2014 Term of the Libertarian National Committee
 
The state affiliate parties of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia agree to form a representative region for the 2012-2014 term of the Libertarian National Committee.  Since the total sustaining membership of these affiliates (as of Oct. 31, 2011) is 2,771, this representative region is entitled to select two regional representatives and two alternate regional representatives.
 
The administration of this region, to be known as Region 5, will operate according to the following rules:
 
The affiliate parties of the states of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia will form a sub-region to be known as “Region 5S” (or “Region 5 South”).
 
The affiliate parties of the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont will form a sub-region to be known as “Region 5N” (or “Region 5 North”).
 
The Region 5S affiliates will be responsible for the selection of one regional representative and one alternate regional representative.  Similarly, the Region 5N affiliates will be responsible for the selection of one regional representative and one alternate regional representative. 
 
The chairs of the Region 5S affiliate parties may remove the regional representative and/or the alternate regional representative selected by those affiliates. 

 
Removal of the Region 5S representative or alternate representative requires a vote of the majority of the entire number of state chairs of the Region 5S affiliates.  In addition, the total sustaining membership of the state affiliates whose chairs have voted to remove a representative or alternate representative must constitute a majority of the total sustaining membership of the Region 5S state affiliates as of Oct. 31, 2011. 
 
A vacancy in the position of the Region 5S representative or the alternate representative may be filled by a vote of the majority of the entire number of state chairs of the Region 5S affiliates.
 
The chairs of the Region 5N affiliate parties may remove the regional representative and/or the alternate regional representative selected by those affiliates. 
 
Removal of the Region 5N representative or alternate representative requires a vote of the majority of the entire number of state chairs of the Region 5N affiliates.  In addition, the total sustaining membership of the state affiliates whose chairs have voted to remove a representative or alternate representative must constitute a majority of the total sustaining membership of the Region 5N state affiliates as of Oct. 31, 2011.
 
A vacancy in the position of the Region 5N representative or the alternate representative may be filled by a vote of the majority of the entire number of state chairs of the Region 5N affiliates.  

After the nominations for the position of Region 5S regional representative and the nominations for the position of Region 5N regional representative have been opened, a state affiliate party may join or withdraw from this agreement (and thus join or withdraw from Region 5) only with the written consent of all of the chairs of the other state affiliate parties in Region 5.