Sunday, June 27, 2010

Stevens Resigns LPNY Life Membership

On June 27, 2010, Dr. Tom Stevens resigned his Life Membership in the Libertarian Party of New York. He remains a member of both the Manhattan Libertarian Party and the Libertarian Party of Queens County, the two largest LP chapters in New York State and continues to serve as the Political Director and Membership Director of the Libertarian Party of Queens County.

The LPNY State Committee suspended the membership of Dr. Stevens in the Libertarian Party of New York on June 6, 2010 and extended the suspension on June 27, 2010 claiming that Dr. Stevens "followed a continued public course of action knowing it to be contrary to the principles and objectives of the LPNY", "claimed to represent the LPNY while knowing that this is not the fact", and "for knowingly, seriously and repeatedly disrupting meeting and activities of the LPNY", which was the language set forth in the LPNY bylaws as the grounds needed for a membership suspension. However, the real reasons behind his membership suspension stem from the positions he has taken in his capacity as State Representative for the Libertarian Party of Queens County.

Some of those positions have included:

1. Exposing the fact that Warren Redlich never had a strategy for giving the LPNY a fighting chance of obtaining 50,000 votes in this year's gubernatorial race, and objecting to Redlich's promise not to spend a dime of his own money on the gubernatorial race because his wife wouldn't allow it while simultaneously making the false claim he intended to petition to compete for the Republican Gubernatorial Nomination;

2. Opposing the efforts of State Committee members who wished to deny Kristin Davis and Sam Sloan, two gubernatorial candidates, the opportunity to send campaign literature to all eligible voting LPNY members in order to encourage them to attend the LPNY State Convention. Denied the opportunity to communicate with eligible voting delegates, Kristin Davis bolted to form her own party and Sam Sloan sued the party for the release of the member list. In the end, Sloan was not successful and Warren Redlich won the gubernatorial nomination with only 27 votes;

3. Raising the issue of possible election fraud that took place at the LPNY State Convention when despite every qualified voting delegate being given an identifying wrist ban, Mark Axinn, current LPNY Chair, placed blank sheets of paper on every table and permitted people to collect other people's ballots and place them into a hat. Stevens publicly objected to this procedure at the LPNY Convention and was told by Mr. Axinn he was running the election on the "honor system";

4. Informing Mark Axinn he witnessed election fraud actually taking place at the LPNY Annual Convention when delegates ineligible to vote voted and eligible voting delegates were witnessed voting more than once;

5. Objecting to the fact that the LPNY State Committee never saw or approved the convention contract, never knew how much money the LPNY was obligated to pay, that payments were made after the fact for unauthorized convention mailings and for making repeated requests to obtain a proper breakdown of the money collected at the State Convention;

6. Demanding an expedited process for the transfer of the Treasury records. Last year, there was a six month delay and two months have already passed since April and the signature cards have not been changed and we don't have a proper accounting of the money in the LPNY's Treasury;

7. Requesting that former Secretary M Carling post 4-5 months of missing State Committee Meeting Minutes and for current Secretary Brian DeMarzo to post the LPNY Convention Minutes and those of the past two State Committee Meetings; and

8. Trying to find out, before Chris Cantwell was nominated for Congress, why he spent 4 months in jail and what the status was of two current felonies that were pending against him for which he faced 4 years in state prison.

The Membership and Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Queens County responded to the Stevens suspension with the following statement that was unanimously adopted without objection:

The Libertarian Party of Queens County:

Condemns the LPNY State Committee for effectively denying the Libertarian Party of Queens County its choice of representative and the right to decide who it wishes to represent it on the LPNY State Committee by it having wrongfully suspended the membership of Dr. Tom Stevens, the LPQC's duly elected State Representative.

Stands behind Dr. Tom Stevens, our duly elected State Representative, whose actions we completely support without hesitation or reservation and who has represented us in a manner that has always made us proud.

Condemns the extremely dysfunctional Libertarian Party of New York, whose politically inexperienced, stagnant leadership and the presence of toxic individuals have been primarily responsible for the party's inability to obtain ballot access over the past nearly 40 years.

Condemns the LPNY State Committee for suspending the membership of Dr. Tom Stevens, our duly elected State Representative, on specious and baseless grounds in that Dr. Tom Stevens never followed a continued public course of action knowing it to be contrary to the principles and objectives of the LPNY: never claimed to represent the LPNY while knowing that this is not the fact, and certainly never knowingly, seriously and repeatedly disrupted meetings or activities of the LPNY during his service as State Representative for the Libertarian Party of Queens County nor when he served as State Representative of the Manhattan Libertarian Party or as an At-Large Representative to the LPNY State Committee. Expressing opinions and demanding proper accountability and professionalism on the LPNY's Yahoo Group is what the Libertarian Party of Queens County expected of its duly elected State Representative and we fully and unconditionally stand behind him.

Demands a formal apology from the Libertarian Party of New York for its having suspended the membership of Dr. Tom Stevens, our chosen and elected State Representative, and that even if the LPQC chooses to send a substitute representative to the LPNY State Committee, that individual's primary responsibility will be to seek and obtain a formal apology from the LPNY State Committee that must include an invitation to Dr. Tom Stevens to return to the LPNY State Committee as State Representative for the Libertarian Party of Queens County.

Demands that the LPNY State Committee take formal action against Blay Tarnoff, Gary Donoyan and Chris Cantwell for causing this disruption at the worst possible time for the Libertarian Party of New York, when the statewide petition drive is almost upon us, thus placing their own personal agendas above the interests of the party.

Believes that the unprofessional actions and political inexperience of many on the LPNY State Committee are a literal detriment to the cause of liberty and that the Libertarian Party of Queens County has always considered and still considers Dr. Tom Stevens, its duly elected State Representative, to be an advocate for professionalism who always fulfilled his fiduciary responsibility and who raised issues that needed to be raised and asked questions that needed to be asked, however uncomfortable that made some people feel. That was his duty as LPQC's State Representative and the membership and leadership of the Libertarian Party of Queens County is extremely proud of Dr. Tom Stevens, who we consider to be one of the most principled and effective advocates for liberty in the Libertarian Party on a local, state and national level.

Applauds Dr. Tom Stevens for his service on the LPNY State Committee as our State Representative for which we thank him. Dr. Stevens has been elected and re-elected to serve as State Representative for the Libertarian Party of Queens County and in the past was elected and re-elected to serve as State Representative of the Manhattan Libertarian Party. Nothing in his actions or deeds justifies his membership suspension in the Libertarian Party of New York. The action taken by the LPNY State Committee in suspending his membership is reprehensible and unforgivable and creates a rift between the Libertarian Party of Queens County and the LPNY State Committee that shall not be overcome or placed behind us until a formal apology to Dr. Stevens is issued along with an invitation for him to return to the LPNY State Committee as State Representative for the Libertarian Party of Queens County.

Carl E. Person, LPNY's candidate for Attorney General, responded to the Stevens resignation by saying:

It's a shame that you have been subjected to all of this, and the LP (in all of its component organizations) is the clear loser. You have emerged as the winner, and are now free to devote your time to organizations willing to succeed at their claimed goals instead of pursuing paralytic bureaucratic practices. What do they plan to do for an encore?

Donald Silberger, LPNY Vice-Chair, responded as follows:

The party from which you resigned is in disarray. LP National has evidently tired of our repeated and far-off-the-mark claims that "this time we have an excellent chance to garner 50K votes"... when never once since 1972 have we gotten even half of that total. As it now stands, the LPNY may not even get its candidates on the NY State ballot...the LPNY continues to do the same things, to make the same outrageously optimistic predictions, to set the same senseless goals, to squander opportunities, to squabble and laze, and to repeat the same silly mistakes, season after season. And now they congratulate themselves for their successful vindictiveness; i.e., the party's "defending itself". I've had it! You are one of the most articulate people in the LPNY...Sheer envy? We should have been running you for office -- giving you a forum. Sheesh.

Dr. Tom Stevens will continue his libertarian activism both locally and nationally and will continue to promote libertarian and Objectivist principles through Rising Action and Libertarian Patriots of New York. He welcomes invitations from Libertarian State Parties that allow out-of-state members to join and participate and looks forward to attending future LPUS National Conventions just as he has enjoyed fully participating in the conventions that were held in Atlanta, Portland, Denver and St. Louis.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Sam Sloan Explains The Effect The Stevens Suspension Vote Had On His Decision To Sue The LPNY

There has been some speculation that the vote of the LPNY State Committee on June 6, 2010 to suspend the membership of Dr. Tom Stevens, the duly elected State Representative of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, affected the decision of Sam Sloan, the duly elected State Representative of the Manhattan Libertarian Party, to sue the Libertarian Party of New York and others regarding fraud alleged to have taken place during the vote for the gubernatorial nomination that took place at the LPNY State Convention on April 24, 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Albany, New York.

On June 23, 2010, Sam Sloan clarified this matter when he posted the following statement:

The motion and vote against Stevens did not give me the "incentive" to file the court case. I was considering filing the case all along especially after the last court hearing where the judge virtually invited me to ask that Chris Edes be put in jail and to appeal to the Appellate Division. (Have you read the transcript?) However, the negative consideration against filing the case was that I found some value in being in the relatively good graces of the party membership. The vote to suspend and ultimately expel Stevens, a long time party activist (although not nearly so long as I have been) meant that being in good graces with the party leadership was not such a valuable thing and not a good reason not to file a court case that I believe should be filed and that I think I can win.

Dr. Tom Stevens responded:

The Libertarian Party of New York has not expelled me. They suspended my membership without proper notice on June 6, 2010 at a State Committee Meeting held by teleconference. The notice of charges was posted to the LPNY_Committee Yahoo Group at 8:38 p.m., seconds before the motion was made by Blay Tarnoff to suspend my membership. I have waived my right to a Hearing on June 27, 2010 since I think it is clear to all fair-minded people that I am not guilty of any of the charges that have been lodged against me. In fact, I am quite proud of all the issues I raised and all the questions I asked. As for Sam being disappointed by the unjustified actions of the State Committee against me, I can fully understand his feelings and how that may have played a factor in his filing this new lawsuit against the LPNY. I believe there are legitimate grounds for the relief he is seeking but you never know how the Judge is going to rule. Sam had agreed to a settlement proposal made by Carl Person and myself that would have resolved this whole issue leaving the slate of statewide nominated candidates in place but the settlement was rejected by LPNY Chair Mark Axinn, who was representing the party at the time. All I can say is that if my suspension is upheld by the State Committee on June 27, 2010, I fear that the infighting will only get worse and will harm the party for years to come.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Mark Axinn, LPNY Chair, Secures $25,000.00 From The LNC Executive Committee For The New York State Petition Drive

Mark Axinn, LPNY Chair, announced the following on June 21, 2010:

Tonight, the Executive Committee of the the Libertarian National Committee voted to commit $25,000 towards the New York State petition drive on a motion made by Bill Redpath and seconded by Dr. James Lark. I was joined in the telephone conference by Warren's campaign manager, Eric Sundwall, whose assistance was tremendous. Now let's get ready to obtain the volunteer signatures needed to make up the difference! Thanks, all. Mark

This unexpected good news came on the evening of the day when Sam Sloan, State Representative for the Manhattan Libertarian Party, filed a lawsuit challenging the gubernatorial nomination of Warren Redlich by the Libertarian Party of New York.

Dr. Tom Stevens, LPQC Political Director, responded to this news with the following statement:

Mark Axinn deserves full credit for obtaining this financial contribution from the LNC Executive Committee. Frankly, I was surprised the National LP would commit such a substantial amount of money to New York State in a non-Presidential election year and when we have a gubernatorial candidate who is unlikely to draw the 50,000 votes we need to obtain Minor Party status under New York State law. I don't have the words to properly congratulate Mark Axinn for being able to convince the LNC Executive Committee to allocate these funds. It is a significant accomplishment for which he can be rightfully proud!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Do Legal Grounds Exist To Invalidate The LPNY Nomination Of Warren Redlich For Governor & Was LPNY State Chair Mark Axinn Involved?

Is Sam Sloan, the unanimously elected State Representative for the Manhattan Libertarian Party (the largest LP Chapter in New York State), contemplating a lawsuit to overturn the results of Warren Redlich's gubernatorial nomination on the grounds that actual fraud took place at the State Convention of the Libertarian Party of New York? Was LPNY State Chair Mark Axinn involved? These issues were the subject of conversations overheard at the General Membership Meeting of the Libertarian Party of Queens County that was held on June 12, 2010 where three of the six nominated LPNY statewide candidates were in attendance.

The State Convention of the Libertarian Party of New York was held on April 24, 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Albany, New York. Eligible delegates were carefully screened and given a red wrist band to evidence their right to vote. A number of LPNY members ineligible to vote and non-member convention attendees were also in the room. When it came time to vote on the gubernatorial nomination, Mark Axinn, the only announced candidate for LPNY Chair, handed out many scraps of cut yellow lined paper to each table. Dr. Tom Stevens, the unanimously elected State Representative for the Libertarian Party of Queens County (the second largest LP chapter in New York State) objected and confronted Mark Axinn telling him that it made no sense to carefully screen who was eligible to vote if he was handing out paper ballots to everyone with no way to determine who was voting or even if each person was only voting once. Mr. Axinn's response was that he ran elections on the "honor system" and proceeded to collect whatever ballots attendees placed into a hat that was passed around the room.

Sam Sloan, who was also a candidate for the gubernatorial nomination, objected to the corrupt process that first denied him the ability to communicate with LPNY members eligible to vote at the LPNY State Convention and now, to a voting process that kept no track of who was voting or how many times people were voting. In the aftermath of the LPNY Convention, Mr. Sloan continued to pursue his lawsuit about being denied access to the list of eligible voting delegates but at the LPQC General Membership Meeting, he was overheard soliciting support for a possible new lawsuit seeking to overturn the nomination of Warren Redlich because of a voting process that made fraud possible, if not probable.

In retaliation against LPQC State Representative Dr. Tom Stevens for raising these and other issues, the LPNY State Committee, at a teleconference held on June 6, 2010, suspended his membership in the Libertarian Party of New York. Bob Cotton, Hudson Valley LP State Representative, has recently proposed new rules that would allow the LPNY to get rid of anyone who "files a lawsuit against party officials" or who engages in "personal criticisms (of party officials) on public or committee lists." Dr. Stevens stated, "I have no doubt that Sam Sloan will be the next target of those fighting to maintain the status quo in the dysfunctional Libertarian Party of New York."

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Rand & Stevens In 2012: Brookstone Says They Are "Two Doctors To Heal Our Freedom"

In an e-mail dated June 14, 2010 to Judge Andrew P. Napolitano congratulating him on his new television show Freedom Watch, which airs on the Fox Business channel, Melissa Brookstone, author of The Planetary Bill of Rights Project (http://www.planetarybillofrights.org/), said:

My Presidential Dream Ticket for 2012 would be what I'd call "Two Doctors to heal our freedom!": Dr. Rand Paul for President and Dr. Tom Stevens for Vice President.

Dr. Stevens is the founder of the newly formed Objectivist Party: http://www.ObjectivistParty.us

*Objectivism - the individual rights and freedom philosophy of Ayn Rand.

Congratulations on your new show, loving it!

Melissa Brookstone has agreed to be a Presidential Elector for the Objectivist Party from the state of Colorado in 2012.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Dr. Tom Stevens Appointed Political Director Of The Libertarian Party Of Queens County

On Saturday, June 12, 2010, the Libertarian Party of Queens County voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Tom Stevens, its duly elected State Representative, to the newly created position of Political Director.

The motion made by John Clifton, Vice-Chair, and seconded by Ronald S. Ramo, Treasurer, was the following:

MOTION: That Dr. Tom Stevens be appointed to serve as Political Director for the Libertarian Party of Queens County and that he continue to serve in that capacity until such time that he either resigns from that position or the position is eliminated by the Executive Committee of the LPQC.

Dr. Tom Stevens said, "I am proud to be able to serve the Libertarian Party of Queens County in this new and important capacity. I am grateful for the support and confidence the members and leadership of the LPQC have expressed for me through the years of my involvement. I intend to continue to make them proud of all I do to promote liberty and to make the Libertarian Party of Queens County a more effective political force in New York State politics.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Latest Party Enrollment Figures Published By New York State Board Of Elections

The April 1, 2010 party enrollment figures have been published by the New York State Board of Elections. There were 11,658,341 total party enrollees, not counting a stray 3 enrollees.

The Democratic Party leads with 49.66% (5,789,432) of party enrollees, followed by the Republican Party with 24.93% (2,906,393) and No Party affiliation with 20.03% (2,336,122).

With respect to the Minor Parties that have obtained ballot access by obtaining 50,000 votes in the last gubernatorial election, the Independence Party leads with 3.6% (413,855) of party enrollees, followed by the Conservative Party with 1.3% (146,221) and the Working Families Party with .351% (40,878).

Of the three parties that are not ballot-qualified, the Green Party leads with .197% (22,939) of party enrollees, followed by the Libertarian Party with .021% (2,427) and the Socialist Workers Party with .00001% (74).

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Four Pro-Liberty Gubernatorial Candidates May Be On The Ballot In New York State This November

As crazy as it may seem, it appears there may be 4 Pro-Liberty/Tea Party Gubernatorial Candidates running for governor of New York State this November. Those candidates are Warren Redlich, Kristin Davis, Sam Sloan and Carl Paladino.

Warren Redlich, a Republican attorney from upstate New York, is the nominee of the Libertarian Party of New York. Kristin Davis, former Governor Eliot Spitzer's Madam, has recently stated her party will be called the Free Libertarian Party. Sam Sloan has recently been discussing the viablity of running for Governor as the gubernatorial candidate of a new Personal Freedom Party, a rival Libertarian Party and/or as the candidate of the Liberal Party. Carl Paladino, an upstate businessman who is challenging Rick Lazio for the Republican Party's gubernatorial nomination, is planning to petition to get on the ballot as the gubernatorial candidate of a newly formed Tea Party.

Davis and Sloan had sought to obtain the list of 300-400 eligible Libertarian Party of New York voting delegates so they could send them their campaign literature and encourage them to attend the LPNY State Convention that was held on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Albany, New York where 40+ delegates handed the LPNY gubernatorial nomination to Warren Redlich. Upon being denied the ability to communicate with eligible voting delegates, Kristin Davis decided not to attend the LPNY State Convention and Sam Sloan filed a lawsuit, which did not result in the situation being rectified. Kristin Davis then committed to running on her own as the gubernatorial candidate of the Free Libertarian Party, which is the actual corporate name of the Libertarian Party of New York. Sam Sloan has been discussing financing a new Personal Freedom Party, a rival Libertarian Party or running as the candidate of the Liberal Party. Since the LPNY membership of Dr. Tom Stevens was suspended by the LPNY State Committee on June 6, 2010, there have been unconfirmed reports that three of the six LPNY nominated candidates for statewide office have been having discussions with Sloan, Davis and Paladino, seeking positions on their slate in protest to the unwarranted action that has been taken against Dr. Tom Stevens, who was recently described by Carl Person, LPNY's candidate for Attorney General, as one of the LPNY's "most principled and intelligent Libertarian activists" and by Carl Svensson of the Republican Liberty Caucus as "among the most intelligent and most effective local leaders in the LPNY."

Dr. Tom Stevens, the duly elected State Representative of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, said: "I have been encouraging all of the candidates nominated for statewide office by the Libertarian Party of New York, to stay on that slate and not to abandon it in protest. However, I am not certain how successful I will be. There has been serious talk of forming a new Libertarian Party in New York State and competing with the LPNY for national recognition and a number of officers in the Libertarian Party of Queens County have spoken of leaving the state party altogether. My response to all this talk has been to suggest that no precipitous actions be taken that will make matters even worse than they already are. I have no idea how all this will pan out but I can say without any hesitation that the political infighting present within the Libertarian Party of New York will continue to destroy our viability for years to come and that the same destructive forces will probably remain in the party while decent libertarians and new members get disgusted and leave."

Carl Person, LPNY Candidate For Attorney General, Withdraws Offer Of Direct Financial Support For Statewide Petition Drive

In response to the LPNY State Committee suspending the membership of Dr. Tom Stevens, State Representative of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, pending a Hearing to be held on Sunday, June 27, 2010, Carl Person, LPNY's candidate for Attorney General, has withdrawn his offer to contribute $5,000.00 to the statewide petition drive.

In taking this action, Carl Person said the following:

I am deeply disturbed by the recent unjustified suspension of the membership of Dr. Tom Stevens in the Libertarian Party of New York. The actions of the LPNY State Committee taken on June 6, 2010 represent the most egregious example of tyranny by the majority where reason and logic give way to petty, dysfunctional infighting and where Pyrrhic bureaucratic victories count more than promoting liberty.

I had recently indicated a willingness to Dr. Stevens to pay $5,000 to the LPNY for the statewide petition drive. Because of the actions taken against Dr. Stevens by the LPNY State Committee, I cannot go through with that support, which was for Dr. Stevens more than anyone else. The Libertarian Party of New York must realize I cannot in good faith donate money to a party that is able to cast aside one of its most principled and intelligent Libertarian activists instead of working to get its nominated candidates on the ballot and doing the fundraising that will make that possible. I wish to be clear I will still do everything I can to obtain volunteer petitions signatures. However, my proposal to Dr. Stevens of paying $5,000 directly to Dr. Stevens' former associates is no longer possible.


Blay Tarnoff made the motion to suspend the LPNY membership of Dr. Tom Stevens with supporting documentation posted by Gary Donoyan, both of Nassau County. These were the same two individuals who successfully obtained the temporary de-chartering of the Libertarian Party of Queens County in 2007 and who were instrumental in forming a Brooklyn-Queens LP that claimed to represent Queens County Libertarians. The grounds used against Dr. Stevens as set forth in the LPNY bylaws were the following:

1. that he followed a continued public course of action knowing it to be contrary to the principles and objectives of the LPNY.

2. that he claimed to represent the LPNY while knowing that this is not the fact; and

3. that he knowingly, seriously and repeatedly disrupted meetings or activities of the LPNY.

No evidence was provided regarding Dr. Stevens having taken a "public course of action...contrary to the principles and objectives of the LPNY" or his "claiming to represent the LPNY while knowing that this is not the fact" other than that he posted information and reported on the activities of the LPNY through his personal blog, which was characterized as "appearing to be an official Press Release of the Libertarian Party of New York."

The evidence provided against Dr. Tom Stevens regarding his "knowingly, seriously and repeatedly" disrupting meetings or activities of the LPNY have to do with postings he made to the LPNY State Committee Yahoo Group where general discussions were taking place about state committee business and not during official meetings of the State Committee. Two examples given of his disruptions were his publicly requesting that the committee be fully informed about the prison record of a candidate being considered for a LP Congressional Nomination in Suffolk County and his asking the LPNY Convention Committee to provide a breakdown of the income received during the 2010 LPNY State Convention.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

LPNY Gubernatorial Nomination Controversy: Supreme Court Of The State Of New York Intervenes

Kristin Davis, Sam Sloan and Warren Redlich were the three announced candidates for the gubernatorial nomination of the Libertarian Party of New York in 2010. Warren Redlich, a Republican attorney, was considered the odds-on-favorite to win the nomination and was endorsed by former Libertarian Party State Chairs Eric Sundwall & Rich Cooper, current LPNY State Chair Chris Edes, and future LPNY State Chair Mark Axinn. Kristin Davis, former Madam to Governor Eliot Spitzer, was the highest profile candidate in the race with Roger Stone as her Campaign Advisor. Sam Sloan was a Libertarian Party activist who had been unanimously elected State Representative for the Manhattan Libertarian Party in January, 2010 and who had been endorsed for the gubernatorial nomination by the Libertarian Party of Queens County.

The Libertarian Party of New York's State Convention was held on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Albany, New York. Before the LPNY State Convention was over, Kristin Davis would withdraw as a potential gubernatorial nominee of the Libertarian Party, threaten to sue Warren Redlich for $25,000,000 for calling her "a whore", and would promise to run for Governor as the candidate of a new Personal Freedom Party. Sam Sloan would end up successfully obtaining a Court Order from the Supreme Court of the State of New York directing LPNY State Chair Chris Edes to hand over the list of voting delegates to him so he could properly compete for the nomination. Mr. Edes ended up not complying with that Court Order and would have to answer for that on May 23, 2010 before Justice Carol R. Edmead in Civil Part 35 of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County.

Warren Redlich was almost guaranteed the nomination of the Libertarian Party of New York for Governor since his supporters would almost certainly dominate the 40+ delegates attending the LPNY State Convention due to his insider support and due to the fact that the convention was scheduled to be held in Albany, New York, which was virtually in Redlich's backyard. Realizing this advantage, both Kristin Davis and Sam Sloan sought to obtain the list of 300-400 eligible voting delegates so they could mail their campaign literature to them and encourage them to attend the LPNY State Convention to participate in the process. The list of eligible delegates was not provided to either Kristin Davis or Sam Sloan.

Frustrated by the refusal to allow her to communicate with eligible delegates, Ms. Davis called the process "corrupt", threatened to sue Warren Redlich for $25,000,000 for calling her "a whore" and withdrew from consideration the night before the LPNY State Convention was held. At that point, Ms. Davis announced she would run as the gubernatorial candidate of the Personal Freedom Party on a "libertarian platform" and the LPNY further heard word she intended to challenge the legitimacy of any petition signatures the Libertarian Party of New York submitted on behalf of Warren Redlich.

Sam Sloan stayed in the race and succeeded in getting Justice Carol R. Edmead of the Supreme Court of the State of New York to direct LPNY State Chair Chris Edes to immediately release the list of eligible delegates to Mr. Sloan no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 23, 2010. An e-mail was sent to Mr. Edes at 2:36 p.m. on April 23rd informing him that an Order was coming and Justice Edmead's Law Clerk called Mr. Edes on his cell phone to obtain immediate compliance with the Order. Mr. Edes did not comply and stated at the LPNY State Convention that on the advice of "competent counsel", he was told he didn't have to.

On May 23, 2010, former LPNY State Chair Chris Edes appeared before Justice Edmead (with current LPNY State Chair Mark Axinn as his counsel) in order to answer why he did not comply with the Order to hand over the list of eligible voting delegates to Sam Sloan. Mr. Edes admitted to getting notice that an Order had been issued but he just ignored it because he said "I don't have any familiarity with this process." Justice Edmead responded: "You have familiarity with words and they connect and make sentences. It said there's been an Order related to the election and you didn't do anything. You essentially were in non-compliance. Pretending ignorance. It's not okay."

When Justice Edmead confronted former LPNY State Chair Chris Edes as to whether he got the two messages left on his cell phone by her Law Clerk, Mr. Edes said, "My phone was on vibrate." At that point, Justice Edmead went ballistic and said to Mr. Edes, "You sound so disingenuous. If I had the ability, I would put you right in Rikers right now. You are below incredible. You're something lower than that. I would like to put you across the street in the Tombs because you belong with those people." Further on during the Hearing, Justice Edmead continued to comment about Mr Edes and said, "...he's either an idiot or he's just a liar...(he's) one or the other or both". Justice Edmead then said to Sam Sloan, "If you had moved for contempt, he (Edes) would have been on a trip for at least 48 hours in prison where he belongs for being such a liar. And God, if he's in charge of something in your party, I don't want to know about it." Mr. Axinn said, "Mr. Edes is no longer the chairman of the party." to which Justice Edmead responded, "Good. Good."

After the LPNY State Convention was held on April 24, 2010 and prior to the Court Hearing on May 23, 2010, Carl Person, LPNY nominee for Attorney General, and Dr. Tom Stevens, State Representative of the Libertarian Party of Queens County, negotiated a proposed settlement of the pending lawsuit that had been brought by Sam Sloan. At the time, it was still possible that Justice Edmead might have ordered the Libertarian Party of New York to hold a new State Convention. Sam Sloan agreed he would drop his lawsuit if the LPNY agreed that if Warren Redlich dropped out as the Libertarian Party's gubernatorial nominee, that he (Sam Sloan), would be appointed as the replacement candidate. This settlement proposal was run by LPNY State Chair Mark Axinn, who rejected it and decided to proceed to the Court Hearing instead.

Since the Court Hearing, Sam Sloan has been trying to inform the LPNY State Committee of new information regarding Warren Redlich and the possibility of actual fraud that may have taken place at the LPNY State Convention. As a result of this effort, current LPNY State Chair Mark Axinn has placed Sam Sloan, State Representative of the Manhattan Libertarian Party, on moderation hindering his ability to communicate freely with LPNY State Committee Members. The Manhattan Libertarian Party has also passed a resolution reiterating its support for Warren Redlich and directing Sam Sloan to reflect their views on this topic or resign. I doubt either will occur and I suspect this is not the last we will hear about this controversy.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

New Libertarian National Committee Elected: New York Delegation Backs Most Winners

A new Libertarian National Committee was elected at the Libertarian Party's National Convention held from May 29-31, 2010 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. The New York Delegation ended up backing most of the candidates who won election to the LNC.

Three separate ballots were conducted for the election of a new Libertarian Party Chair. On the first ballot, Wayne Allyn Root obtained 200 votes, followed by Mark Hinkle with 114 votes, Ernest Hancock with 82 votes, John Jay Myers with 70 votes, George Phillies with 56 votes and N.O.T.A. with 10 votes. On that ballot, the New York Delegation voted 69% for Root, 19% for Hancock, and 12% for Hinkle. On the second ballot, Wayne Allyn Root obtained 223 votes, followed by Mark Hinkle with 210 votes, Ernest Hancock with 87 votes and N.O.T.A. with 9 votes. On that ballot, the New York Delegation voted 80% for Root, 13% for Hinkle, and 7% for Hancock. On the third and final ballot, Mark Hinkle obtained 281 votes and was elected LP National Chair. Wayne Allyn Root came in second place with 228 votes and N.O.T.A. got 19 votes. On that third ballot, the New York Delegation voted 81% for Root and 19% for Hinkle.

In the election for Libertarian Party Vice-Chair, Mark Rutherford was elected with 285 votes to Carolyn Marbry's 201 votes with N.O.T.A. getting 4 votes. The New York Delegation voted 71% for Rutherford and 29% for Marbry.

In the election for Libertarian Party Secretary, Alicia Matson was elected with 265 votes to Rob Power's 194 votes with N.O.T.A. getting 4 votes. The New York Delegation voted 86% for Matson and 14% for Power.

In the election for Libertarian Party Treasurer, James Oaksun was elected with 319 votes to Aaron Starr's 133 votes with N.O.T.A. getting 4 votes. The New York Delegation voted 86% for Oaksun and 14% for Starr.

In the election for Libertarian Party At-Large Representatives, Wayne Allyn Root was elected with 250 votes followed by Bill Redpath with 225 votes, Mary Ruwart with 202 votes, David Nolan with 183 votes and Kevin Knedler with 177 votes. If the New York Delegation had the exclusive power to elect the LP's At-Large Representatives, they would have elected the following individuals: Bill Redpath, Wayne Allyn Root, Kevin Knedler, Dr. Tom Stevens and Sam Sloan.

Dr. Tom Stevens and Sam Sloan, the only two New York Delegates running for At-Large Representative positions on the Libertarian National Committee, received votes from New York Delegates Alden Link, Carl Person, Kurt Ferber, Tom Stevens and Sam Sloan (Andrew Clunn and Dan Halloran were not present to participate in the voting). No other New York Delegates voted for these two New York At-Large Representative candidates as one of their five potential choices, which prompted Sam Sloan to say, "These back-stabbers demand loyalty but offer no loyalty in return. It is a disgrace that New York Delegates would not support the only two candidates running for At-Large Representative who are New Yorkers. Even I would have voted for Chris Edes had he been running for a seat on the LNC. At this point, these people deserve everything that may be coming their way."

Redlich, Gaetani, Credico & Clifton Conspicuously Absent From Libertarian Party's 2010 National Convention

Mark Axinn, LPNY Chair, was lobbying hard at the Libertarian Party's 2010 National Convention held at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri over Memorial Day Weekend for a $30,000.00 donation to help the Libertarian Party of New York obtain the petition signatures it will need to get its statewide candidates on the ballot this year. This lobbying was especially important since it will be the new Libertarian Party National Committee that will vote on this allocation of funds and because Mr. Axinn has said "it is unlikely we will obtain ballot access without that financial help."

So where were the candidates nominated by the Libertarian Party of New York for statewide office? Were they in St. Louis introducing themselves and speaking of the importance of this upcoming race to our obtaining ballot access in New York for the LP's Presidential Candidate in 2012? Were they at the LPUS National Convention lobbying along with Mark Axinn to anyone who would listen? No. Warren Redlich, LPNY candidate for Governor, was nowhere to be seen. John Gaetani, LPNY's candidate for Comptroller was also absent as was Randy Credico and John Clifton, LPNY's candidates for United States Senate.

Only Alden Link, LPNY's candidate for Lt. Governor, and Carl Person, LPNY's candidate for Attorney General were present as delegates and Mr. Person has already committed $5,000.00 to the statewide petition drive, something none of the other candidates have done.

Dr. Tom Stevens, State Representative of the Libertarian Party of Queens County to the Libertarian Party of New York, said: "I personally witnessed Mr. Link and Mr. Person promoting their candidacies and providing a higher profile to the New York Delegation. In nominating speeches, Alden Link and Carl Person informed the delegates they were the duly nominated candidates of the Libertarian Party of New York for Lt. Governor and Attorney General, respectively. They went on to promote their candidacies in person in the hallways and in the hospitality suites arguing for the importance of the Libertarian Party of New York obtaining 50,000 votes in this year's gubernatorial race. It is a great disappointment that the other nominated LPNY candidates for statewide office didn't consider attending the LPUS National Convention to be a high priority. A failure to obtain financial support from the National LP for our statewide petition drive will place us at a distinct disadvantage. While better planning and increased fundraising might have avoided this crisis, there is no doubt we face an uphill battle in getting our candidates on the ballot this year. A greater presence of our statewide candidates at the LPUS National Convention would have been a help."

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Stevens & Sloan Demand A More Pro-American, Patriotic Libertarian Party

Dr. Tom Stevens, State Representative of the Libertarian Party of Queens County to the Liberarian Party of New York, and Sam Sloan, State Representative of the Manhattan Libertarian Party to the Libertarian Party of New York recently attended the Libertarian Party's National Convention, which took place from May 29-31, 2010 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri. Over five-hundred delegates from throughout the nation were in attendance. Stevens was shocked that American Flags were nowhere in sight during this LPUS National Convention taking place over Memorial Day Weekend and sought to rectify the situation.

On Friday, May 29, 2010, Dr. Stevens brought the issue to the attention of Michael Jingozian, Vice-Chair of the Libertarian Party. Stevens said, "at least one American Flag should be present in the room, and if they are available, perhaps one can be placed on either side of the dais." He told Jingozian, "This is the National Convention of an American Political Party being held over Memorial Day Weekend. The absence of an American Flag sends the wrong message about this party and only reinforces the belief that we are dominated by open-border anarchists that do not have the best interests of the United States in mind." Jingozian responded, "This is something I can handle. I will rectify the situation."

Throughout Friday and Saturday, no American Flag was brought into the room despite the fact it was confirmed that the Hotel had many American Flags available for functions such as this. Stevens again confronted Jingozian in the hallway outside the Texas Hospitality Suite on Saturday evening and Jingozian simply said he "could not get it done."

Frustrated by this apparent deliberate desire to avoid patriotic symbols at its National Convention, Sam Sloan authorized Alden Link, the LPNY candidate for Lt. Governor, to mention in his nominating speech of Mr. Sloan for the position of At-Large Representative on the LPUS National Committee, that if Mr. Sloan was elected, he would "make certain an American Flag would be in the room during future conventions."

Dan Halloran, a New York City Councilman who is "the highest Libertarian Party official elected to a single district in a partisan race" and who was also present at the Libertarian Party's National Convention said, "I cannot understand how a national political party in the United States can hold a convention and not have the national anthem sung or even an American Flag present in the room."

Dr. Tom Stevens said, "I want to see the Libertarian Party become an unapologetic, pro-American, patriotic political party. Libertarian Party leaders wonder why they have not been able to take advantage of the growing Tea Party movement to recruit new members into the party. The reason for that, in my opinion, is the continued influence in the party of open-border anarchists who disdain symbols of patriotism and would have the United States end its influence as a world power. This is not a sentiment shared by most of the patriots currently active in the Tea Party movement and that is why the Libertarian Party has lost its ability to take a leading role in this new grassroots activism."