Libertarian Party New York City Nominating Convention Minutes (April 9, 2013)

Libertarian Party New York City Nominating Convention

Minutes of the April 9, 2013 Business Meeting

 New York Irish Center, Long Island City, Queens

 

The meeting was called to order by John Clifton, LPQC Chair, at 7:30 p.m.

As LP Chair of the hosting county for the event, John Clifton acknowledged his appointment as NYC Convention Chair Pro Tem and Matthew Kelly as NYC Convention Secretary Pro Tem. Both were accepted without objection. 

Chair announced the meeting agenda would follow the outline submitted on the correspondence sent to properly notice the convention:  1) Nomination of Citywide Candidates. 2) Discussion and Motion to authorize developing citywide ballot initiatives. 3) Adjournment.

The Agenda was adopted without objection.

Chair ruled the format of the meeting would be relaxed with regards to Robert’s Rules and parliamentary procedure. There was no objection.

Chair also ruled the LPNY Bylaw provision describing the credentialing status of the attendees of the city convention was not sufficiently clear (concerning whether or not LP borough chapter members who were not LPNY members could vote), and as a result of the ambiguity, Chair would side with the precedent set by previous city conventions, and include all LP borough chapter members present as eligible to vote.

Blay Tarnoff (LPNY Secretary) objected, and made a motion to overrule the Chair. Motion was seconded, followed by discussion, but the motion FAILED. Tarnoff continued to interrupt proceedings to reprove the credentialing ruling through the remainder of the meeting.

Nominations were opened for Mayor. Candidates nominated included Sam Sloan, Carl Person, Kristin Davis (who declined), Joe Lhota, and NOTA (None of the Above). Nominations were then closed. Davis’s announcement that she was running for Comptroller, and endorsing Lhota for Mayor, led to an extensive interruption of proceedings with heated discussion.

Randy Credico made a motion to re-open the nominations for Mayor, so he could be nominated.  Motion was seconded, followed by discussion, but the motion FAILED. Out of order interjections and interruptions continued over the Lhota nomination and the credentialing issue.  Janet Hopf made a motion to adjourn due to this, which was seconded, but the motion FAILED.

Tarnoff continued to interject, to advocate that individual credentialing be conducted to see if the attendees were qualified to vote as per the Chair’s ruling (namely, to check whether attendees were listed on the Membership Lists brought to the Convention by the 4 County Libertarian Party organizations active within New York City, or otherwise known to county LP officers present). A short recess was called to determine the manner in which said individual credentialing verification could be performed and whether conducting said verification was feasible given the lists available.

The Chair ruled that Matthew Kelly, as Secretary Pro Tem, would conduct the individual credentialing verifications by checking the names of those in attendance against each County’s membership list. Blay Tarnoff started to act out, without being recognized, demanding that the Secretary Pro Tem first check the state membership status of all attendees despite the earlier upheld ruling of the Chair that state membership was not a prerequisite to vote at this NYC Nominating Convention. Interjections and interruptions by both the Lhota supporters and Tarnoff (who prevented Kelly from proceeding by insisting he verify the LPNY membership status of all attendees first) continued until the Chair recognized Kristin Davis, who moved to overrule the Chair on conducting an individual credentialing verification and to allow all in attendance at the convention to vote. The motion to overrule the Chair was seconded and the motion PASSED.

Members then voted to nominate Joe Lhota as the LP candidate for Mayor by two thirds vote.

Members voted to nominate Kristin Davis as the LP candidate for Comptroller by two thirds vote.

Members voted to nominate Vivia Morgan as the LP candidate for Public Advocate by two thirds vote.

Members voted to authorize Gary Popkin to head an effort to properly develop citywide ballot initiatives or referendums to end surveillance measures in NYC (repeal Stop and Frisk, remove Airport and Police scanners and cameras) and to reform city government (end the large soda ban or similar policies, abolish the offices of Public Advocate and Borough President).

Members moved to adjourn.  The motion PASSED.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:25 pm.

Other matters (such as the Committee on Vacancies) were discussed informally afterward. Chair acknowledged a motion to create the Committee was not suggested by either the Chair or raised by the body, but he believed it was not mandatory for the body to do so, and the committee could be created by the candidates themselves under the election law. Chair expressed the belief that the candidates voted for were duly nominated, since the body doing so had twice voted to accept the manner of the proceedings, including credentialing.

Dated: April 27, 2013

Respectfully,

Matthew Kelly

Secretary Pro Tem
Libertarian Party NYC Nominating Convention