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Greg Stempfle, Chair
Libertarians from across Michigan will assemble for their 2020 Candidate Nominating Convention on Saturday, July 18 starting at 9:00 A.M. We will be gathering at the Treetops Resort, 3962 Wilkinson Rd, Gaylord, Michigan 49735. Everyone is welcome to attend! You may register for it here.
The main purpose of this convention will be the nomination of Libertarian candidates for the 2020 general election ballot. Offices on the ballot include; US Senate, Congress, State House, Justice of the Supreme Court, State Board of Education, Michigan State University Board of Trustees, University of Michigan Board of Regents, Wayne State University Board of Governors, and delegates to the Electoral College. County, township, and village candidates may also be nominated. Candidate paperwork and a public notary will be available there.
Delegates will also get the opportunity to make changes to the LPM platform, hear reports from current state party officers, and hold caucuses to select Congressional district representatives to fill any vacancies on the state executive committee.
You must be selected as a state convention delegate or alternate by a local affiliate or unaffiliated regional caucus and be a Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) member in order to vote at the convention. Note that if you have never been a member of the LPM, you must join at least 30 days prior to the convention (by June 18) to serve as a state convention delegate or alternate. Past LPM members whose memberships have lapsed or current national members, may pay $25 to renew their LPM membership as late as the same day. You may join or renew membership at michiganlp.org/donate.
Affiliates set their own caucus dates, which must take place before July 11, so check with your local affiliate for date, time and place of the caucus. Members living in counties without an affiliate may take part in regional video-conference caucuses which will be June 25. Here is a current list of LPM affiliate caucus dates and locations.
Delegates must also register for the 2020 convention, in addition to being selected by an affiliate, even if only attending the free business session.
The LPM's annual LibertyFest Awards, which were originally scheduled to be given at the postponed March 14 state convention, will instead be given during the luncheon at this state convention. We will present Defender of Liberty awards to our 2019 Spokesperson for Liberty, Promoter of Liberty and Producer of Liberty.
Following the end of convention business, the the LPM will be holding an evening banquet with a DJ and karaoke open mic.
Note: These events may need to be held outside in a tent due to social distancing requirements. This is only a precaution in case restrictions are in place. Indoor rooms are large enough for attendees to maintain six feet distance between one another.
To register for the convention, visit the convention registration page. Pricing is as follows:
Also, PLEASE make sure your membership is up to date before arriving at the convention! You may experience delays if you register at the convention. You can renew you membership at michiganlp.org/donate/ Our deadline for meal reservations is 7/11/20, so click here to sign up online today, or mail your registration check to Libertarian Party of Michigan, PO Box 27065, Lansing, MI 48909.
A block of hotel rooms at Treetops has been reserved for those attending the state convention. The cost per night will be $119 plus tax. To get rooms at this reduced rate you must call them and mention the "Libertarian Party." You may reserve your room here: https://treetops.com/lodging
Contact 2020 LPM Convention Chair Dana Carver at danacarver103@yahoo.com
By Jamie Lewis
We all like seeing Libertarian candidates running for high profile positions that get media attention. The reality is however those positions require spending quite a bit of money just to be competitive. I have identified over 40 partisan winnable positions just in the West Michigan where Libertarians can get elected without spending any money!
There are more positions on the ballot than some people realize, and there are more than what actually end up getting filed for. A lot of these are in townships. Besides Supervisor, Clerk, Treasurer and (usually 1-4) Trustees; some townships have Road Commissions, Parks Commissions, Constables and others. Township offices are partisan and if there are not enough people who file to run for these in the Democratic and Republican primaries, the boards will just fill the vacancies after the election. Parks commission is a common one for this. Not all townships have them, but the ones that do must have between 5 to 9 seats on the commission. I have seen some jurisdictions where there are only three people running between the Democratic and Republican primaries. These bodies have the power to condemn property for public use, so they really need to have a libertarian voice on them.
Before local affiliates close their nominations, get a list of who is running in your county in the Democratic and Republican Primaries from your county clerk (you can usually find this on the county website). See if there are any positions where no one is running and make sure to nominate someone if you have anyone living there. We have a real opportunity this year to put a record number of Libertarians in office in Michigan. We just need to find people who live in the right places that would be willing to actually serve in office.
Greg Stempfle, Chair
Frequent Libertarian candidate for public office Bhagwan Dashairya passed away last March.
Bhagwan ran as Libertarian four times; once for Wayne State Board of Governors in 2016 and three times for US Congress, from 2010-2014. He also ran as a write in for Congress in 2008 and was the US Taxpayers Party (AKA Constitution Party) candidate for Governor in 2006. He is survived by his wife, two sons, daughter, niece, and nephew.
Bhagwan was born in BJhansi, India and earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the Allahabad University and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Banaras Hindu University. He also earned a Master of Science and a PhD in engineering sciences from the University of Mississippi and a Master of Business Administration from Davenport University in Dearborn, Michigan.
Bhagwan had a long history of activism dating back 30 years, including being a delegate to the White House conference on Indo-U.S. relations in 1963, to serving as a member of the race relations committee with New Detroit, Inc., an organization developed in 1967 after the riots to membership on the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Bhagwan served in a variety of positions in Westland, where he lived. He served for more than a decade on the Westland Economic Development Corporation (EDC) as a commissioner and on the board of directors. He was a member of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board when it formed in 1996. He also helped out on the Building Improvement Team for the Wayne-Westland School District. In the past he's sought public office on the Westland City Council, Wayne County Commission, and ran for mayor of the City of Dearborn before he moved to the Westland community.
https://www.santeiufuneralhome.com/obituary/bhagwan-dashairya
https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=129297
By Scotty Boman, LPWC Chair
Trump made the threat on June 1st, while attempting to strong-arm governors into suppressing protests against police brutality and racism.
The agreed upon language read as follows.
We the Libertarian Party of Wayne County oppose the use of the United States Military against Americans on American soil, and condemn President Donald Trump's threat to do so. Furthermore, we believe he has set a dangerous precedent by using this threat to extort governors into using more draconian policies against residents of their states. This is not only a threat to the life and liberties of individuals in these united states of America, but is an usurpation of state powers by the less accountable Federal government.
Because some former libertarians have publicly supported Donald Trump and his abuses of power, we must clearly state that Donald Trump is not a libertarian, nor is any other person who advocates the use of the United States Military against the American people. As a Libertarian Party affiliate, we don't endorse any candidate who supports such policy and urge all other Libertarian Party organizations to withhold such an endorsement.
Upcoming Events
For reasons that require no repetition, the regular meeting venues of these affiliates will be closed. The Michigan Libertarian is including the dates of meetings since some affiliates may chose a virtual alternative. Please contact local affiliate officers to learn how to get involved in their meetings.Some events are also posted by their hosts at the Meetup.com site. The Michigan Libertarian recommends contacting an affiliate officer or check the Website (or Facebook page) associated with the meeting host (if they have one) before arriving at a meeting. Some meetings can get canceled, or locations can change with short notice. Contact information connected to most events can be found by expanding the item on the "Agenda view" of the Events page of our website.
July 1, 2020 - Huron-Raisin Affiliate Meeting, LENAWEE, MONROE, WASHTENAW 7:00 PM
Aubree's Pizzeria & Grill. 39 E Cross St, Ypsilanti, MI 48198
For more information, contact Larry Johnson at 734-475-9792 or email michlibertarian@gmail.com or call (734) 320-7237
July 2, 2020 - Livingston County Michigan Libertarians Affiliate Convention, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Zoom video conference
For more information, contact James Weeks II at 810.422.8769 or email jamestweeks@outlook.com.
July 2, 2020 - Upper Peninsula Libertarian Party Affiliate Convention, 8:00 PM ALGER, BARAGA, CHIPPEWA, DELTA, DICKINSON, GOGEBIC, HOUGHTON, IRON, KEWEENAW, LUCE, MACKINAC, MARQUETTE, MENOMINEE, ONTONAGON, SCHOOLCRAFT
Zoom video conference
For more information, contact Ryan Roberts at (906) 420-2995 or email ryan_r03@hotmail.com.
July 8, 2020 - Libertarians of Macomb County Affiliate Meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Ike's Restaurant. 38550 Van Dyke Ave, Sterling Heights, MI 48312.
FYI, LMC in addition to is meeting in place at Ike's the actual business will be conducted via videoconference. https://meet.jit.si/LMC
For more information, contact Mike Saliba at macomblp@gmail.com
July 8-12, 2020 - Libertarian National Convention Part II
Rosen Shingle Creek, in Orlando, Florida.
For more information visit the LNC 2020 Convention page.
July 15, 2020 - Jackson-Hillsdale Libertarian Party Affiliate Meeting, 7:00 PM.
Zoom video conference
Event Facebook Post For more information, contact Norman Peterson. norman.peterson@comcast.net
https://www.jhlp.org
July 15, 2020 - The Libertarian Party of Oakland County Affiliate Meeting, Dinner at 6:30 PM, meeting at 7:30 PM.
Farmhouse Coffee and Ice Cream. 29936 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334.
More information posted at lpocmi.org Details subject to change
For more information contact Connor Nepomuceno, Cjnepo1@gmail.com or Vice Chair Ben Carr at 248-919-8152
July 18, 2020 - The Libertarian Party of Michigan 2020 Candidate Nominating Convention at 9:00 AM.
Treetops Resort, 3962 Wilkinson Rd, Gaylord, Michigan 49735.
For more information visit the LPM Website Here
July 19, 2019 - Capital Area Affiliate Meeting 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
CALP monthly business meeting, to be held over Discord teleconfelerence app.
or in person at Harpers Bar Restaurant and Brew Pub. 131 Albert Ave, East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Contact Luke Sciberras at 248-302-1064 or email lpsciberras@gmail.com for event details and instructions to join.
Times and locations of business meetings may very from month to month.
July 22, 2020 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County Affiliate Meeting. Order dinner at 6:30 PM. Business 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Leon's Family Dining. 23830 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, Michigan, 48124.
For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 or email ScottyBoman@hotmail.com
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If you are new to the Michigan Libertarian, you can link to 2016 issues here, http://michiganlp.org/category/newsletters . Other issues are preserved in our historical archives here: http://old.michiganlp.org/resources-2/newsletter.
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