MICHIGAN LIBERTARIAN
January 2021
In This Issue:
- A 2021 Greeting from the Editor
- 2021 Platform, Bylaws, and Convention Committees Need Volunteers
- Introduction: How and Why to Get Local Libertarians Elected!
- Antrim County: Who Knows What Really Happened in the 2020 Election
- Officers & Staff
- Upcoming Events
A 2021 Greeting from the Editor
Happy New Year! Notice the volume number is now 50. This is because the Libertarian Party will become a half century old this year... barely. The reason 1971 is cited as the founding year of the Libertarian Party is that a convention of roughly eight people met in a living room (incorrectly reputed to belong to the late David Nolan) in December of 1971. Preceding meetings were in Nolan's living room, but December was when they met in Colorado Springs and voted to create the LP. Fortunately we have recorded testimony from David Nolan himself, here.
So if this is Volume 50, was Volume 1 published in 1971? Probably not. The historical commission has been collecting and scanning documents and old newsletters, and now we have made them available to everyone in the historical archives. The newest addition to the archives are affiliate newsletters. The oldest issue we have of the Michigan Libertarian was published in March of 1975 and is labeled "Volume III Number. 3." This seems to suggest the first issue was in 1972. This year also makes sense because the first convention of the Libertarian Party of Michigan was in June (probably the 10th) of 1972 at the Taylor Michigan home of Kathryn Augustin and Pete McAlpine. Read first person accounts in the historical archives here.
So why isn't the 2021 publication numbered Volume 49? Well the volume numbers went up sequentially from 1975 (Volume III) to 1979 (Volume 7), then it remained Volume 7 in 1980, but the issue numbers kept going up. The sequencing then returned to one volume per year through 1990. If this sequence had continued to the present, this would be Volume 48. When Ben Bachrach became editor in 1991, he addressed irregularities, in the past assignment of volume numbers, by using an alternative sequencing system as a placeholder. The volume-issue designation was later dropped by subsequent editors (including Keith Edwards upon his return). Then in 2001 a Newsletter Committee formed and initiated the system of volumes and issues that we use today. I assume this is because those meetings with David Nolan and friends back in 1971. One more thing about that first volume. It probably was not called "The Michigan Libertarian." Larry Johnson sent me a picture of a 1973 issue. No volume numbers. As you can see it was the "L.P.M. News."
Continue the Tradition
We welcome new contributions with careful attention to our guidelines. Articles for the next issue of the Michigan Libertarian must be submitted to chair@michiganlp.org, and newsletter@michiganlp.org no later than the 20th of each month. This allows for publication on the first of each month. We routinely post articles to the website homepage ahead of our publication date.
Special thanks are in order to circulation editor Catherine Filus for her continued work, behind the scenes, to get these issues to our readers. Also to Jeff Pittel and James Weeks who have been exceptionally helpful with the transition from MailChimp to CiviCRM, which we will be using for distributions moving forward.
The Libertarian Party of Michigan depends on contributions to carry out it's mission Please Visit us at MichiganLP.org and scroll down to the bottom of our homepage to gain access to our contribution form.
Back to Contents2021 Platform, Bylaws, and Convention Committees Need Volunteers
By Greg Stempfle, Chair
The Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) is seeking volunteers to serve on the 2021 Platform Committee, Bylaws Committee and Convention Planning Committee.
Over the past year we have faced new threats to our liberties and new challenges to how our organization operates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and government response to it. Our platform and bylaws may need some updating in order to reflect these developments and help us move into the next campaign season.
The platform committee will look into making changes to the LPM platform, which will help shape our messaging to voters. The bylaws committee will investigate changes to the LPM bylaws, which describe how we operate as an organization. Recommended changes to the platform and bylaws, made by each committee, will be presented to delegates at the next state convention for consideration.
2021 location to be announced
The time and location of the 2021 LPM State Convention have yet to be determined. The Libertarian Executive Committee (LEC) decided to hold off on formal convention planning until the start of the New Year. With more than one vaccine against the covid infection now on the market, the chance that restrictions on public gatherings will prevent us from holding an in person convention look less likely. Our bylaws require our convention to be held between April 1st and July 31st.
How to get involved
If you are interested in serving on one of these committees, please send a brief statement as to why the LEC should select you to be on the committee to LPM Chair Greg Stempfle, chair@michiganlp.org, and LPM Secretary, Mary Buzuma, secretary@michiganlp.org by January 8th.
The LEC will meet via zoom video-conference on January 10th at noon to begin selecting committee members, among other items of business. All party members, especially those interested in serving on of the committees, are welcome to join! There is a link to the zoom meeting in the calendar of events in this newsletter and on our website, and Facebook page.
Introduction: How and Why to Get Local Libertarians Elected!
Donna Gundle-Krieg, Mancelona Township Trustee
Editors note: This is an introduction to a series, by Donna Gundle-Krieg, on how libertarians have gotten elected.
In November, I was elected Mancelona Township Trustee. Mancelona is a rural northern Michigan town which had about 2000 people voting in the 2020 election. I was elected as a Libertarian. It wasn't easy, but I believe that in the next election, the Libertarian Party of Michigan should recruit as many qualified, freedom loving candidates as possible to run for similar local roles across the state.
Introduction to the series
The time to start planning for a winning campaign is now! Therefore, I will be writing a series of articles which will hopefully help other Libertarians choose and win local races. These columns will focus on what I learned throughout my campaign, as well as what issues I face now that I am in office.
As a newly elected local official, I have already voted on several issues, and been able to influence what is happening in my town. While local politics is not glamorous, it is related to nearly everything I do as a citizen and a real estate broker.
The Third Party Advantage
As a third-party minority, it seems that I have far more influence as a township trustee than I would have if I was the only Libertarian in the Senate or House. Running for local positions also means that I had far fewer voters to convince! Often, Libertarians can even find races where they can run unopposed.
Our 2020 vice-presidential candidate, Spike Cohen, has been interviewing Libertarians who won their races in 2020. He believes that building from the ground up is key to our party gaining influence. Recently, Spike interviewed both me and Scotty Boman, newly elected Detroit Community Advisory Council. Click here for my interview, and click here for Scotty Boman's interview.
Once you win a local election, the fun really begins. You can't walk in and expect to change the world. You will probably work on a board or council with people from the other parties who think very differently from you. I have already experienced this! It is necessary to build relationships and work together with people before you can persuade them to vote for freedom.
Below are the topics I plan to write about in the coming months. I also plan to incorporate Scott's experiences, as well as the thoughts and strategies of other elected Libertarians.I would welcome ideas and questions at any time at dokrieg@gmail.com.
Coming Soon (after this introduction) in the Series:
- How to Choose a Winning Race
- Start Now! Attend Government Meetings, Community Events
- Media campaigns including social media
- Political Signs
- Organizing Door to Door Campaigns
- Mailings
- What Happens After You Get Elected? (could possibly be a series of its own!)
Antrim County: Who Knows What Really Happened in the 2020 Election
Donna Gundle-Krieg, Mancelona Township Trustee
Antrim County, MI - By now, the 2020 Christmas season is in full swing, and most Americans have accepted Joe Biden as the new president. In fact, many of us are tired of hearing about the divisive 2020 election.
However, the ongoing saga of what happened and is still happening with the Antrim County, Michigan election results have many local citizens concerned about the integrity of our future elections, especially the operation of the Dominion voting machines.
Of particular concern is a lawsuit filed against Antrim County regarding election irregularities, which has not been resolved and continues to gain national attention.
Forget Trump: Local Issues are Crucial
As a Libertarian, I do not support either of the major two party candidates. However, I am interested in, and knowledgeable about, local issues, and I was actually on this particular 2020 ballot.I also administer a citizen discussion page following the Antrim County Commissioner meetings, and county issues. This page has had postings and comments from many people directly involved in the investigation, including Commissioners, State Representatives, people who worked on the election and recount, and more.
These election issues are difficult for most of us to grasp at a national level, but at a local level they become real. In addition, there are many ways that we can impact local officials. For example, we have important leadership changes coming up on the County Commission, and new voting machines are being discussed at the local and state level. In addition, Commissioner Dawn Lavanway made a motion to have the prosecutor look into what happened to the deleted files on the Clerk's computer. This motion was inappropriately tabled.
Regardless of where any Antrim County citizen stands politically, we are the county! We are the ones bring sued. Therefore, we need to pressure our various officials to keep us informed about the lawsuit, and we need our leaders to address the problems with our election procedures and equipment.
Below is a summary of the facts, with links to much more detail. Even though people are tired of this issue, it is not going away soon! It is very important that we all stay informed.
Summary of Facts
Antrim, a tiny rural county in northern Michigan, gained national attention on the day after the election, when an issue skewed the initial election results for the presidential race. Initial results showed Joe Biden winning the county, but corrected results showed President Trump winning the county by more than 2,000 votes.The issues, according to the County Clerk and Secretary of State, were due to human error and a failure to properly update software when there were ballot changes.
These same voting machines were purchased by many counties through the state of Michigan, utilizing a grant managed by the state. They were first used by Antrim County in 2018. The Michigan Senate and House has held oversight hearings about these machines, recently questioning both the county clerks and officials from Dominion Voting Systems.
Lawsuit Filed Against Antrim County
While the Senate hearings were occurring, real estate broker William Bailey, a Central Lake resident, filed a lawsuit against Antrim County.
Bailey's statement said:
I have believed since the day after the November 3rd general election that voter fraud may have happened in Antrim County via the Dominion Voting Systems and other electronic voting equipment used in Antrim County. Approximately 6,000 votes flipped in Antrim County all helping Joe Biden. This should have never happened. I do not believe this was human error. I never bought into that narrative.Bailey asked to being his cyber-security experts into the county, to do a forensics report on the voting machines. "No matter what side of the political aisle you reside on, we all want/need to know that our votes count and that our Electoral Process in Antrim County is secure," he stated.
Audit Made Public
On December 4, Judge Kevin Elsenheimer ruled that Antrim County had to give Bailey's team the information requested. The cyber-experts flew into Antrim County, while the county officials scrambled to manage the publicity and logistics of the audit.
The experts' report was authored by Russel Ramsland, a cyber-security analyst and Trump supporter, who is part of the management team for the Allied Security Operations Group. On December 14th, Elsenheimer ruled that the plaintiff could release the results of the report to the public, with redactions.
Ramsland's report said analysts found a 68 percent "error rate" in the tabulation log of the server. "We have the Dominion logs, the judge made us redact them," he explained. "Dominion's own logs state that there were Excel files for adjudication uploaded and downloaded. However, adjudication records are gone, though they are there for previous years."
When John Poulos, the Dominion CEO, testified before the Senate, he called Ramsland's report "categorically false and technically incomprehensible."
During all the back and forth, the state of Michigan joined in the lawsuit, which continues. At the last county meeting, Ed Boettcher, Chairman of the Antrim County Commissioners mentioned that there were many questions that the county is required to answer, as part of the interrogation process.
Despite what he feels is hard evidence, Ramsland is not convinced that the courts will ever settle this issue. "I think it's going to be settled by legislators." he said.
Secretary of State Manages Antrim County Recount
Based on the findings, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson ordered a hand recount of the county's presidential election ballots at the Kearney Township hall in Bellaire, MI, where Bailey's Attorney Matthew DePerno and 6 officials from Benson's office were present to observe and ensure the volunteer poll workers did not stray away from their objective.
A video of the audit shows a volunteer questioning "multiple ballots with the same signature." The official in the video can then be seen asking the volunteer to ignore what they believe is voter fraud, and count the ballots in order to move forward. "We understand that there is a concern with this precinct -but this is not a time for you to be investigating right now," the official stated.
Bonnie Tipton Robbins, a township trustee and deputy clerk for Helena Township, was the person in the video asking the questions of the Secretary of State official, who happens to be a registered Democrat. Her partner in the recount was Greg MacMaster, a former Republican State Representative.
"Audits do not investigate potential fraud or irregularities and the Board of Elections representative clearly stated they were not concerned with facts, or had any intention of trying to get an accurate, factual finding," stated Robbins. "Truth was not needed in this audit and not the goal of the audit."
Antrim County Board Meeting Request for Criminal Hearing
While the Secretary of State feels that the audit put all questions to rest, the lawsuit continues and many questions remain unanswered.
Public comment went for well over an hour at the December 17th Antrim County Commissioner meeting, with many citizens calling for County Administrator Pete Garwood to resign over some of his actions while managing the litigation. In addition, the following questions were asked by various citizens regarding the election and the report: 1. Who deleted the adjudication files? 2. Who deleted the maintenance file? 3. Who on November 21st tried unsuccessfully to delete files? 4. Who removed 1329 votes for Biden after election on the computer files?
At 1:02 in this video of the December 17th county meeting, Boettcher remarked: "There was misinformation during public comment that were inaccurate, but I feel we had to let that slide because we are in litigation. There are many questions that we are being compelled to respond to in the lawsuit, and we will and we are. Pete was directed by the Board to follow the Court order. He never contacted Dominion, and never proposed that Dominion come in prior to or with the forensic group. Just because it was said on a website does not make it a truth."
Commissioner Dawn LaVanway then stated that she was not even made aware that the experts were coming to Antrim County. "I don't feel that I had a say on anything. I didn't tell Pete to do anything. There is a lot of misinformation between all of us. I am not aware of a lot of stuff. I find out after the fact."
"There were a lot of questions asked by the public tonight, and I think it's important that we find out what happened," she continued. "Don't you think we owe it to the voters to answer questions that the public might have? Isn't that the role of the prosecuting attorney?"
LaVanway then made a motion to have the prosecuting attorney look into the questions of who deleted the files. "It's not about whether the ballots matched the tabulator. What happened to the maintenance file? What happened on November 21st?"
LaVanway's motion was seconded by both Terry VanAlstine and Josh Watrous. However, before the motion could be brought to a vote, Karen Bargy moved to table it, citing ongoing litigation. Even though there was no second to Bargy's motion to table, Boettcher allowed it.
The Chair and Vice-Chair did not allow all Antrim County citizens to be represented by a vote on this motion. They disrespected their fellow commissioners and the citizens by making the decision on their own.
When I asked Boettcher why he did this, he stated: "I allowed the motion to be tabled because our board rules, as agreed to by all commissioners, allows for any one commissioner to table an action not on the agenda and not allowing commissioners 3 days to research."
He continued: "The clerk is elected by the people. The prosecutor is elected by the people.The board has no control over elected positions. We can't direct the Prosecutor or the Clerk to take any specific action."
At the January meeting, the Commissioners will vote for a new Chair and Vice-Chair. Hopefully they will elect people who does a better job respecting the others, and respecting the voters.
Boettcher and Garwood also told us that "we" will answer the questions in the lawsuit. However, will they keep the public informed of these answers? My fear is that they will play their usual games, and claim that privacy is necessary. Then all of this will be swept under the rug. We deserve better.
Opinion Article by Donna Gundle-Krieg
Summary of Resources
- Voter Files Lawsuit Against Antrim County Over Dominion Election Equipment
- Forensics Report Voting Equipment Antrim County Michigan
- MI Sec of State Official Caught On Video Telling Volunteers To Count "Multiple Ballots with the very During "Audit" Of Votes In Antrim County
- Antrim County clerk testifies before The House and Senate at about 2:43
- Full Video: Dominion CEO Testifies at Michigan Legislature Hearing
- Antrim County Commissioner asks for criminal investigation into election misdeeds at 1:02 in this video
- Antrim County Citizens Discussion Page
Officers & Staff
General Contact: Libertarian Party of Michigan: PO Box 27065, Lansing, MI 48909; Phone: 888.FREE.NOW.Chair: Greg Stempfle. chair@michiganlp.org
First Vice Chair: Ben Boren. vcaffiliates@michiganlp.org
Second Vice Chair: Jamie Lewis vcpoliticaldirector@michiganlp.org
Secretary: Mary Buzuma. secretary@michiganlp.org
Treasurer: Norman Peterson. treasurer@michiganlp.org
District 1 Rep: Dana Carver. dist1rep@michiganlp.org
District 2 Rep: Andrew Hall. dist2rep@michiganlp.org
District 3 Rep: Jay Gillotte. dist3rep@michiganlp.org
District 4 Rep: Will White. dist4rep@michiganlp.org
District 5 Rep: James Harris dist5rep@michiganlp.org
District 6 Rep: Shane Allen. dist6rep@michiganlp.org
District 7 Rep: Jason Rees. dist7rep@michiganlp.org
District 8 Rep: Jeff Wood. dist8rep@michiganlp.org
District 9 Rep: Mike Saliba. dist9rep@michiganlp.org
District 10 Rep: Jim Fulner. dist10rep@michiganlp.org
District 11 Rep: Dan Ziemba. dist11rep@michiganlp.org
District 12 Rep: Lawrence W. Johnson. dist12rep@michiganlp.org
District 13 Rep: Andrew Chadderdon. dist13rep@michiganlp.org
District 14 Rep: Tim Yow. dist14rep@michiganlp.org
Judicial Committee Members
Kerry Morgan. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.orgKen Proctor. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org
Katie Nepton. judicialcommittee@michiganlp.org
Volunteers
Webmaster: James Weeks III. Webmaster@MichiganLP.orgNewsletter Editor: Scotty Boman. newsletter@michiganlp.org
Ciculation Director: Catherine Filus. catherine@catherinefilus.com
Social Media Director: Connor Nepomuceno cjnepo1@gmail.com
Historical Committee Chair: Emily Salvette esalvette@gmail.com
Affiliate Contacts
Capital Area: Luke Sciberras, Chair. 248-302-1064, capitalarealp@gmail.comhttps://capitalarealp.wordpress.com
Genesee County: Chair James Harris, jharris@umbinc.us or call (810) 542-1423.
https://www.facebook.com/LPGCMI
Huron-Raisin: James Hudler, (734) 475-9792, james.hudler@gmail.com or contact Larry Johnson at: michlibertarian@gmail.com
https://lpwc.wordpress.com
Jackson-Hillsdale: Norman Peterson, (269) 330-2980 norman.peterson@comcast.net
https://www.jhlp.org
Livingston County: James Weeks II, (810) 422-8769, j.weeks@riseup.net
http://livingstonlibertarians.org
Macomb County: Mike Saliba, chair@macomblp.org
https://macomblp.org
Northeast-Lower: Zach Boyle, 989-255-4521, livovivo@gmail.com
Northern Lower: Dana Carver, danacarver103@yahoo.com
Northwest Michigan: Peter Biskupski. nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com
www.nwmichiganlibertarians.org
Oakland County: Connor Nepomuceno, Cjnepo1@gmail.com or Vice Chair Ben Carr at 248-919-8152
http://lpocmi.org
Southwest Michigan: Jason Brandenburg. swmi4liberty@be-innovative.net
https://swmlp.com
Straits Area: Chair Andy Evans, (231) 625-8403, . amevans_1968@yahoo.com
straitslp.com or facebook.com/StraitsAreaLP
Upper Peninsula Libertarian Party: Chair Ryan Roberts, (906) 420-2995, . ryan_r03@hotmail.com
Wayne County: Scotty Boman, (313) 247-2052, scottyboman@hotmail.com
https://michiganlpwayne.wixsite.com/index
West Michigan: Bob VanNoller . (616) 406-7784, Email Bob VanNoller at bob@rollaway.biz
http://lpwm.org Back to Contents
Upcoming Events
For reasons that require no repetition, the regular meeting venues of some affiliates will be closed. 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.
January 5, 2020 - Huron-Raisin Affiliate Meeting, 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
January 6, 2020 - Livingston County Monthly Meeting, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Cleary Pub. 117 E Grand River, Howell, MI, 48843
For more information, contact James Weeks II at 810.422.8769 or email jamestweeks@outlook.com.
January 10, 2020 - Libertarian Executive Committee (LEC) Business Meeting, 12:00 PM
Join Zoom Teleconference. Meeting ID: 817 4354 1270.
Call in at (312) 626-6799 [Then enter meeting ID and "#"] or join directly at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81743541270.
January 13, 2020 - Libertarian Party of Wayne County Affiliate Meeting & Holiday event. Business 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Leon's Family Dining will probably be closed in response to COVID-19. We will meet by teleconference in that case. Please visit the Libertarian Party of Wayne County's new Website for event information about the meeting and our Holiday virtual event: michiganlpwayne.wixsite.com
For more information, contact Scotty Boman at (313) 247-2052 or email ScottyBoman@hotmail.com
January 17, 2019 - Capital Area Affiliate Meeting 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
CALP monthly business meeting, to be held in person at Renos North - 460 S. US Highway 27. Lansing, MI
If Renos is unable to open CALP will meet over Discord teleconfelerence app, and an email will be sent out with details.
Contact Luke Sciberras at 248-302-1064 or email capitalarealp@gmail.com for event details and instructions to join.
January 20, 2020 - Jackson-Hillsdale Libertarian Party Affiliate Meeting, 6:30 PM.
Steves' Ranch Family Resturant. 311 Louis Glick Hwy. Jackson, MI 49201.
Call ahead to verify that they are open and expecting a JHLP meeting (517) 787 - 4367.
For more information, contact Norman Peterson. norman.peterson@comcast.net https://www.jhlp.org
Back to Contents
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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