LPM OnlineApril 11, 2000 |
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4/4/00 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tim O'Brien (313) 562-5778 LIBERTARIAN ELECTED TO TROY CITY COUNCIL DEARBORN. Libertarian Party of Michigan member, Martin Howrylak, was elected to one of two Troy city council seats up for election yesterday. Garnering over two-thirds of the vote in the non-partisan race, Howrylak won by a nearly two to one margin over the next highest vote-getter, 28-year incumbent, Anthony Pallotta. "The voters have put the council on notice," said the 25-year-old small business owner and lifetime Troy resident whose upstart campaign rocked Michigan's 11th largest city. Howrylak initially campaigned on his opposition to both the special tax treatment given the Delphi Automotive Systems world headquarters and the new municipal complex that had originally been bonded for $18 million but ballooned to a potentially quarter of a billion dollar "Metroplex," as he dubbed it. But then the incumbents handed their Libertarian challenger a gold gilded issue on a silver platter. A mere six weeks before the election the part-time city council voted unanimously (without even debate, much less dissent) to give themselves a lifetime pension -- to be generously provided by taxpayers. In his mailing to absentee voters Howrylak made a point of this pocketlining, observing that the pension formula would provide a more than $14,000 annual benefit to Pallotta -- should he be reelected. Meanwhile, a coalition of unhappy Troy taxpayer/residents and Libertarians outside of the Howrylak campaign created and distributed a piece of literature done in the style of an old west "Wanted" poster that featured drawings of the two incumbents, described the pension scheme, and labeled the pair as "Troy's most UNWANTED." Howrylak buried the field in a landslide victory, garnering 3,871 votes. His archrival, Anthony Pallotta finished a way distant second in the race with 2,288, edging out the other challenger (who had no organized campaign) by barely 100 votes. The other incumbent in the race finished last.
Two weeks ago the LPM began a new lobbying effort utilizing our SpeakOutMichigan web site. The issue: Keep the Internet tax and regulation free. This is surely an issue commanding universal support among Libertarians. The effort required to participate: Almost none. The letter is pre-written (or can be modified, if the user so desires). The correct legislator/recepients are automatically determined from the user's street address. The e-mail -- asking our public masters to please keep their grubby mitts off of the Internet -- is generated and sent to the user's state rep, congresscritter, and both U.S. Senators with a single mouse click. Here is the latest tabulation of users by party affiliation (two complete weeks): 55 Prefer Not to Say 7 Democratic Party 40 Republican Party 31 Libertarian Party 0 Reform Party 0 Green Party 0 Constitution Party 0 Natural Law Party 0 Workers World Party 0 Socialist Workers Party (or other Socialist) 1 Conservative Party 0 Liberal Party 2 Other Party That's Not Listed 26 Independent (Registered, But No Party Affiliation) 0 NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE 162 Total You may have noticed that to date more Republicans than Libertarians have participated. Since there are more than 400 subscribers to this online, weekly newsletter, a little quick math (even by someone as math-impaired as me) indicates that we are currently getting substantially less than 10% participation in this effort -- even if we assume that every, single self-identified Libertarian participant has come from this list. Since you are reading these words I know at least three things about you. One, you use the Internet. Two, you are a Libertarian. Three, the odds are better than 90% that you have not yet sent a simple note to your legislators telling them that you want the Internet left alone by government -- a process that the SpeakOutMichigan site has made all but effortless. If you are beginning sense just a tinge of pique in this note, you are very perceptive. Do you think you could please take two minutes out of your busy web surfing to visit www.SpeakOutMichigan.org and help us -- and yourself -- out? And maybe even one additional minute to send a request to participate (also prewritten for your convenience) to everyone in your address book that might also be willing to help in this very timely lobbying effort? It's not like we're asking you to grab a musket and stare down British bayonets at Concord bridge. A few simple mouse clicks will do the job. Thank you.
Seventy Libertarians have filed candidate paperwork with the Michigan Secretary of State for 2000 elections. More will be announcing their candidacy soon and several (those seeking township and county offices) file with their county and not the Secretary of State. The latest in a series of local candidates to come forward is Donald McCallum. Don, son of SCMLP Chair Al McCallum, will be running for Chester Township Trustee. This makes him the fifth candidate in the soon to be formed Ottawa County Libertarian Party. |
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