Category Archives: Candidates

First Bi-Partisan Gubernatorial and Senatorial Debates To Be Held October Third

News brief from home page: Detroit, MI – Speculation on whether or not the top of ticket candidates will debate has ended. Michiganders will have there first opportunity to see two gubernatorial candidates present their case in the same forum. As an additional bonus, two candidates for United States Senate will be facing off in the same forum. The Tri-County Political Information Awareness Community Forum, sponsored by World Changers Political Action Information Team will commence on Friday October 3 at First Baptist World Changers, 22575 WEST 8 Mile Road, Detroit, MI 4821

Contacts:

Marry Buzuma (Libertarian for Governor)
http://electmarybuzuma.com
mary.buzuma@att.net
Libertarian Party of Michigan:
1-888-FREENOW

Jim Fulner (Libertarian US Senate Candidate)
http://www.jimfulner.com
P.O. Box 2303
Howell, MI 48803
(248) 971-0259
candidate@jimfulner.com

Juanita Bryant (Forum organizer)
(313) 687-7107
wcca1jb@aol.com

Detroit, MI – Speculation on whether or not the top of ticket candidates will debate has ended. Michiganders will have there first opportunity to see two gubernatorial candidates present their case in the same forum. As an additional bonus, two candidates for United States Senate will be facing off in the same forum. The Tri-County Political Information Awareness Community Forum, sponsored by World Changers Political Action Information Team will commence on Friday October 3 at First Baptist World Changers, 22575 WEST 8 Mile Road, Detroit, MI 48219.

All of the candidates for Governor and United States Senate were invited, but only the Libertarian and Green Party candidates agreed to participate. The participating candidates for Governor are Retired Navy officer, Mary Buzuma (Libertarian), and Washtenaw Community College professor, Paul Homenuik (Green). Also running (but not participating) are US Taxpayers candidate Richard Mendoza, Democrat Lisa Brown, and Republican incumbent Rick Snyder.

The participating candidates for United States Senate are Systems Engineer, Jim Fulner (Libertarian), and West Michigan artist, Chris Wahmhoff (Green). On September 8th Libertarian United States Senate candidate Jim Fulner hand delivered invitations to his Democratic opponent Gary Peters , and his and Republican opponent Terry Lynn land, requesting their participation in debates with him. Earlier that day, Fulner and his Green Party opponent, Chris Wahmhoff, held a joint press conference at the Lansing Court House to emphasize the importance of equal multi-partisan participation in Senatorial debates and to promote the #MARCHONMEDIA campaign. As of October 2nd, neither Land nor Peters have agreed to participate in a non-partisan debate. Also running is U.S. Taxpayers candidate Richard A. Markin.

Libertarian Party Vice Chair, Scotty Boman commented, “Even though this forum only includes two candidates for Governor and two candidates for U.S. Senate, it is important to note that those who are not participating, are choosing not to participate. The Republicans and Democrats will also have a forum, but these partisan events are designed to shut-out an open discussion of ideas. Those who will be absent from their events want to participate, but will be locked out.”

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Run for a Nonpartisan City Office

By Leonard Schwartz, LPM Political Director

Libertarians’ greatest success is in nonpartisan elections. There are 92 LP members currently serving in nonpartisan elected positions; four in Michigan.

Nearly all Michigan cities have nonpartisan elections this November. Here is how to get on the ballot:

Contact your city clerk to learn (a) the deadline for submitting candidate paperwork and (b) the number of valid signatures you need. Also ask if you can get on the ballot by paying a filing fee instead of petitioning and whether the fee is refundable. Your city clerk will provide petition forms and an “Affidavit of Identity.”

Unless you will pay a filing fee, gather signatures from city residents.

First ask friends to sign. Some might also help get signatures. Next petition door-to-door in your neighborhood. Petition only in daylight.

Saturday and Sunday afternoons are best. Because some persons aren’t registered to vote at the address they put on the petition, get at least 20% more signatures than you need.

Say something like: “I’m [name]. I want to be a candidate for [name of office]. Please sign this petition so that my name will appear on the ballot. I’m not asking you to vote for me. I’m merely asking your permission to appear on the ballot.” Most people will sign. Some persons want to discuss issues. Don’t waste your time. Say something like: “I’ll be happy to discuss issues after my name is on the ballot. But today I’m in a hurry.” If the person won’t sign, go to the next house.

File your Affidavit of Identity and petitions (or filing fee) before the deadline.

Form a candidate committee and file a “Statement of Organization” with the county clerk. Campaign finance rules are the same for partisan and nonpartisan candidates.

Contact your LPM affiliate for support. Planning a successful campaign takes time.

An election is most winnable where there is a controversial issue. The issue need not have much practical importance. But it should stir voters’ emotions. When running against an incumbent, the issue can be that the incumbent is incompetent, venal, or corrupt.

Don’t be discouraged if you lose the first time. Martin Howrylak, David Eisenbacher, and Erin Stahl lost their first city council races. But they were elected on their second attempts.

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A Big Disappointment

After the historic losses of Democrats in the 2014 election…

… politicians from both major parties are suddenly in a hurry to get something done. Establishment types are doing their best to both undermine the incoming class of Republican law makers and quietly get home to enjoy the holidays. After years of gridlock and a so called “do nothing congress”, we are expected to believe there is a renewed interest in doing the people’s business.

A search of Google shows that April 29, 2009 was the last time Congress passed an actual budget. Research a little more and you will find that even that was not a true budget. This kind of funding is known as an omnibus spending bill. The last time America operated under a true budget was in 1997 during the Clinton-Gingrich era. The country has been operating on continuing resolutions ever since.

The most recent omnibus bill funds the government through most of 2015. Consider this action exhibit ‘A’ that the major parties could care less what the voters have to say. With a clear mandate to stop reckless spending and government encroachment, the establishment made sure to get what it wanted signed, sealed, and delivered before the new congress was seated. Strange how after all these years of gridlock, when it came to funding state mandated health care and corporate welfare, R’s and D’s suddenly felt the urge to “get something done”.

Less than 2 months after running against the issue and winning big, lame duck Republicans funded government health care for another year. Why would they do this? One possibility is that it’s a strategic move designed to keep government funded health care alive and well. Republicans are now positioned to use the appropriations process over the next 2 years to nibble at the edges of law’s funding. This also creates a series of well-timed photo ops leading up to a presidential election. If all you cared about was getting your party back into full control, this would be a great plan. Libertarians see this situation through a different lens. Big government rarely gives back power that it seizes. This funding legislation also gives the establishment another year to socialize government run health care and make it acceptable to the masses.

It didn’t take long for the Republican Party to disappoint. Should we be surprised? Libertarians and other pro-freedom advocates have been pointing out this kind of hypocrisy for years. Unfortunately the message is only being heard by a small audience. With nearly 2 years of political drama still to come before the 2016 election, Libertarians will certainly have more opportunities to show a fed up electorate a better way. Let’s not waste them.

Jason Brandenburg
Libertarian Party of Southwest Michigan

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Libertarian Party gets Bronze Medal in 2014 Elections

11/5/2014 by Greg Stempfle

Summary:

Mary Buzuma: 35,570 votes (1.13%), Governor, LPM best ever
James Lewis: 60,874 votes (1.98%), Secretary of State, LPM best ever
Jim Fulner: 62,623 votes (2.01%), US Senator, only minor to exceed 2% since Jon Coon
State House average percentage 4.96%, LPM best ever
District 61, Michael Stampfler: 2,941 votes (8.88%), LPM best ever since Coon (15.74%)
State Senate average percentage 4.47%, LPM best ever
District 20, Lorence Wenke: 7,263 votes (9.03%), best ever for any 3d party
Congress average: 2.03%, best except 2012 (2.31%)
Ed Boards: two LPM candidates finish in top three for all races

Story

The Libertarian Party of Michigan ran 37 candidates in partisan races in yesterday’s 2014 midterm elections. Not unexpectedly, LPM candidates were unable to beat any of the Republican and Democratic Party candidates they faced. While this is the fewest number of candidates run since 1992, Libertarians had much better than average election returns, even setting a couple of “minor” or “third” party records in the process. Libertarian candidates beat all other minor party candidates for Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and US Senator. (These are all unofficial results and should not change significantly when the official results are certified.)

Mary Buzuma earned 35,570 votes (1.13%) for Governor, the best showing ever for the Libertarian Party of Michigan and second highest result for a third party since at least 1972 when the Libertarian Party was founded (and the starting point of my election results spreadsheet).

James Lewis earned 60,874 votes (1.98%) for Secretary of State, the most votes ever for a Libertarian and the largest percentage for any minor party candidate since at least 1972.

Jim Fulner earned 62,623 votes (2.01%) for US Senator, the only minor party candidate besides Jon Coon in 1994 (4.22%) to earn more than 2% of the vote.

In the State Board of Education and three University Board races, the two Libertarians in each race all finished among the top three minor party candidates. Libertarian Kimberly Moore was the top vote getter among minor party candidates earning 114,120 (2.05%) of the vote.

While the number of LPM candidates for the State Legislature was an all time low, the average percentage for State House (4.96%) and State Senate (4.47%) were an all time high. These races included a couple of notable outcomes. In the race for State House District 61, Libertarian Michael Stampfler earned 2,941 (8.88%) which is the second strongest showing in a State House race for a Libertarian Party candidate since Jon Coon earned 5,042 (15.74%) in 1996. In State Senate District 20, Lorence Wenke earned 7,263 votes (9.03%), the strongest showing ever for a minor party candidate for the State Senate since at least 1972.

The LPM ran 12 candidates for US Congress, averaging 2.03% and beating other minor party and independent candidates in 10 of these races. This is the second consecutive election that the LPM has averaged more than 2% for US Congress, just short of 2012’s record of 2.31%.

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Campaign for Liberty Events in Wayne County

Candidates,

Campaign for Liberty has invited you all to their Liberty Hog Roast to participate in their candidate forum. This is an excellent chance for the statewide offices, congressional candidates, and a few of the state legislature candidates to be heard by several people that would have otherwise not had a chance to. Please contact David Dudenhoefer at 313-300-9696 if you’re interested in going. The event is on facebook and here is a link to the website: Home | Michigan Campaign for Liberty Tickets are $20 each. I am currently planning on going myself.



			Home \| Michigan Campaign for Liberty This field is the meta description and is what will usually be displayed by search engines. Limit the length of this field to 160 characters. If you don’t fill this…

			View on mic4l.com	Preview by Yahoo

Also, if you are planning on attending Liberty in Action for the LPM Fundraiser please go to: michiganlp.org | Website for the Libertarian Party of Michigan and follow the links to attend the event. Tickets are $20 each. Knowing who is coming early allows me to put them on the agenda to speak about their candidacy and helps me plan for food.



			michiganlp.org \| Website for the Libertarian Party of Mi… LibertyFest 2014: November 8, Livonia

			View on michiganlp.org	Preview by Yahoo

Thank you, and good luck with your campaigns. I hope you are available to come to the events.

Kimberly Moore,

Treasurer, LPM

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Hudler for UM Regent Fundraiser 10/4/14

Hudler fundraiser in Ann Arbor, October 4

HUDLER FOR REGENT
CAMPAIGN PARTY & FUNDRAISER
Saturday, October, 4 2014
5:00 – 9:00 PM

CASA DOMINICK’S
812 Monroe Street, Ann Arbor, MI

Guest Musicians: Will White’s Liberty Ensemble, Inez Thorne – and an open microphone
Hosted by Hudler for Regent Committee, Larry Johnson Treasurer
P.O. Box 447, Chelsea MI 48118

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News Release: LPM 2014 Candidates

PRESS RELEASE – for immediate issue- May 22, 2014

Libertarian Candidates on the November Ballot

At their state convention in Howell May 17 the Libertarian Party of Michigan selected Mary Buzuma of Grand Haven as their candidate for Governor in the November 4 election. Scotty Boman was picked for Lieutenant Governor, James Lewis for Secretary of State and Justin Altman for the Attorney General spot on the ballot.

All told, Libertarians filed paperwork for 30 candidates in state and national races, with additional office-seekers in local and county races.

With candidates in 12 of the 14 Congressional districts, they continue to uphold their status as the largest, most active party behind the Democrats and Republicans.

A candidate for U.S. Senate also emerged from the convention, Jim Fulner of Berkley. Planning an active campaign, Mr. Fulner ran for congress in the 2012 election for the 9th District.

Also of note was the nomination of former Republican state representative and successful national businessman Lorence Wenke, who will be running in state senate district 20.

“We look forward to a pivotal election”, said Ms. Buzuma, who is also the state party chair. “Recent polls have shown people are very disappointed with the way our government is being run on the state and national level. The same old tired rhetoric and lackluster results from both parties in power has driven more people to identify themselves as independents rather than with either of the major parties. We hope they will see that the Libertarian platform offers common sense solutions to problems that fall within the guidelines our founding fathers enumerated in the constitution.”

CONTACT: Mary Buzuma, candidate for Governor 757-748-5606

Scotty Boman, candidate for Lieutenant Governor 313 247-2052

James (Jamie) Lewis, candidate for Secretary of State 616 254-9014

Justin Altman, candidate for Attorney General 734 274-1938

Jim Fulner, candidate for Senate 248 971-0259

Complete slate of Michigan candidates can be found at: http://old.michiganlp.org/?page_id=33

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2013 Notable LPM Victories and Candidacies

Libertarians win in Michigan!

Two significant victories and a strong first-time-candidate showing:

Andy LeCureaux, Hazel Park City Council

Andy LeCureaux was re-elected in an uncontested race for a third term to the Hazel Park City Council. Lecureux has been on the Council continuously since 2001.

Erwin Haas, City of Kentwood Commissioner

On November 5, 2013, voters in Kentwood elected Erwin Haas Commissioner for the city of Kentwood, Ward 2. Erwin, a long time Libertarian activist and leader in the Libertarian Party of West Michigan, ousted the favored Dick DeVos-backed incumbent Maurice Groce by 68 votes. Erwin won this local race with very little money and media attention. This sends a message: if you’re an incumbent, there is no guarantee that you will be one after the next election even — in a local, non-partisan race.

Other Key Races

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Alex Fera ran for Novi City Council and received approximately 6% of the total vote in a race featuring five candidates for three commissioner slots. Alex ran a positive campaign and is still a leading Novi booster. His ‘concession and thank you’ speech is located here, and he plans to be running for further office in the Novi area.

Former CNN investigative reporter Pat Clawson was the only Michigan Libertarian running in a partisan election in 2013. The campaign was well publicized, but scaled back due to health reasons. He finished with 4.2 percent of the vote.

The Libertarian Party of Michigan is excited to build on these successes by expanding membership and running ever-more highly qualified candidates in 2014 and beyond.

Mary Buzuma
Chairman
Libertarian Party of Michigan

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LPM Marketing Meeting March 8, Lansing

SAVE THIS DATE!

What: Marketing for Liberty Conference.
Where: 2722 E Michigan Ave. [Old Headquarters, Current Capital Area Office]
When: Saturday March 8 10AM to 5PM
Who:

Pat Clawson Frequent guest on TV talk shows & Former CNN Reporter
Tim Obrien Advertising consultant / LPM Membership growth expert
Helena Blakemoore Videographer – Movie Producer
Derek Magill Campus Activist and Organizer
Bill Gelineau Election result analyst
Heather Richards-Wodrich Media Relations consultant
Brian Wright: Author and LPM Cofounder
Greg Marshall Radio Talk Show Host to TEA Party Market
And more!

Why: Libertarian ideas are more popular then ever, but interest in the Libertarian Party is at an all-time low. We must re-package the Libertarian Party of Michigan, in order to attract the thousands of libertarians in Michigan. Read more here: http://www.michiganlp.org/ENewsletters/201310/201310_ML.html#64 Check back for details and how to RSVP

Let Us Know: Please sign the form on upper right side of this page to give your email address and let us know you’re coming. Also, contact organizer Scotty Boman here (scottyboman@hotmail.com) with how definite you are about your intentions to attend… also give him your thoughts on strategy and whether or not you think this sort of event is worthwhile.

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Help Scotty Gain Justice

Click the “Buy Now” button below to help Scotty pay for his appeal.

On July 30^thA WCCCD police officer charged me with trespassing in order to cover for her politically motivated attack in which I suffered serious injuries (mostly from being tortured with handcuffs). This happened at my place of work right after I got done teaching a class.

On January 15^th my attorney made a straight-forward motion to dismiss the trespassing charge. Thirty sixth district Judge Roberta Archer denied the common sense motion, and we are appealing the ruling. There is one big problem. The appeal will cost $1000 and I have no money to pay for it. I am hoping some people who have supported my political efforts in the past, will be able to help me pay for the consequences of those efforts. Even if you don’t share my politics, I appeal to your broader sense of a need for fairness and justice in the legal system.

This charge is designed to intimidate myself and others who are fighting for fair elections and the rule of law in Detroit. It is also a cynical tactic that, if successful, could be used to immunize other rogue police from accountability in the future. For more details, please read what others have written about this attack:

Potential doners who wish to discuss this matter directly may contact me by email at scottyboman@hotmail.com, or by calling me at (313) 247-2052 (voice only). Upon advice of council I am not granting interviews to media at this time.

Gifts will be used exclusively to pay for the appeal of Judge Archer’s January 15^th ruling. This is not a contribution to a candidate committee or non-profit organization.

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