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NW Michigan Libertarians Select Treasurer, Delegates for State Convention

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The Northwest Michigan Libertarians held a very successful local convention on Tuesday March 12 at the West End Tavern in Traverse City. We elected Kristen Kuhn from Traverse City as a new Treasurer, and voted in seven delegates to represent our area at the April 13th state convention in Bay City.

New Treasurer 
Kristen Kuhn is a very welcome and qualified addition to our Executive Committee! She works as a Registered Nurse at the Grand Traverse Women’s Clinic. She has a passion for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—which she finds through travel, being on/near bodies of water and ‘introverting’.

Kristen believes in individual responsibility and has followed Dave Ramsey’s common sense financial plan for 10+ years. She is very concerned with our soaring national debt, gun rights and big government. Her favorite quote is from Captain America: “This isn’t freedom. We’re holding a gun to every citizens head and calling it security.”

Delegates to State Convention
In addition to electing a new officer, seven members of our local party were elected to represent our area in the upcoming state convention. These delegates will be voting on important state party business, including new leadership. Everyone is welcome at the state convention, but only the delegates are able to vote on business issues.

The delegates selected are Donna Gundle-Krieg, Ben Boren, David Holmer, Kristen Kuhn, John Boonstra, Robert Clark and Destiny Twitchell. Ben Schultz and Peter Biskupski are the alternates.

April Meeting
Our April Business meeting will held on line on Tuesday, April 9th at 6:30 pm. We will discuss the state convention, as well as ideas for our future monthly meetings. Everyone is welcome to join us! For more information about how to connect, click here. 

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Will Meet in April to Discuss State Convention

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Northwest Michigan Libertarians (NWMLP) will hold an online meeting at 6:30 on Tuesday April, March 9. The public is welcome to join this meeting. To join Respectable Debatethe online meeting, please click here. 

The main topic of this meeting will be the upcoming state convention, as seven delegates have been chosen to represent Northwest Michigan at this convention. Anyone can attend the April 13th convention to be held in Bay City. However, only delegates can vote on Party business, which will include electing new state leadership.

At this April 9th meeting, we will also discuss ideas for future meetings. Meeting online was nice during the winter, but we would like to choose a central meeting place so that we can meet in person, and enjoy the fellowship of other Libertarians.

We would also like to continue to grow our local party and welcome new members! To be a member of the NWMLP, you need to reside in the Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee or adjacent counties. Members simply must affirm the statement: “I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.”

For more information, contact nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com. 

 

Local Libertarian Chairperson to Pen Guest Column for Northern Express

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Donna Gundle-Krieg, the Chairperson of the Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party, has been appointed as a regular “Guest Columnist” for the Northern Express, which reaches 90,000 readers in 13 northern Michigan counties. The full page opinion columns rotate among different writers each week.

Gundle-Krieg, a Real Estate Broker in Mancelona, plans to write about many local property rights issues such as zoning regulations, vacation property rules, eminent domain, and the government benefitting from property tax foreclosures.

In addition to real estate issues, Libertarians will also be watching other local issues such as expensive government projects, implementation of the new recreational marijuana law, and civil forfeiture.

“This is an awesome opportunity for our party, as this publication is interested in the Libertarian viewpoint and believes in giving third parties a voice,” stated Gundle-Krieg, who has a Journalism degree and many years of writing experience downstate.  

 

Local Libertarians to Speak at Manistee Area Tea Party Event

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The Manistee Area Tea Party (MATP) will host members of the Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party (NWMLP) at their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 21st at the Bungalow Inn on US 31 south of Manistee.

David Holmer, Political Director, and Ben Schultz, Membership Director, will be the speakers for the NWMLP. The meeting will center on a presentation of the Libertarian Party’s mission statement, and their positions on the major issues facing voters today.

Libertarians just recently formed a new affiliate in the northwest Michigan area, and leaders and members are reaching out to various groups, hoping to find common ground and experience positive dialogue.

“Our country is currently going through a lot of political turmoil, misunderstanding, and an inability to listen to opposing ideas.” according to the press release put out by the Tea Party.

“This meeting will be an opportunity for attendees to meet with another political group and exchange ideas to get a better understanding of each others positions. Hopefully after this meeting everyone will walk away realizing that we have some positions in common, and can agree to disagree on other positions.”

For those wishing to come for dinner and conversation we will begin at 5:30 PM. The program will start at 6:30 pm. The meeting will be held in the banquet room at the Bungalow Inn on US 31 south of Manistee. The MATP meetings are open to the public at no charge.

Important Membership Meeting for Northwest Michigan Libertarians

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Northwest Michigan Libertarians (NWMLP) will meet at 6:30 on Tuesday, March 12, at the West End Tavern in Traverse City to take care of several important business items. The tavern is located at 12719 S West Bay Shore Drive in Traverse City.  

This meeting is the official “convention” for the newly formed NWMLP affiliate. At this convention, the newly elected officers will provide applications for new members of the local affiliate, and we hope to meet some of the people who have stepped up to run as Libertarian candidates in 2020.

Members present will select up to seven delegates to represent our area at the April 13th convention to be held in Bay City.

In order to be elected as a delegate for NWMLP, you must join the Libertarian Party of Michigan (LPM) as a dues-paying member by March 14. Click here to join the state party in time to be a delegate.

To be a delegate, you must be also a member of the NWMLP. Anyone residing in the Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, and Missaukee Counties is eligible for membership. They simply must affirm the statement: “I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.”

Anyone can attend the state convention, but only delegates can vote on convention business, which will include electing new state leadership. There will also be a dinner banquet and “libertyfest” after the business meeting.

For more information, contact nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com.

Libertarians Across Michigan to Come Together for Convention, Party Business

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Libertarians from across Michigan will assemble for their 2019 Spring Convention and Libertyfest on Saturday, April  13th at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, 2 East Main Street, Bay City, Michigan.

While anyone can attend the conference, only delegates can vote on convention business.

The convention business session will feature proposed amendments to our Bylaws, reports from current state party officers, and the election of state party officers and congressional district representatives.

The LPM’s annual LibertyFest banquet will follow the convention business session.  At the banquet, we will present Defender of Liberty awards.

You can reserve your package at https://michiganlp.org/2019-libertarian-party-of-michigan-convention/.

We have reserved a block of rooms at $119/night (plus taxes, etc.) for single or double occupancy at the convention hotel.  To reserve a room, go to this special webpage and book by March 22nd for special rates.

For more information, please email nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com.

2020 Libertarian Political Candidates Needed for Northwest Michigan

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The Libertarian Party is searching for qualified political candidates for the 2020 northern Michigan ballot!!

Under current election law, potential Libertarian candidates for political office are required to be approved by the newly formed Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party (NWMLP). Members of the newly formed affiliate recently developed bylaws, and elected officers. They have named David Holmer of Manistee as Political Director. His job is to line up and recruit as many qualified local candidates as possible.

David Holmer

“I hope to have a ‘coordinator’ for each of the nine counties represented by the NWMLP.” explained Holmer. These counties include Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Charlevoix.

Holmer went on to explain that these coordinators would be part of a committee which will help Holmer to identify qualified local people who believe in the Libertarian principles of liberty and limited government.

Holmer himself ran a very successful campaign for Manistee County Commissioner in 2018. In fact, the few Libertarian candidates who ran in 2018 did very well in northern Michigan 2018 election, but at that time there was no local affiliate.

Now that the NWMLP affiliate has been formed, helping to get candidates elected will be a priority. “Members of the newly formed affiliate have developed bylaws which state that nominating and campaigning for candidates for political office is one of our primary purposes,” stated the NWMLP chair Donna Gundle-Krieg.

“Many Americans are tired of the two-party system,” Gundle-Krieg continued. “We are the most viable third-party option, and realize that we have to start local to get as many Libertarians as possible on the ballot.”

If you are interested in running for political office, or would like to help with recruiting candidates, please email Politicaldirector@nwmichiganlibertarians.org

Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party (NWMLP) Becomes Official, Selects Officers

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The Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party (NWMLP) has been approved as an official affiliate of the Libertarian Party of Michigan! The new local party selected officers at its November 13th meeting. In addition, members created bylaws, and set meeting dates.

Below are the officers, who will be meeting monthly to move the party towards our goals of electing candidates and conducting educational and outreach activities.

Chair: Donna Gundle-Krieg

Donna Gundle-Krieg is a real estate broker in Mancelona and owns her own company, DEK Realty. She is especially passionate about property rights, and in a past life was passionate about growing the home schooling movement. Donna was involved in the Libertarian party for years in “downstate” Michigan, and is the Congressional District 1 Representative for the Libertarian Party of Michigan. She lives in Mancelona with her husband and has two adult children. Email Donna at nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com.

 

Vice-Chair: Ben Boren       

Ben is an Entrepreneur who recently returned to his roots in Charlevoix after several years living in California and Nevada. Ben has been involved in the Libertarian Party for a decade, and his enthusiasm is contagious. His favorite quote is from Ayn Rand: “He will be an integrated man, that is: a thinker who is a man of action.” Email Ben at Vice-chair@nwmichiganlibertarians.org.

 

 


Outreach and Membership Director: Ben Schultz

Reverend Ben is a Spiritual Caregiver at Heartland Hospice, and Owner-Operator at Northern Knots  Wedding and Event Service. He was the first regular member of the local party. He has a special interest in the tricky balance required for Christians to be involved in politics, and feels that a third party alternative is necessary for our country to move forward. He lives in Buckley with his wife, and they are expecting their third child. Email Ben at Membership@nwmichiganlibertarians.org

 

Political Director: David Holmer

David, who lives in Manistee, is a Veteran, author, actor and much more. Most recently, he ran a very impressive race for County Commissioner and hopes to share the skills he learned on the campaign trail, so that the party can elect candidates at a local level. David only recently realized that he was a Libertarian, and has embraced the party with energy and enthusiasm.Email David at Politicaldirector@nwmichiganlibertarians.org. 

 

 

Treasurer: Kristen Kuhn  

Kristen works as a Registered Nurse at the Grand Traverse Women’s Clinic. She has a passion for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—which she finds through travel, being on/near bodies of water and ‘introverting’.  She believes in individual responsibility and has followed Dave Ramsey’s common sense financal plan for 10+ years. She is very concerned with our soaring national debt, gun rights and big government. “This isn’t freedom. We’re holding a gun to every citizens head and calling it security.” —Captain America Email Kristen at Secretary@nwmichiganlibertarians.org.

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Bylaws

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Bylaws Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party
Approved November 18, 2018

  1. Name The name of this organization shall be the ” Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party” (NWMLP).
  2. Purpose The purpose of this organization is to further the principles of individual liberty as expressed in the Statement of Principles of the National and State Libertarian Party, by nominating and campaigning for candidates for political office, initiating and/or supporting ballot proposals, lobbying elected officials, and engaging in educational and other informational activities.
  3. Legal Organization Legal Organization a, The NWMLP shall be organized under the IRS code as a Section 527 political organization. b. The NWMLP shall be organized under Michigan election code as a Political Party Committee.
  4. Legal and Parliamentary Authority
    1. The Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party, in the exercise of its constitutional rights of free association and speech, as affirmed by the US Supreme Court ruling in Eu, et al., vs. San Francisco Democratic Committee, State Central Committee of the Libertarian Party of California, et al., reserves the right to accept or decline the application of Michigan statutory provisions, which appear to govern its affairs. The incorporation of statutory provisions in these bylaws is voluntary and is subject to the foregoing reservation. Any violations of statutory provisions by these bylaws are deliberate and will take precedence over such statutory provisions.
    2. Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be the parliamentary authority for all matter of procedures not specifically covered by the Bylaws, or convention rules of the Party.
  1. Membership
    1. Anyone residing in the service area, or in any adjacent county shall be eligible for NWMLP membership. The service area encompasses Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, and Missaukee Counties.
    2. A member shall be in good standing whose dues are current and who has affirmed the following statement: “I hereby affirm that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.”
    3. Membership dues shall be determined by the NWMLP membership at the annual convention.
    4. The Executive Committee can remove a member with a 2/3 vote for violating the Non-aggression principle (NAP) or Hospers Original Statement of Libertarian Principles.
    5. The Executive Committee may also, by 2/3 vote remove a member for any reason.
  1. Officers
    1. The officers of the NWMLP shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Political Director, Outreach and Membership Director, and Board Advisor. None of these offices shall be combined.
    2. All of these offices shall be elected at a regular NWMLP Convention and shall serve until the final adjournment of the next regular Convention. For all offices, the Delegates shall get the option of voting “None of the Above.” If “None of the Above” receives a majority, the office shall be held vacant until the next County Convention.
    3. The Chair shall preside at all meeting of the Executive Committee, and at all NWMLP Conventions. The Chair shall be the chief executive officer. In the absence of directives from the Executive Committee, the Chair shall have the power to speak for and to generally manage the affairs of the NWMLP.
    4. In years in which a Libertarian primary is required by law, on or before April 1, the Chair shall forward by mail or otherwise deliver to the board of county election commissioners a certificate showing the number of delegates to the NWMLP convention to which each precinct of the county is entitled, as described in MCL 168.623a.
    5. The Chair shall appoint members of the Party to serve as precinct election inspectors and notify the appropriate city, township, or village board of election commissioners of the appointment, as described in MCL 168.674.
    6. The Vice-Chair shall act as assistant to the Chair, and shall perform the duties of the Chair if the Chair is unable to perform those duties.
    7. The Secretary shall be the recording officer of the NWMLP and of the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall be responsible for the membership rolls of the NWMLP, and shall maintain archival information of the NWMLP. The Secretary is authorized to delegate these powers to a duly authorized committee.
    8. The Treasurer shall receive, expend, and account for the funds of the NWMLP under the supervision and direction of the Chair, and the Executive Committee. Only the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and any Assistant Treasurer approved by the Executive Committee shall be authorized to sign checks for the NWMLP.
    9. If at an annual convention the current Chair chooses not to seek another term as Chair or any other office, he or she may remain on the Executive Committee in the position of Board Advisor, with the approval of the membership. Otherwise, the membership may, at its discretion, retain the current Board Advisor, leave the position unfilled, or elect a new Board Advisor.
    10. The Political Director is responsible for managing all political affairs and recruiting and assisting candidates.
    11. The Outreach and Membership Director is responsible for leading outreach activities and recruiting members.
    12. The Executive Committee shall elect an NWMLP member to fill any NWMLP office which becomes vacant, except that of the Chair which shall be filled by the Vice Chair. This shall be done within 14 days of the vacancy.
  1. Executive Committee
    1. The Executive Committee of the Party shall consist of the officers of the Party.
    2. The Executive Committee shall have the control and management of all the affairs, property, and funds of the Party.
    3. The Executive Committee shall meet at such times and places as it may determine, by call of the Chair, or by written request of four of its members. The date, time, and place of each meeting shall be communicated to all Committee members via email at least 48 hours prior to the meeting time
    4. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of 60% of its members. A majority of those members present shall rule, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.
    5. The Chair shall abstain from voting unless there is a tie.
    6. The Executive Committee shall have the power to judge the validity of the seating of any delegate, subject to the appeal of a two-thirds vote of the seated delegates.
    7. When an Executive Committee member leaves a seat vacant, the Executive Committee may appoint a replacement. This appointment will hold until a new officer has been elected to the seat. An Executive Committee member shall be defined as “leaving a seat vacant” when that member has missed 3 or more scheduled Executive Committee meetings in a row.
    8. All Executive Committee meetings may be attended by any NWMLP member, and all substantive decisions made by the Committee shall be reported to the general membership.
  2. Conventions
    1. The NWMLP shall hold an annual Convention each year prior to, but not more than three months before, the Michigan Libertarian Party convention, performing such business as required by these bylaws.
    2. The Executive Committee will call a convention for the purpose of selecting delegates and alternates to a Libertarian Party of Michigan state convention. No delegate or alternate to a state convention shall be selected who is not a member of NWMLP.
    3. The NWMLP shall hold a special Convention, if called for by the majority of the Executive Committee.
    4. The NWMLP membership shall be notified via email of the scheduled date of any Convention, at least two weeks prior to the Convention.
    5. Each convention of the NWMLP shall be a combined convention for all counties and districts within the NWMLP region. Location is at the option of the Executive Committee, and/or via a synchronous electronic meeting.
    6. The NWMLP membership, gathered in convention, shall nominate candidates for partisan political office for districts within its service area, by majority vote.
    7. All members of the NWMLP who attend and register at a NWMLP convention or shall be eligible to vote at the convention. However, a person who has never been a member of the NWMLP, the Libertarian Party of Michigan, or the national Libertarian Party must have become a member of the NWMLP at least 90 days prior to a convention before being eligible to vote at said convention.
    8. A majority shall rule at any convention or meeting, except as otherwise indicated in these bylaws.
    9. The Executive Committee shall have supervision and management of all conventions and meetings.
  1. Nominating Candidates
    1. Nomination of candidates for public office shall be made in accordance with state law, via primary, district caucus, county caucus or state convention as necessary.
    2. No candidate may be nominated for an office for which he/she is legally ineligible to serve.
    3. The NWMLP Party’s nominee for each office shall be chosen by a majority vote of the delegates voting at the time of the balloting. If no candidate has a majority after the ballot, the candidate with the least number of votes shall be struck from the next ballot until one candidate receives a majority.
    4. In the event of a gridlocked tie, the Executive Committee will select the candidate by majority vote.
    5. Voting for Party officers and candidates for partisan office shall include “None of the Above.” Votes cast for “None of the Above” are valid. If “None of the Above” receives a majority for a Party office, that office shall be held vacant until the next convention. If “None of the Above” receives a majority for a partisan office, no candidate shall be selected for that office.
    6. The NWMLP shall not fund or advocate the election of a candidate of any other political party.
  1. Standing Committees
    1. Members of a standing committee may be appointed by the Executive Committee, by the standing committee chair, or by the NWMLP Chair. All appointments must be approved by the Executive Committee. Only voting members of the NWMLP shall be eligible to serve on a standing committee.  The Executive Committee may fix a maximum size to any standing committee.  All appointments expire at the next annual Convention.
    2. All standing committee chairs shall report at Executive Committee meetings.
    3. Each standing committee will have a single committee chair, may elect other officers, and shall set its own rules.
    4. A standing committee with no members shall be declared suspended, and the Executive Committee may assign part of all of its activities to other committees. The Executive Committee may assign additional activities to any committee.  Such assignments shall exist until the next annual convention, and must be renewed at that time or shall expire.
    5. The standing committees of the NWMLP shall be established be the Executive Committee, by majority approval.
    6. The establishment of standing committees is not meant to preclude or discourage other NWMLP members from leading their own political activity projects. Standing committees are intended to formally focus the efforts of the NWMLP, and to develop and maintain information, documentation, and experiences that are useful to the NWMLP membership at large for increasing the membership and political influence of the NWMLP.
  1. Project committees
    1. Project committees may be formed by the NWMLP at a convention or general membership meeting, or by the Executive Committee. Duties of the project committee shall be defined at time of formation.
    2. Appointment of project committee chairs and members shall follow the same rules as stated for standing committees.
    3. A project committee chair shall not have a vote on the Executive Committee, unless he or she is also a NWMLP officer. Project chairs shall report at Executive Committee meetings.
  1. Amendments These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote at any annual or special NWMLP Convention. Amendments to these Bylaws will take effect immediately upon enactment, unless expressly provided to the contrary.
  2. Dissolution If the Libertarian Party of NWMLP County is terminated or dissolved, its remaining assets, if any, shall, as determined by the Executive Committee, be conveyed or distributed to, and only to, one of or any combination of the following organizations: Libertarian Party organizations in the state of Michigan, the national Libertarian Party, or libertarian-oriented organizations anywhere in Michigan which are categorized as tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.

 

 

 

 

 

NW Michigan Libertarians Set Meeting Schedule

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The Northwest Michigan Libertarians recently became an official affiliate of the Libertarian Party of Michigan, as members selected officers and set a regular meeting schedule. In addition, the group created official bylaws, which were approved by the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Michigan.

The officers will conduct a business meeting every 2nd Tuesday of each month. These meetings will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 pm and will be held online and occasionally at a physical location. Please contact nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com for more information. To join the February 12th meeting online, go to https://zoom.us/j/325424401

Business meetings will focus on the group’s goals of electing political candidates and conducting outreach and educational activities. Anyone is welcome! 

According to the new bylaws, eligible members include anyone residing in the service area, or in any adjacent county without an active Libertarian Party organization. The service area encompasses Charlevoix, Antrim, Leelanau, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Benzie, Manistee, Wexford, and Missaukee Counties.

Please contact nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com for more information.