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January 2019 Minutes NWMLP

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

Minutes of the Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party (NWMLP) Business Meeting

Tuesday, January 9, 2018 @ 6:30PM  

Online Zoom Meeting

  1. Call Meeting to Order- Chairperson Gundle-Krieg called the meeting to order at 6:37PM.
  2. Roll Call- Mr. Biskupski called roll for the business meeting.

Present- Chairperson: Donna Gundle-Krieg, Vice-Chair: Ben Boren, Officers: Ben Schultz (joined @ 7:10), David Holmer and  Peter Biskupski.

Absent: None.

Others: None

  1. Announcements- None.
  2. Approval of Minutes- Motion to Approve by Vice-Chair Boren, Seconded by David Holmer, motion passes 4-0
  3. Reports
    1. Chair
      1. Minutes on Website
        1. Ask LEC for their opinion
      2. Website Changes
      3. Feedback on Northern Express article
    2. Vice Chair- None.
    3. Political Director
      1. Potential Candidates
        1. 4 people running
        2. Chairperson Gundle-Kreig recommends anyone who is interested in running, get contact info and forward to Political Director
      2. 2020 Races
        1. Candidates can’t file until January 1, 2020
        2. Chairperson Gundle-Kreig wants to get a jump start and get some publicizing early
      3. Twitter
        1. 65 Followers
        2. Expand following
        3. Chairperson Gundle-Kreig thought we should post on Facebook to follow Twitter account
      4. ACA Icebreaker
    4. Outreach and Membership Director
      1. Chairperson Gundle-Kreig suggested membership meetings
        1. Shoot to have first meeting in Spring 2019
      2. Ways to Volunteer during Government Shutdown
        1. Pete Biskupski suggested doing a Food Drive, Ben Schultz to do research
        2. Vice-Chair Boren to look into cleaning Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park
    5. Secretary- None.
    6. Treasurer- None.
  4. Old Business
    1. Consideration of contacting local groups with similar ideas and messaging
  1. New Business
    1. Consideration of vacant Treasurer position
      1. Motion to table by Vice-Chair Boren, seconded by David Holmer, Motion passes 5-0
  2. Comments
    1. Pete Biskupski suggested mentioning the Ron Paul Curriculum to the local homeschooling groups
    2. Pete Biskupski suggested adding the U.S. Debt Clock to the website

Adjournment- Motion to adjourn by Vice-Chair Boren, seconded by David Holmer, Motion passes 5-0 Chairperson Gundle-Krieg adjourned the meeting

December Minutes NWMLP

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

Minutes of the Northwest Michigan Libertarian Party (NWMLP) Business Meeting  

Tuesday, December 11, 2018 @ 6:30PM
Toy Town, 122 S. Mitchell St. Cadillac, MI 49601

  1. Call Meeting to Order- Chairperson Gundle-Krieg called the meeting to order at 6:45PM.
  2. Roll Call- Mr. Biskupski called roll for the business meeting.

Present- Chairperson: Donna Gundle-Krieg, Vice-Chair: Ben Boren, Officers: Ben Schultz, David Holmer, Peter Biskupski and Joseph Hartman.

Absent: None.

Others: None

  1. Announcements- None.
  2. Approval of Minutes- None.
  3. Old Business- None.
  4. New Business
    1. Mr. Holmer motioned to form a Standing Committee for Candidate Outreach (Moved by Mr. Schultz, Seconded by Mr. Biskupski)
      1. Mrs. Gundle-Krieg brought up issues with qualified candidate and leadership
      2. Mr. Schultz thought maybe a small Questionnaire would help verify qualifications
      3. Call to Question; Motion passed 5-0 with Mr. Boren abstaining
    2. Consideration of increasing and retaining membership
      1. Moved to Outreach Director Report
    3. Consideration of contacting Young American for Liberty Northwest Michigan Chapter
      1. Informally okay to contact
  5. Reports
    1. Chair
      1. Emails are formalized
      2. Facebook Messenger for communication
      3. 3 or 4 Articles per month for newsletter
        1. Articles about Candidates
        2. Northern Express rotation column
      4. Meeting Place
        1. Business meeting separate from social or outreach meetings
        2. Motion to vote on location of next meeting at current business meeting (Moved by Mr. Schultz, Seconded by Mr. Biskupski)
        3. Call to Question; Motion passed unanimously
    2. Vice Chair
      1. Emphasize Outreach
      2. Obtaining Donations
    3. Political Director
      1. Emailed contact list
      2. Cory Dean interested in running for Blair Township Trustee in Grand Traverse County
      3. Three open seats for Manistee County Commissioner
    4. Outreach and Membership Director
      1. Building on Success
      2. Creating a list of groups that might be responsive to NWMLP
      3. Social Media
      4. Looking for Liberty Minded Groups
    5. Secretary
      1. Add the Non Aggression Principle to the contact/sign-up sheet
    6. Treasurer- None.
  6. Comments- None.

Adjournment- Chairperson Gundle-Krieg adjourned the meeting at 8:20P

NW Michigan Libertarians Select Treasurer, Delegates for State Convention

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

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

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

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

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

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

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

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

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

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

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

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

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

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

Northwest Michigan Libertarians Posted on by

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.