Last updated on December 9, 2023
LP Minnesota Collapses
Revised: Second Header Courtesy FB Commentator.
The Libertarian Party of Minnesota has been struck by mass resignations of its officers. Among those who have resigned are
State Chair Marianne Stebbins,
State Party Finance Director Pat Barnum,
State Secretary Justin Jelinek, State
Event Coordinator and Executive Committee At-Large member Heather Jelinek,
Congressional District 5 and Metro Lakes affiliate chair Nate Atkins, and
Libertarian Women of Dakota and Goodhue County Chair Ashley Corvin.
Justin Jelinek, Heather Jelinek, Nate Atkins, and Ashley Corvin also resigned their state party memberships.
Atkins had been expected to be the Party’s U.S. Senate candidate next year. The Senate race is the Minnesota Party’s ballot Access race.
Each of those who resigned submitted a formal letter of resignation to nearly 30 people, and from some of those receiving the letters Third Party Watch has received copies.
Marianne Stebbins cited abuse of official LPMN social media and persistent obstructionism by the Mises caucus as reasons for her resignation. With respect to the social media, she notes that most people assume that since she is the chair and hence the voice of the party that she is responsible for everything on the social media, even though she apparently has no control over what is being posted. She notes that no productive activity was being allowed by the Mises members of the state committee, who according to her are required to screenshot their votes, voting unison, and never disagree with each other. Her full letter follows this report.
Pat Barnum indicated that it was clear that “a majority of what’s left of the Executive Committee has no desire to ever become a professional organization that can move the needle on government interference in our lives… a majority of what’s left of the Executive Committee has no desire to ever become a professional organization that can move the needle on government interference in our lives.” And much more on the same line. She asserted that “I’ve not worked with a group (primarily made up) of more unprofessional, unproductive, and unprincipled people in my life.” Her full letter follows this report.
Justin Jelinek condemned the party’s social media messaging is indefensible, in particular that sections of it were anti-Semitic. He also conducted the conduct of the state party’s Judicial Committee as a gross violation of due process, and condemned one of its members for “careless public statements toward multiple party members.” He opined that the state party had become “not an organization interested in the advancement of liberty, just the advancement of ship-posting.” His full letter follows this report.
Heather Jelinek condemned recent party messaging is hurtful, racist, and bigoted. She indicated she would no longer associate people who want messaging to be about shocking people and pushing people over the edge instead of having open dialogue. She observed that edge messaging was repelling potential members and supporters. She observed that the group in control of the party was the laziest she had ever seen. Her full letter follows this report.
Nate Atkins indicated that the party was dysfunctional but that a list of his grievances would fall on deaf ears for those who need most need to hear them. His full letter follows this report.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The full letters of resignation follow:
Marianne Stebbins’ letter of resignation:
Dear LPMN Executive Committee Members and Others of Interest:
Following last month’s meeting, I cannot remain Chair of the LPMN. People outside the Executive Committee assume that I sanction everything on official LPMN social media, as the Chair is the voice of the party. But it is clear there will be no accountability for what is posted or any other act committed by anyone in the MC. In the end, one’s reputation is all one has.
I resisted the urge to resign even as it became clear that no productive activity would be allowed, that everything would be vetoed for unknown or specious reasons by a slim majority. What should have been an uncontroversial postponement of our September meeting for 2 days to ensure the success of the petitioning process was fought and ended up taking precious time and attention.
This has been the theme for the time I have been here. We were prevented from having a contractor fix our CRM because he wasn’t the right flavor. I knew that even replacing the executive director, something that is the chair’s prerogative, would be fought when a contract was be proposed. And so on.
Yes, there are others who also engage in discord. But they, at least, are open for discussion, and they don’t demand allegiance. Disagreements are expected and welcome, but it’s disturbing and creepy that MC members are required to screenshot their votes, vote in unison, and never disagree with each other, regardless of the merits or their conscience.
This is not how major parties operate. This is not how ANY business would operate. And this is not how the LPMN can operate and be successful to any degree.
Life is short and time is precious. So I leave the LPMN fully in your hands. My resignation is effective immediately. I wish you well, hope that you pull it together, and I look forward to remaining friends with many of you.
For liberty purely and always,
Marianne
P.S. Don’t hesitate to contact me about anything you need that I have access to.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Pat Barnum’s letter of resignation follows:
To the LPMN Executive Committee,
This serves as my official notice resigning my position as Finance Director of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota, effectively immediately.
In 2022 when I stepped away from the Treasurer position there was a lot of flak about “rage quitting” and insinuations of leaving the Board hanging. Nothing could have been further from the truth. It was the honorable thing to do given nearly the entire board was from the Mises Caucus and the last thing all the new members needed was a Treasurer that would find it impossible to support a different philosophy than what I believe is needed to move Liberty forward. I was sincere in wishing the new board luck.
I did not leave the organization unprofessionally. I gave a 30 day notice, which dragged out to over 60, created well documented procedures, and trained the new Treasurer to ensure a smooth transition. I also did not stop working on those things that I believe were worthwhile throughout the year. And yet the #NeverQuit targeting game began behind the scenes and eventually was the snide undercurrent at the last Convention.
With a mixed Board elected in April, and a Chair that had actually led the successful Ron Paul movement for Minnesota, I had hope that we could move the Party towards a functioning body and try to make up for lost time to prepare for 2024 elections.
I was optimistic that the retreat to develop shared goals and a path that could lead us forward had set the stage for success. The work we did together, led by the Political Director, to fight the blow the legislature eventually dealt third parties seemed to be an issue that would calm the turbulent internal waters. But that cohesiveness opportunity lasted only as long as a Minnesota spring – gone in a flash.
It’s clear that a majority of what’s left of the Executive Committee has no desire to ever become a professional organization that can move the needle on government interference in our lives. It didn’t happen with the 2022-23 board and it cannot happen with this one either. The childish and dark behavior mimics what is happening at the LNC, and is equally destroying. The lack of actual work being done by most of these members is appalling. The cheering on of soiling our brand with edgy and offensive communications to the public is beyond the pale. The constant fight on every single tiny thing has achieved its goals of meetings without value, committees that achieve nothing, a candidate with almost no support from individuals on the board or the party as a whole, the deliberate and baseless attack against the only elected Libertarian in the state to thwart her reelection efforts, and dedicated libertarians turning away from our organization in disgust.
I’ve not worked with a group (primarily made up) of more unprofessional, unproductive, and unprincipled people in my life. I can no longer spend my energies attempting to do the right thing for the Party, and more importantly I can no longer stomach being associated with people that are intentionally working towards its failure.
I’m not rage quitting. I’m leaving a toxic organization that has become irrational. And repugnant.
In liberty, always
Pat Barnum
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Justin Jelinek’s Letter of Resignation follows:
Members of the Executive Committee and LPMN leaders,
I must announce my resignation as Secretary of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota.
I do want to congratulate Charley Kuchlenz on answering the call of the party’s highest mission to run candidates for office and using his candidacy to spread liberty values and offer voters in his district a true alternative. You approached this with dignity and honor despite a stunning lack of support from members of the communications team.
I had hoped to stay on long enough to support this campaign to the end, but it is clear, I cannot damage my reputation any further by being associated with what the Libertarian Party of Minnesota has become.
It is apparent that I am at an irreconcilable impasse with the majority of the Executive Committee with regards to how this party conducts itself in social media spaces. The majority in power have chosen to defend a social media strategy that minimizes the promotion of candidates and accomplishments by elected officials and instead supports the favored opinion makers of the few that hold the keys. Obviously, I am on the record with my belief there is no defense of some messages that are clearly too close to hateful to reflect positively on the party. I cannot reconcile with the repeated lie that so long as no one actually says “the J-word” it’s not really anti-semitism. It should be clear and obvious the party really needs a shift away from this “strategy.” However, the majority have no interest in doing this. And I am not going to destroy myself any further by being a part of it.
Furthermore, I must express unequivocal anger and disgust in members of the LPMN Judicial Committee. The actions of Dr. Justin Meritt and Carrie Loch handling the succession of a resigned member by reseating said member and freezing out a committee member from a meeting to get a self-serving outcome was a gross violation of process and their reputations should be forever tainted for this action. I must also express disgust toward James Jenneman, who incidentally was the beneficiary of this farce, for his careless public statements toward multiple party members. His baseless accusation designed to damage the reputation of Amos Webskowski and Treasurer Gamache is completely unjustified to say the least, and could have led to serious real-world consequences for these two. I understand he intends to make an apology at the next executive committee meeting. That is literally the absolute least he should do, considering the possible damage of his carelessness.
Realizing the bad behavior of the majority of Judicial Committee members and the unaccountable nature of the committee, there is no reason to have any confidence in any LPMN process any longer. Propriety, decency, accountability, and common sense have no place in the LPMN.
Suffice to say, I do not believe LPMN has a good future. Maybe it is possible this condition of the party will not last forever. I still believe libertarian things, but right now, I do not believe in libertarian party leaders, and it is time for me to exercise my right to disassociate, and to make it known that this is not an organization interested in the advancement of liberty, just the advancement of shit-posting. I look forward to reclaiming the time and money I have lost with my involvement in the executive committee and to volunteer and outreach efforts for the benefit of my family, friends, and myself.
I have added Vice Chair Whiting and Treasurer Gamache to the Secretary Folder in the LPMN Google Workspace, so they have access to all I was keeping there. Mr. Sorenson, please unsubscribe my account from Google Workspace, I will not be using it any longer.
Please consider my resignation from both the office of Secretary and membership in the party as effective immediately.
Justin Jelinek
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Heather Jelinek’s letter of resignation follows:
To the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota,
Effective immediately this is my resignation of duties as the Event Coordinator, Executive Committee At- Large, and member of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota. I can no longer pretend that this is a place I want to be anymore. I will no longer accept the way I am treated by members of this organization. I have tried since April to allow everything to settle, but it has not. It has only gotten worse.
I will no longer associate myself with people who think it is ok to be nice to your face and then stab you in the back all while smiling about it.
For almost 3 months people tried to have me removed as Event Coordinator.
For months people who said they wanted to be a part of the Convention committee complained about decisions being made while not attending meetings.
I will no longer associate with people whose only goal is what is better for their clique and not the advancement of liberty.
I was endorsed by the Mises Caucus, not something I sought out. They came to me offering an endorsement. That was revoked at the convention for someone who was a member of the caucus because the votes were not going the way they wanted. They were more concerned about having their numbers on the board vs who they agreed to have the best qualifications.
I will no longer associate with those that think it is ok to use offensive language directed at other people.
I have never seen more hurtful, racist, bigoted messaging than what has been put out in the last few months. I have never seen so much name calling and public personal attacks and I will no longer associate with people who think that this is ok.
I will no longer associate with people who think that sitting behind keyboards instead of getting out there and doing the work will advance Liberty.
I will no longer associate with people that want messaging to be about shocking people and pushing people over the edge instead of having open dialogue.
To reach people you have to meet them where they are at. Our messaging has gone so far over the top. All it has done is push people away from us because they don’t want to associate with that type of messaging. These are people that could have been members and volunteers; instead it was deemed more important that edgy messaging is more important.
To be a political party we have to be out there doing the work. I have never seen such a lazy group of people. If you don’t like something, get up off your ass and do something about it. We have had an amazing candidate, Charley Kuchlenz, running to help us spread the message but no one wants to do the work. We lost another fantastic candidate, Nate Atkins, when he decided not to run for Senate. These are decisions that are made by people that want the glory without doing the work and I will not be your pack horse any longer.
This organization is no longer about running candidates and advancing liberty, it is about drama and infighting. I will not exhaust myself for something I can no longer believe in. The 2024 convention committee will now be led by Jason Klietz as the Vice Chair.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Nate Atkin’s letter of resignation follows:
Members of the Executive Committee,
Effective immediately, I am resigning my position as Chair of the CD5/Metro Lakes Affiliate. I am also terminating my membership in the Libertarian Party of Minnesota. The reasons for my decision are many – some are personal while others pertain to the currentstate of the Libertarian Party of Minnesota and its long term outlook.
From a personal standpoint I feel like I’m at a point in my life where I need to spend my time doing things that are best for my overall well being. I have a number of different things going on financially and professionally that will allow me to explore various passions I have always had and I don’t know how or if they can be reconciled with my political involvement. Case in point: I started my higher education as a filmmaker and have always dreamt of making my own film. I have several ideas of stories that I want to tell and want to work on putting pen to paper and making those dreams a realization.
As for the LPMN and the executive committee…
I could probably rattle off a number of grievances that I have with various people in the party but I don’t really see what the point is. Most everything I would say would fall on deaf ears for those who most need to hear them. Even if I made (what I consider to be) a legitimate case in my grievances I would be met with a cacophony of “ackchyually’s”. If I’ve learned anything in life it’s to have the wisdom to know when it’s time to let go. And for me, that time is now.
In closing, I would encourage the members of this board to spend some time in self-reflection as to the current dysfunction of the party. You owe it to yourselves and the broader membership to do so.
Sincerely,
Nate Atkins
