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LNC Special Meeting, February 2, 2025

I have arrived and activated the Zoom link.  I have not yet been admitted. Others are in the same boat. I have just been admitted.  Harlos called roll. They are electing a chair pro tem. Harlos is currently acting as Chair. There was a motion to elect Malagon as Acting Chair. There was an objection that was ignored.   They went to a vote on electing Malagon without open nominations. Ford objected.  Dassing moves to appeal the decision of the chair.

Malagon moves to approve the agenda as submitted with the public comment item stricken. There was an objection.  They go to debaet.  Malagon: We have received 300 messages from members so no public comment needed.  Watkins: This is a bad idea.  Vinson: We need an open meeting.  Aron Lam is the new Region 1 representative. He speaks in favor of public comment. Ford: Election of National Chair is extended.  Harlos interrupts and says he is out of order.  Nekhaila: I am in favor of open elections; we are just discussing if we should have public comment.  Went to a roll call vote. Motion passes 9-6.

There are currently 184 people here.

We advance to the Audit Committee elections.  There are nominations. Nominees get to speak.  Three speak. One is not here.   Yeniscavich notes that the Audit Committee may overlap with an investigatory committee. She speaks up for Messrs Bowen and Knebel. Yeniscavich moves to elect by slate. Harlos reminds that officers cannot vote. The slates are the two people Yeniscavich nominated and the two other people. Ford is unhappy with the situation.  Ford: Audit this time is very important.  We have never used slate votes before. Watkins: We should go by PAvote. Lam: We should vote by individuals. Yeniscavich wants to withdraw. Malagon says she can’t.

Malagon is actually doing a very good job of running the meeting.

Motion voted down without objection. We are going by roll call.  Each LNC member may vote up to two people.  Almost every one votes for one pair of people or the other pair of people; Watkins votes for only one.  The votes are 9-8-5-4.

According to Mr. Chadderdon,  Region 1 Chairs votes to remove Mr. Garcia. Harlos objects; Region 1 agreement requires delay.  Motion to postpone election of Chair and Vice Chair to February 23. Debate: Darr: Issue with DC law.  Bost: Overwhelming response is we need to take our time.  Harlos: We have not had massive emails to delay. There have been organized emails on both sides; these are not necessarily membership sentiment. Harlos speaks against waiting. We need to settle the issue. Lam: We need an open procedure. We need a chair debate. Watkins: Actions under duress are inadvisable.  I do not see a need to rush.

The chat is off. We advance to a vote on calling the question. The motion is defeated 9-6, 2/3 being needed.  Watkins: Voting tonight is a bad idea.  Yeniscavich asks about going to executive session. Nekhaila: Why should we delay if there is  a clear majority for a particular candidate, Mr. Heise. Ford: Is there a law in question.  I will then move for executive session. Harlos: It is in the best interest for the peace of the party that we come together under someone. Lam: We need an open and robust debate. Everyone has spoken twice. Motion fails 8-7

Malagon opens floor to nominations.

Nanna nominates Nekhaila.

Vinson nominates Heise.

Nekhaila speaks. We need to increase fundraising. He speaks to his experience.  We should elect libertarians. Hawaii chair interrupts and says this is a coup.  he is removed from the meeting. We should have a goal: run 500 candidates.  Work closely with our staff.

Chair confirms there are no other nominations. Watkins then tries to nominate Justin Amash, but nominations are closed.

Heise speaks. Thanks McArdle. I have been visiting states giving my plans. “Project Decentralized Revolution”  Staff has had many wins that people are not seeing.  We need good news to support advancing the party the way McArdle did.  I will travel to visit states.

Darr reports that Amash declined any nomination.  Body will recess at the call of the chair for an on-the-record Q&A of each candidate. Plan is half an hour per candidate.

Harlos: Members have concern that project decentralized revolution is in jeopardy.  Nekhaila: I support the Project 100%. It will continue.

Ford: What will you do to heal a divided party. Nekhaila: show we a unique party not a duopoly JV team. People at top should be professional; that will be a good first step.

Lam: Very excited that you are running.  Important to elect people at the local level.  Nekhaila: How? #1 Fundraising. I support selling the headquarters and using the money to hire a fundraiser.  Need to clean up the data.  Continue Voter Gravity.  Hire a political Director

Yeniscavich:  Do you have conflicts of interest undeclared? Nekhaila: No.

Vinson: Will you support Project Decentralized and keeping all staff including Mr. Heise.

Nekhaila: I give McArdle full credit for freeing Ross. Angela gets full credit.  We might make deals not to run people against a few Republicans.  We’re the Libertarian Party. Sending an honorary membership to Donald trip was a bad decision.

Hays: #1 Are you financially secure outside of the LNC. I wouldn’t be here if the answer was no. #2 Have you been in touch with Mr. Heise. N: Yes. #3 Which Committees are you on?  He answers.  Hiring Mr. Heise was a chair decision that I supported. Wants complete loyalty to the LNC from all members at all times.

Bost: There were calls for a chair candidate from outside of the LNC.  We have not investigated various financial and conflict of interest complaints.  Nekhaila: It’s up to us, not to people emailing us. Whatever decision the board makes is the best decision for the board.

Weir: What do you think of teh Free State concentration strategy?  I have great respect for LPNH members.  They are well-read. Want to build up Key West Conch Republic.  Not an LNC issue.

Darr: Who did you support publicly for President? Oliver and Ter Maat.

Harlos: As Florida Chair, how were you a unifier? FL is diverse. Should you be a hero leader or a collaborator. N:I will enforce new policy manual requirements that we appear unified in public. I will run everything by the board, because the board has lots of smart, knowledgeable people.

Watkins: You support Project Decentralized Revolution. Why are you the best person to do this.  N: We need more fundraising.  Party should stop bleeding money. Being down in membership is a symptom.  We are suffering from multiple diseases. My experience is appropriate to solve our challenges.

Malagon: We are at 40 minutes.  He thanks Nekhaila and turns to questions for Mr. Heise.

Harlos asks about McArdle actions, signing contract with boyfriend’s company and raising money for another Presidential candidate.  Heise: Inappropriate to comment.

Hays: What are your finances?  Heise: I have supporters who want to fund me to be full-time. Will you disclose names of your donors?  Heise: If the rest of the LNC does the same. Hays: I have a problem with that.

Heise: This meeting is not positive.  Blocking debate and public comment is bad.  I am not seeing the board doing things to advance the party.  Board is often negative, which is unfortunate. Staff is much more positive. We need to present a vision.

Weir: If you become Chair, do you end your contract with the party? Heise: Yes.  I want to hire someone to oversee our initiatives.  Fundraising is based on value, listing initiatives that are working.  We take that  to donors.  The chair should be the party’s main fundraiser.  I have friends like Dave Smith and Angela McArdle.  Aren’t you going to be obligated to people who are funding you?  Heise: Money will be up front.

Lam: Why do you think you would be a better Chair than Mr Amash or Mr Nekhaila.  Heise: We’ve been trying Federal elections for 50 years, as Amash suggests, and it does not work. We want to support local efforts, issue relations, and ballot access. Amash is not successful politically.  He would best serve us by being a candidate.

Darr: Who did you support.  Heise: I supported Trump to free Ross an voted Libertarian down the ballot.  I understand the criticism.  I hurts our party to be absolutely partisan. It repels people.

Darr: How will you handle conflict of interest?  H: I will fund myself before I become chair (I think; his answer was obscure).

Yeniscavich: If you resign from staff, what happens to the work you are doing?  H: I create material to support volunteer fundraising.  Need to offer value or rich people will not donate. Says he has identified a lot of max donors who can be asked. Going to the donors is the last step,  Has called as many former elected Libertarians as possible.  Speaks up for nullification.
Wants to legalize gold, silver, bitcoin, psychedelics as issues.

How close are we asking for money: H: I think it will be a couple of months.  Yeniscavich reports that the Kennedy money will soon be ending. She asks what conflicts of interest he has. Issue is that he is also a part-time contractor with America Values PAC. She pursues the conflict of interest issue with respect to his supporters.  He finally says matters will be referred to party counsel.

Harlos: a staff member endorsing Trump is unacceptable.  For an LNC member it was forbidden.  H: I think McArdle did support our candidate.  Harlos: That’s disqualifying.

Heise: I was hired to support issues such as Defend the Guard, not to support candidates, so that is what I did. He discusses how you set up an issue campaign.  His description is sound.

Watkins: Returning to conflict of interest: We are short of money and people.  We need more of them.  I will support Board members doing this  even if we disagree on matters

Lam notes that Board members have had Patreon supporters giving them money.

Harlos: I see a big difference between people getting money from their job and people paying someone as money to serve as an officer.

They come back to order.  There is a motion to adjourn (Watkins-Bost). Vote fails by Chair’s vote.Nekhaila wins 9-6.

Vice Chair Election Nekhaila nominates Paul Darr. Lam nominates Andrew Watkins.

Darr speaks to his election. He says the party is badly divided but wants to support Nekhaila.  Wants to raise money, support candidates, and raise membership.  Watkins: I am the only LNC member who attends staff meetings. Watkins withdraws his name.

We advance to debate.  Watkins says the matter was rushed.

Vote is 9 for Darr, 5 for NOTA, and one Explicit Abstention.

Malagon passes gavel to Nekhaila.

Hays: Motion is to discharge the pre-resignation investigatory committee and set up a post-resignation committee. Darr: Many people want non-LNC members on the new committee.

Bost: move to amend composition to 4 LNC members and 3 non-LNC members.  Harlos: New motion has too broad a scope.

Redpath proposes committee should be the three members of Audit committee and the Treasury.

Yeniscavich: Wants it understood that the committee purview is broad enough to make recommendations.

Lam: Chair and Vice Chair should not be on the Committee.
Bost supports Redpath motion. Yeniscavich wants seven people on the committee.  I think she was asking to be added to the committee.  Harlos thinks four people is too few.

Debate as to who was implicated in the current scandal, and from who events were hidden. They are discussing the vote.

Redpath Amendment passes 12-0.   Malagon moved to amend to make the committee Darr, Nekhaila, Weir, Garcia, Yeniscavich, Redpath, Bowen.

Yeniscavich speaks in favor.

Questions as to size of committee. Region 1 is replacing Garcia as their regional representative for unclear reasons. Watkins complains that someone said that embezzlement had occurred and they should not be on the committee.

Malagon Amendment passes. Yeniscavich moves to add Mr Knebel to the committee.  Harlos objects so there is a recorded vote.Motion passes. The Amendment becomes the main motion without objection.

Harlos moves to amend to include “specifically to allegations of misconduct of the former chair”. Amendment defeated.

Malagon reports that at least two members of the committee have been threatened with litigation over the issue.  Yeniscavich speaks against the Harlos amendment. Lam speaks against the motion. Harlos says the issue has already been raised and will perhaps appear in the final report.

Motion passes 9-1 with 3 abstentions.

Motion to adjourn. passes 9-1-1.

Yeniscavich asks if Nekhaila is chair or interim chair.   He is the Chair.  Done.

There is an ExComm meeting on Tuesday.  Nekhaila reports that he ruled that the Honorary Membership for Trump is out of order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21 Comments

  1. Joseph Joseph February 3, 2025

    I’m ok with this.
    Mises chair and CLC VC.

    They seem like they want to work together.
    Nekhaila has always acted professionally…at least publicly.

  2. Stewart Flood Stewart Flood February 2, 2025

    So which coup won?

    It would be nice if someone could post a summary of what actually took place, or do we have to wait three months for lp.org to be updated with new names and pictures?

    Unfortunately, they did not follow the very sound and rational advice that was given in the opinion piece that Ms Hogarth wrote a few days ago. Her reasoning made sense and they should have paid attention to it. It will be interesting to see what kind of backlash there will be, especially from the candidate who lost.

  3. Darryl W Perry Darryl W Perry February 2, 2025

    Darr elected with 9 votes, 1 abstention & 5 votes for NOTA

  4. Darryl W Perry Darryl W Perry February 2, 2025

    Paul Darr & Andrew Watkins nominated for VC
    Watkins withdraws
    Motion to appoint Darr is now being debated

  5. Darryl W Perry Darryl W Perry February 2, 2025

    Nekhaila said he wants to sell LPHQ and use the money to hire a professional fundraiser.

    • Andy Andy February 2, 2025

      Selling the building is not a bad idea, but a fundraiser should work on a commission basis, or at least mostly on a commission basis. I do not think that selling the building and hiring a fundraiser need to be connected.

      • Daniel Lutz Daniel Lutz February 2, 2025

        It’s a bad idea if done that way, it opens the party to legal liability. Why does no one seem to understand this.

      • George Phillies George Phillies Post author | February 2, 2025

        Appears to violate FEC rules in some part, but perhaps not.

        • Stewart Flood Stewart Flood February 2, 2025

          They were directed contributions. A contribution that is given for a specific reason must be used for that reason or returned.

          I am not sure what the time limit is on that, because usually contributions are made in an election cycle to a candidate, and the campaign ends after the election. In the case of a contribution to a party, I am not sure if contributions made over a decade ago would have to be returned or how it would be tracked. The same would be true of any subsequent appeals for donations specifically to pay off loans on the building.

          The LNC went over this in great detail when we debated purchasing the building. That was more than a dozen years ago, so my memory of specific details has faded a bit, but I am positive that the motion that my colleague from California authored had specific poison pills in it to prevent a future LNC from selling the building.

          It might be useful to dig out that old motion that was passed and publish it for discussion.

          And of course, there could be a tax issue if they sell the building and don’t purchase another one.

        • Daniel Lutz Daniel Lutz February 3, 2025

          Dr Phillies, do you mean like once the objective has been executesld, the purchasing of the building then it becomes an asset, the obligation having been met and once becoming said asset can be sold and the profits used for other party buisness?

          If that is what you are asserting as a pote tial then yes I can see that freeing up this action. I have been combing FEC rules but sadley I have found nothing solid one way or another. And perhaps my assertion shouldn’t be so absolute,. I am perhaps too attached to the idea of the building I donated to that fund as well and feel like that donation has been squandered. But my personal feelings are not legal precedent.

  6. Darryl W Perry Darryl W Perry February 2, 2025

    The section of DC Code that was referenced:
    § 29–406.40.
    (a) The officers of a nonprofit corporation shall be the individuals who hold the offices described in its articles of incorporation or bylaws or are appointed or elected in accordance with the articles and bylaws or as authorized by the board of directors. At a minimum, a nonprofit corporation shall have 2 separate officers, one responsible for the management of the corporation, who may be referred to as the “President” or by any other term used in its articles of incorporation or bylaws and another responsible for the financial affairs of the corporation, who may be referred to as the “Treasurer”, or by any other term used in its articles of incorporation or bylaws.

  7. Darryl W Perry Darryl W Perry February 2, 2025

    Motion to postpone election of Chair & Vice Chair until Feb 23, 2025 at 7p Eastern

  8. Daniel Lutz Daniel Lutz February 2, 2025

    I was let on, did you pre register?

  9. Darryl W Perry Darryl W Perry February 2, 2025

    Motion from Malagon to strike Public Comment from the agenda

  10. Darryl W Perry Darryl W Perry February 2, 2025

    Motion to appoint Malagon as Chair Pro Tem
    objection to appointment
    will go to Roll Call

  11. Dr. Chuck Moulton Dr. Chuck Moulton February 2, 2025

    I have not been admitted either as of 7:10 pm EST.

  12. Aloysius Aloysius February 2, 2025

    Will they admit anyone? Or just secret?

    • George Phillies George Phillies Post author | February 2, 2025

      Unknown

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