LNC Meeting of August 24, 2025

Last updated on August 25, 2025

Meeting comes to order at 7:32.  Roll is called. 16 in attendance.  Agenda passes after amendments.

[Addendum: Apparently there is a new financial report out there someplace, or so I thought I heard claimed.  Minor additions at the end.  Thanks to Caryn Ann Harlos for pointing out that Resolution 2 was adopted again.]

Nekhkaila passes gavel to Darr.  Motion to appoint Knebel and Cowart to the Financial committee.  Motion is divided.  They advance to discussing Miss Cowart.

Chadderdon: Concern about FSC and EPCC: Does not think the same person should be on both committees.  Ford: These are fine people.  We have a lot of committees for a small group.  Believes one person should not be on both committees.  Martin: Overlapping committees can become problematic. Believes choice of candidates is based on behind the scene deals and power struggles on the board.  Bohler: We need qualified candidates.  These people are qualified.  Watkins: I agree with Chadderdon, Ford, Martin. We should have fewer committees. Cowart: Says EPCC and FSC do not overlap in what they do.  Nekhaila:  Cowart is uniquely qualified for EPCC and well-qualified for FSC.  Hard to get LNC members to serve on committees.  Watkins: is there anything urgent for the FSC to deal with?  What is the FSC doing?  Cowart: Urgent matter is FSC available to deal with imminent convention spending. They have run out of time. Motion to extend: Roll Call vote.  ( 9 yes, 6 no, 2 abstentions.  Motion is divided.)

Vote on Cowart:  No-Chadderdon, Dassing, and 4 abstentions.

Vote on Knebel: No – Bost, Chadderdon, Dassing, Vinson, Watkins,    Abstain-Darr, Ford, Martin. Vote is 9 yes, 5 no, 3 abstain.  Martin tried to debate and was muted.

Ford: Every member needs to engage in a serious working committee. Asks that members review and remedy that.

Recognize Chadderdon for 15 minutes to discuss a document he distributed on the SIC report. Believes that considering the report is important.  Believes that the SIC report is full of contradictions.   He notes procedural deficiencies (only 1 day to consider 100 day report; inadequate), Some people did not participate in the report.  Committee said that it did not matter, then uses silence as incriminating evidence. Notes political calling is unique. Review and discussion process was inadequate. Says some spending was not approved by McArdle. Says report does not have evidence that McArdle that pushed to hire Freedom Calls.  Lists accusations of malicious intent that he says are not demonstrated. Claims that APRC approval was not handled correctly are he says incorrect.  Hiring a neighbor is not a conflict of interest.  Says that Executive Director approval shows that the transactions were not damaging to the party.  He spoke quite rapidly, so I may have missed some of his points.

Bohler discusses some of Ford’s points.  There are questions.  Motion to extend.  Passes without objection.

Martin:Martin asks four questions: 1) Was there legal advice prior to this nature.  Chadderdon says Angela was forced to resign.  Chadderdon was in a group.  Was thrown out of group after raised issues.  Heard unsubstantiated assertions that some people should not be considered for chair, but group would not defend objections.  Chadderdon believes election of new chair was orchestrated to keep party in the dark and prevent alternative nominations from being made.

McArdle gave affidavit to some court saying she was not forced to resign.

Nanna: Are you asking us to adopt this report?

Chadderdon : No.  Purely a discussion item.  Chadderdon forwarded some information sub rosa to the LNC.

Speaker feels that the report could be better, but is good enough to draw conclusions.

Martin asks chair to rule that adopting the SIC report was out of order. Acting Chair Darr does not agree.

Nekhaila moves to adopt a resolution #1 censuring McArdle and saying that her actions are unfortunate.

Martin objects to consideration. Motion could get us sued.  Members have undisclosed conflicts of interest.  The predicate of this motion is voidable.  Also motion violates statement of principals.  Chadderdon seconds. We advance to a vote.  Question if SIC members can vote on motion.

Vote: Yes-Chadderdon, Martin, Vote 2-11-4.  Motion is rejected.

Debate on main motion.  Watkins: When we removed the former Secretary, we debated at least four hours.  This report vaguely suggests criminal action, but had much less debate time.  It would have been more responsible to have more debate time.  We should take more time, likely in executive session.

Chadderdon: I sent email to LNC and counsel with questions not yet answered.  I will therefore move to postpone to a specific time, the September 7 meeting, to allow counsel time to respond. Martin: Motion is debateable. I am acting on advice of counsel.

McGee: Agree we need more time to discuss, but I call the question. There was a second.  Vote is  8-1 with 8 abstentions.

Move to postpone.  The vote is 8 yes, 9 no. Motion to postpone fails.

Vote on Resolution1: No – Bost, Chadderdon, Dassing, Vinson, Watkins,.  Vote is 10 yes, 5 no, Martin and Ford abstaining.

Move to adjourn is defeated.

We advance to resolution 2:  We believe that McArdle relieved us of money. We will try to get our money back with special-fundraising or pro bono fundraising. Nekhaila-our counsel reviewed this and it was OK.

Chadderdon: We hear brazenness and irresponsibility.  I believe some members are not acting in the interest of the party.  There are substantial questions about the SIC report.  It is irresponsible to vote for this until we get legal advice.  I move to postpone.

Martin’s objection to consideration was valid. Noted that an objection to consideration does not require a second. There will be a vote. Martin – objection also because consideration will cause irreparable harm to active litigation.  Vote: Yes Chadderdon, Dassing, Martin.  Vote is 3-10-3.  Motion is defeated.

We reach Chadderdon motion to postpone. Watkins. Cowart: This is not a correcting mistake action, this is making things nice. Nanna moved to end debate on the motion to postpone. Vote is 2-10-4.  Debate continues.  Motion to extend time by 10 minutes. Vote is 14-2.

Martin: Treasurer is responsible for finances. He should not have been allowed to participate in the SIC.  Gross negligence and malfeasance are critical issues.  Martin clearly indicates that he believes that Redpath was not doing his job.  Martin speaks at great but coherent length against voting now.

Ford: We need to resolve this issue coherently or it will simply continue indefinitely. We have to resolve this issue finally, but we need final due diligence so we can settle the matter.

Bost: The original vote was too hasty.  But more time will not help.

Chadderdon: I sent criticisms, but responses ignored my substantial issues. I raised new issues recently. Legal advice is needed.

Watkins – I do not see the harm in postponing until we can have discussion as a group with counsel.

Vote on postponement and then on motion itself.

Vote to postpone: Yes – Bost, Chadderdon, Dassing, Ford, Knebel, Martin, Watkins: Vote is 7-10.  Motion to postpone fails. Chadderdon and Martin leave the meeting. Lam is present.

Vote: No – Bost, Lam,  Vote: 10-3 (I missed a no voter).  There is a new financial report. Caryn Ann Harlos reminds us that this was the vote on Resolution #2, which therefore was adopted.

No objection to adjournment.  Advance to full LNC discussion of $10K for Arkansas ballot access.  There is $11000 for ballot access that has already been raised.  Arkansas is already involved with a petitioner. Contractor is waiting for an answer.  Redpath says building sale has changed party finances much for the better.  Arkansas has a fine record. Redpath says this is worthwhile because it gets lots of people on the ballot.  Petitioning can continue until February, but we have a really good rate at the moment.  Need 3% of the vote for Governor in order to stay on the ballot.  Watkins: 3% has not been achieved in a long time.. Redpath: this is a full-party petition.  Pakko: All county and up offices are partisan.  We do not yet have a candidate for Governor.  We are closing on 3%.  Motion will encumber $10K, but all of it may not be spent.  All signatures must be turned in at once.  Speaker goes on at length in favor. Arkansas Chair: We have 18% of volunteer signatures.  We have tried legislation.  We did win a lawsuit.  We have had 3% in some state election  ever cycle since 2014.  Redpath: Nothing has been spent this year for ballot access.

Current alternative petition places are Maryland and North Dakota.  Martin speaks up for his scheme.  Redpath tried to shout him down.  Redpath is called to order. Martin says his scheme would work at $2 a signature, not $5 a signature.  Martin speaks up for JFCs to fund candidates. Nekhaila: We will send out a general mailer soon.  We will contact people who have donated for ballot access.  We have a million-name list and are pursuing data cleanup.  New Mexico is very exciting. Redpath apologizes to Martin for interrupting.  Says that Martin scheme has been tried in the past and failed.

Watkins: proposes that trying again and again to get 3%, 5%, etc., for statewide is a failure.  We should try for more local approaches.  Throwing money at state ballot races is ineffective.  We should try something else.  Pakko: this petition does get lower-race people onto the ballot.  Redpath; I do not think that running people for higher offices is a waste.  Starts advocating for alternatives to first-past-the-post.

Hallesy: Why is Arkansas asking the LNC for money rather than asking for donations? Pakko put up $5000 as a matching number.  It was matched.

Martin speaks in favor of his plan. Pakko speaks on what they are doing.

Nekhaila: I remember when we had real money.  We were giving $50,000 to candidates. I would like to do that again.  Speaks in favor of the TDR strategy as seen at the 2024 convention.  Local offices are our bread and butter.

Martin goes on at more length. There is a lot of repetition. McMahon says Project Overwatch has good points.  Something similar was tried in the past and failed. That does not mean we should not try it again. We need an answer for the petitioner in the next few days. Arkansas needs money today. We need to do more things and supply more tools.  Indiana needs 2% for Secretary of State ever four years.  We did that, so 2/3 of all new elected Libertarians in one year were from Indiana. Supports Arkansas spending.

Executive Committee comes to order. All 6 members are present. Redpath moves to encumber $10K for the Arkansas petition drive. 4 Yes, Watkins-No, Chair abstains.

Meeting adjourns rather more than three hours after things started.