Caryn Ann Harlos has made a public statement about the condition of the LNC’s minutes. We quote from her email sent to all LNC members, as it appeared on the LNC-public_forward list:
Re: It is alarming to see that no one apparently knows how to calculate a vote
I want to be clear I do not see any conspiracy. What I do see, and I have not been shy about this, is a loss of our institutional memory and a failure of a steadfast commitment to transparency. It starts with secret discussions on the LNC list and then on to non-published minutes. Not even public drafts. The votes at meetings are not on the voting spreadsheet (which they had been for 7 years) so members literally have no idea what was passed at meetings and even if they listened, no way to go back and make sure their recollection is correct. Alicia Mattson and I worked very hard to raise the bar on institutional record keeping so that members could be informed, and it has all gone away.
This is not about any one person. It is a culture. And it started with the shutting down of the LNC list. Unless something is actually executive session (legal, contracts, the very narrow category of political strategy requiring confidentiality), I encourage each and every one of you to forward those emails to the public list. I know for a fact things are being kept secret which should not be. We can quibble about the JC decision. That is what I mean about culture. For as much as he is demonized, Nick Sarwark opened up the LNC list. He didn’t fear the members seeing it all (with those narrow exceptions) and respected us enough to keep us informed. But it is in fact an absolute Bylaws violation that on the minutes section of the official website the last minutes are from June. The last set *I prepared.* I am appealing to your respect for member rights to stop having secret discussions. But I am telling you that the bylaws are being violated by the lack of records:
“The Secretary or a designee shall promptly post notice for each session of the National Committee; any National Committee proposed agendas; and approved minutes of each convention and open National Committee session to a permanent archive section on the Party’s website.”
Have there been no approved minutes since June of last year?
This isn’t directed at Evan though someone may take it that way. This is a
culture problem.In Liberty,
Caryn Ann
I have heard there is misinformation on Facebook claiming that customarily staff posts the minutes on the website. I can tell you that is absolutely false for the seven years I was Secretary. I posted them. Promptly. I also. maintained the Sub-Committees page.
What happened before me isn’t particularly relevant because the website was changed somewhere around 2017 from Drupal (not easily accessible to the average non-techie) to WordPress which it has been since and is simple.
It is ultimately the Secretary’s responsibility. Again, I am not trying to slam on Evan, but I am not going to have my diligence in this diminished. I did it.
Here’s something else that others might not be up to date on.
“Bruce Alexander Knight
LPO as PRIVATE CLUB
I see that the Libertarian Party of Oregon has reverted to being a private club. According to information posted at lporegon.org I can’t be a “regular member” and vote at the nominating convention unless I pony up $50. I guess the “free and fair elections” clause of the Oregon Constitution no longer applies.
I was a libertarian before the party existed, joined the party in 1980, and served as LPO Secretary for many years. I’ve campaigned for public office and supported other Libertarian campaigns as a treasurer and speech writer. To the best of my knowledge I am the only Libertarian ever to finish second in a general election for US House of Representatives.
I have voluntarily sent $50 checks to the LPO each year for decades — not as “dues” but to help fund Libertarian activities, especially the statewide primary elections that began in 2012. But now I see no hint that the party will conduct its primary election this year. Is my only hope of running for Oregon House of Representatives in my district to pay another $50 and travel halfway across the state to the June nominating convention? No, thank you.
I was proud to belong to the Libertarian Party of Oregon as a public organization. I am uninterested in joining a private club whose members would prefer to keep the riffraff like me out.
The selective silence is very loud.
Also I made an error, Evan does put meeting votes on spreadsheet. I searched for a vote and could not find it but that must have been my error in searching.
I apologized to Evan for that oversight.
But my point remains. Opaque LNC discussions, no minutes, no reports repository.
I was corrected by someone in the party a long time that list was opened before Nick. My recollection it was Nick but irrelevant to my point. The lack of transparency and accountability is a culture problem.
Find me the committee reports discussed in December. No one can because the One Note was eliminated too.
Don’t ask me for money if you are letting McArdle off and I can’t see the business of the Party.