Richard Longstreth, former LNC Member who voted for the prior suspension of Caryn Ann Harlos from the LNC, calls on Libertarian Party members to sign the appeal petition defending Harlos. You can read and sign the appeal petition at https://www.jotform.com/242868268003056. Longstreth writes:
To friends who remain in the Libertarian Party,
I have given much thoughts to the current activities of the current LNC and I am deeply concerned with their desire to suspend the Secretary, Caryn Ann Harlos, from the Libertarian National Committee. I hold a very unique position on this matter as someone who previously filed charges to have her removed from office and then voted in favor of her ultimate removal on a second set of charges in 2021. I urge all to sign the petition to appeal to the Judicial Committee.
I want to be clear about my previous actions. When I voted to remove Ms. Harlos it was because she created an extremely toxic working environment for those of us on the LNC. She made several untrue statements, attacked and disparaged her peers on social media and YouTube, and encouraged her followers to lash out out those she disagreed with on the LNC at the time. I voted to remove her because of feedback from those I served and a strong belief that it was in the best interests of the Party.
The current call for her removal is entirely different. Ms. Harlos is being singled out this time, not for her poor and unprofessional behavior, but because she did her job. That’s it. She is being brought up for suspension for having the audacity to ensure that Chase Oliver, our duly-elected Presidential candidate, was placed on the Colorado ballot and for asking for information relevant to the Party’s daily operations. Her actions were well within her realm of responsibility to the LNC and the delegates at the 2024 National Convention.
The actions of the LNC to suspend her appear to be an attempt to punish her for this and reek of a retaliation attack against her for simply doing the job of National Secretary, a role she won at the National Convention for a fourth term.
The board appears to be going along with the Chair’s desire to lash out at the Secretary and is allowing her personal grievances and official actions to go unchecked in a way that is wholly unfair and inappropriate against Ms. Harlos.
I voted to previously remove Ms. Harlos and I can assure you that we still do not get along, to this day, preferring simply to not engage with each other at all. However, I can also assure you that my support of this appeal is based on my firm belief that she has operated correctly in her role and fulfilled her duty. It is absolutely essential to the integrity and functionality of the LP that we do not allow personal grievances, fiduciary duty, and legal obligations to be threatened by inappropriate retaliation attempts.
I urge the Judicial Committee to overturn the suspension if it comes to fruition.
This is not about personalities or different libertarian philosophies – it’s about doing the right thing for the party and allowing our officers to carry out their duties in good faith without fear of backlash or removal.
I urge everyone to consider signing the appeal. I will provide a link in the comments of my OP. Let’s send a strong and clear message to this LNC that retaliation has no place in our Party’s leadership and that fairness, integrity, and duty are paramount.
I signed. You should too.
Sincerely,
Richard Longstreth
Former Colorado CD-2 Candidate
Former Libertarian Party of Colorado, Vice Chair
Former LNC Region 1 Representative
Former LNC At-Large Representative
Former member, LNC Candidate Support Committee
Former member, LNC Affiliate Support Committee
Former member, APRC-LNC
Former Chair, EPCC-LNC
Former member, National Bylaws Committee
Former member, National Platform Committee
You can read and sign the appeal petition at https://www.jotform.com/242868268003056.
