As taken from my book Funding Liberty, 3mpub.com. The reprinting was paused for a bit because I had other time commitments, but we now resume.
The Vice Chair Election
Having dealt with the Browne-Willis scandal, the National Committee turned to the election of a new Vice Chair. Outgoing Vice Chair Dan Fylstra had urged the election of Ken Bisson. Four days after Fylstra’s resignation, friends and supporters of Donald Gorman of Deerfield, New Hampshire persuaded Gorman to run for Vice Chair. An on-line petition advocating his election by the LNC appeared at http://www.petitiononline.com/GoGorman/petition.html.
Gorman was a four-term New Hampshire legislator and current public officeholder as Chairman of the Deerfield Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Gorman was soon endorsed by former LP National Secretary John Famularo:
“Most attendees at the national convention in Anaheim recognized that Don Gorman is a great asset to the Libertarian Party, which was shown by Manny Klausner and Ed Clark’s successful motion to suspend the rules and offer Don the VP position on the LP national ticket. Even though he turned down the popular call to be the VP candidate, he continued and continues to tour the country with his candidate training seminars see: http://www.gorman2000.com/
“At this point in the party’s history, attempting to develop a new strategic plan while suffering continuing and significant losses in membership, and faced with dealing with the escalating Browne/Willis fraud investigation, the LNC needs a mature, experienced, independent and morally based influence on the board and the executive committee.”
The election of Vice Chair happened late on Sunday. Don Gorman finished behind Ken Bisson on a vote of 10-7. Bisson’s elevation to the Vice Chair position created a vacancy for an At-Large Representative. In a further election for an At-Large Representative, Don Gorman defeated
Charles Williams (South Carolina State Chair) on a 13-4 vote.
The National Committee then agreed to elect one more member to the Executive Committee, to bring its membership back to 7. The candidates were Gorman and Eli Israel. Gorman finished behind Israel on a 10-8 vote.
While all elections were by secret ballot, my friends and members of the press had ascertained who was committed to supporting whom. Based on a variety of sources, for the Vice Chair election a best estimate of the supporters of the two candidates is
Gorman: Kaneshiki, Gaztanaga, Milsted, Dehn, Scherrey, Nelson, Turney.
Bisson: Lark, Givot, Martin, Bisson, Lieberman, Israel, Karlan, Rutherford, Hoch, Dixon.
However, at least one LNC member has opined to me that Nelson supported Bisson, and Hoch or Lark supported Gorman.
National Chair Lark had a long history of abstaining on all motions. He had even abstained as described above when Scherrey’s Motion of Substitution reached a tie vote. Lark did not abstain in any of the elections. In the two close elections, my sources assert that Lark voted against Gorman. For the Executive Committee election, all Bisson votes transferred to Israel; Gorman was his own eighth vote.
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