[Lnc-business] Committee applications

Thu Mar 16 03:28:51 EDT 2017

Alicia,

	Your characterization of my advocacy for transparency ("Starchild is on the LNC this year, and many of us know from experience that he often will not agree to refrain from posting all data he receives on the internet") may be a bit misleading. There is some information, notably individuals' Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, etc., which I see no reason why we should ever post to the Internet, and I don't believe I've ever said anything to the contrary.

	As far as personal contact information however, some party members want their information out there so that other Libertarians can reach them if interested! Others simply don't care, while still others do not want their contact information widely shared. So in general I believe the correct procedure is for us to ask our members, donors, etc., which of their information they want such info to be made publicly available, and generally follow their individual wishes – not simply make a blanket presumption in favor of secrecy!

	People in the party leadership however – and in this category I would include people on LNC-created subcommittees and on the Bylaws-mandated Platform, Bylaws, and Credentials committees, as well as national convention delegates – should, in my opinion, be expected to provide an email address and phone number at which ordinary party members can contact them. This is important to having a transparent, bottom-up organization in which the leadership is accountable to the membership.

	Information provided by individuals seeking leadership positions should likewise be made available to ordinary Libertarians, to enable them to make informed decisions on whom to support or not support for leadership positions, and as part of the LNC operating transparently in general. However while I think LNC members, or the LNC as a body, can let applicants know the kind of information we'd like to see from them, and take an applicant's having provided it or not into consideration when making our choices, I don't believe the LNC should impose any absolute requirement for a committee applicant to provide any particular piece of personal information as a condition of seeking appointment, beyond verifying any qualifications that our Bylaws may require of someone holding a position (e.g. being a national LP member).

	If a person is appointed and becomes part of the leadership, that is the point at which I would support a requirement that they provide a phone number and email address at which to be contacted by their constituents, in keeping with basic accountability as noted above. Or at the very least, language on our website next to their names where such contact info would normally appear saying, "Member declined to provide a phone number", "Member declined to provide an email address", etc.

Love & Liberty,
                                   ((( starchild )))
At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
                                (415) 625-FREE
                                   @StarchildSF

On Mar 15, 2017, at 11:09 PM, Alicia Mattson wrote:

> In past years I have accumulated all the applications, bundled them into a single sorted PDF file, asked Robert to check membership statuses, and provided the bundles to the LNC in advance of the meeting.  
> 
> This year I advertised that applicants should apply by April 5, which would be 10 days prior to April 15, so that I could send them to the LNC approximately one week in advance of the meeting.
> 
> If some LNC members wish to see them earlier, I can do that.  By this weekend I can bundle what has been received so far.
> 
> There is an issue here regarding handling the contact information for applicants.  I don't post these files on open email lists because they contain personal contact details intended for use by the LNC but not necessarily for use/search by anyone connected to the internet.  Instead I distribute them in a way which limits access to the LNC only.
> 
> Starchild is on the LNC this year, and many of us know from experience that he often will not agree to refrain from posting all data he receives on the internet.  As a result the LNC has to have these conversations periodically about what is or isn't an appropriate use of such data.
> 
> Starchild, if I were to give you access to contact info for applicants in advance of the meeting, would it wind up posted on the internet?  On the day of the meeting, of course, all applicant names would be placed in nomination so you can participate in the vote and have a list of the applicant names in front of you whether or not you received their contact information in advance.
> 
> Unless the LNC directs me to do otherwise, I'll make an applicant bundle by this weekend, provide it to LNC members/alternates who request to see them early and who agree to not re-distribute the contact information, and I'll ask Wes to add those people to the recipient list for future applications.
> 
> For those who don't specifically request the data early, you'll get the week-in-advance bundle.
> 
> -Alicia
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, Mar 15, 2017 at 11:09 AM, Wes Benedict <wes.benedict at lp.org> wrote:
> Caryn Ann, you did not direct this question to me specifically, so I'm not sure if you are asking me specifically. In any case, I'll just let you know that it is technically feasible for staff to provide all the applications to you. But I would want either the chair, the secretary, or the LNC as a whole to ask me to do that, or if there were no objections for a couple days from any on theLNC that'd be close enough for me). I don't mind. I just think I'd be overstepping my authority simply sending them to you directly. And I'd rather the Secretary assemble them and send them to LNC members, but I don't mind having staff do it. It would probably fall on Andy Burns. 
> I believe the bylaws specify the ten top states in membership get to appoint people. I can't tell you off the top of my head exactly at what date that top ten is decided (see the bylaws to find out), and I think the Secretary has to officially report it, but you can get a real good idea of the top 10 by looking at the membership reports we send out. For example, below is an image from the February report page 2. Shows the rankings. The top 8 aren't likely to change. But I think it's possible number 11 (Colorado), and 12 (Georgia), could move up in the rankings. But again, I forget the deadline that matters and encourage you to read the bylaws to get clarity or wait for the Secretary to respond. 
> <ejnfbjkfhnejpehp.png>
> 
> Wes Benedict, Executive Director
> Libertarian National Committee, Inc.
> 1444 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314
> (202) 333-0008 ext. 232, wes.benedict at lp.org
> facebook.com/libertarians @LPNational
> Join the Libertarian Party at: http://lp.org/membership
> On 3/15/2017 1:53 PM, Caryn Ann Harlos wrote:
>> Hello all I am bumping this.  We have limited time before the meeting, and I would like to speak to applicants either personally or by email, and from what I understand we have had a healthy response so I need adequate time.  Can these please be made available?
>> 
>> Also rather than bumping another thread, some of my states have asked me about which states get a Platform Committee seat and Wes asked the regionals to touch base with the affected states.  May I please have that list as well?
>> 
>> -Caryn Ann
>> 
>> On Mon, Mar 13, 2017 at 11:40 AM, Caryn Ann Harlos <carynannharlos at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I would like to request that any interested LNC member be able to see these as they come in.
>> 
>> -- 
>> In Liberty,
>> Caryn Ann Harlos
>> Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Harlos at LP.org
>> Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
>> Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus 
>> Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee
>> 
>> A haiku to the Statement of Principles:
>> We defend your rights
>> And oppose the use of force
>> Taxation is theft
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> In Liberty,
>> Caryn Ann Harlos
>> Region 1 Representative, Libertarian National Committee (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Washington) - Caryn.Ann. Harlos at LP.org
>> Communications Director, Libertarian Party of Colorado
>> Colorado State Coordinator, Libertarian Party Radical Caucus 
>> Chair, LP Historical Preservation Committee
>> 
>> A haiku to the Statement of Principles:
>> We defend your rights
>> And oppose the use of force
>> Taxation is theft
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Lnc-business mailing list
>> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
>> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Lnc-business mailing list
> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Lnc-business mailing list
> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
> http://hq.lp.org/mailman/listinfo/lnc-business_hq.lp.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://hq.lp.org/pipermail/lnc-business/attachments/20170316/13eb281e/attachment-0002.html>