Libertarian Party of Texas

Libertarian Party of Texas
Chairperson	Pat Dixon
Vice-Chair	Steve Nichols
Second Vice-Chair
Treasurer	Kevin Hutchinson
Secretary	Eugene Flynn
Member at-large
LNC Region	1
Founded	1971
Address	P.O. Box 41059 Austin, TX 78704
Website	http://www.lptexas.org/

June 2006 meeting of the Texas SLEC

Officials

Pat Dixon, chair
Steve Nichols, vice chair
Eugene Flynn, secretary
Kevin Hutchinson, treasurer
Vance Lowery, district 1
Allen Weatherford, district 1
Robert Appelbaum, district 3
Rhys Blavier, district 4
Edwin Zimmerman, district 5
Eric Holdt, district 7
Jay Cookingham, district 7
David Mason, district 8
Jim Prindle, district 8
John Shuey, district 9
Warren Sippel, Jr., district 9
Jessie Bouley, district 11
Michael Figaro, district 11
Virginia Ginn, district 12
Jeff Daiell, district 13
Guy McLendon, district 13
Matt Finkel, district 14
Gary Johnson, district 14
Pru Rearden, district 15
Paul Petersen, district 16
Zackary Smith, district 16
Michael Lee, district 17
Robert Lapham, district 18
Mette Baker, district 19
John Jay Myers, district 23
Jon Roland, district 24
Lee Wrights, district 24
Laura Ann Valle, district 25
Chuck Young, district 25
Roger Gary, district 26
Melissa Martinez Carrasco, district 26
Jim Holdar, district 27
Bard Clardy, district 28
Richard Forsythe, district 30

Staff

Robert Butler, Executive Director
Amie Parsons, North Texas Director
Christie Pearson, Gulf Coast Director
Heather Fazio, Membership Coordinator
Art DiBianca, Data Manager
Rob Lapham, Ombudsman

Past Officers, Staff, and Committee Members

Pat Dixon, chair (2004-present), district 14 representative (2002-04)
David DeLamar, chair (2002-2004)
Geoff Neale, chair (1998-2002), treasurer (2004-2007), district 14 representative (2008 )
Jay Manifold, chair (1994-1996), vice chair
Joe Barnett, chair (1993?-1994)
Bruce Baechelor, chair (1988-?)
Roger Gary, chair (1984-1988), district 26 representative (2009-12)
Alma K?, chair (1982?-1984?)
Honey Lanham, chair (1980?-1982?)
W T Fraser, chair (early 1980s)
Mike Grossberg, chair (1970s)
Bill Howell, chair (1970s)

Robert Appelbaum, district 3 representative (2010-12)
Mette Baker, district 19 representative (2010-12)
Patrick Barton, staff assistant (2007-2008)
Kendall Beerwinkle, district 16 representative (2002-04)
Marshall Beerwinkle, district 16 representative (2002-04)
Wes Benedict, executive director (2004-2008)
Rhys Blavier, district 4 representative (2010-12)
Jessie Bouley, district 11 representative (2010-12)
Joye Brooks, district 25 representative (2002-04)
William Brooks, district 25 representative (2002-04)
Mary Ann Bryan, district 7 representative (2008-10)
Melissa Martinez Carrasco, district 26 representative (2010-12)
Bard Clardy, district 28 representative (2010-12)
Laura Coker-Garcia, secretary (2004-2008), district representative
Jay Cookingham, district 7 representative (2008-12)
Bobby Copeland, district 22 representative (2009-10)
Emily Cowan, district 14 representative (2009-10)
David Wallace Croft, district 9 representative (2001-c.2004)
Barbara Cunningham, vice chair, district 5 representative (2002-04), Publications Committee Chair, Lone Star Liberty editor
Jeff Daiell, district 13 representative (2008-12)
Art DiBianca, assistant executive director
Tim Dove, district 2 representative (2002-04)
Frederick Drew, district 27 representative
David Durbin, district 8 representative (2002-04)
Peter Elloway, district 13 representative (?-2004)
Paul Farris, district 5 representative (2002-04)
Michael Figaro, district 11 representative (2010-12)
Matt Finkel, district 14 representative (2008-12)
T. Evan Fisher, district 16 representative
Eugene Flynn, district 23 representative (2002-03; 2008-10)
Vicki Flores, district 23 representative (2002-04)
Richard Forsythe, district 30 representative (2010-12)
Anthony Garcia, treasurer (2004), district representative
Clyde L. Garland, vice chair (2000-2002)
James Gholston, district 30 representative (2001-04, 2005-10)
Virginia Ginn, district 12 representative (2010-12)
Megan Gray, district 12 representative (2008-09)
Kevin Hagan, district 12 representative (2002-04)
Catherine Harrell, district 19 representative (2002-04)
James Harrell, district 19 representative (2002-04)
John Hawley, vice chair (2002-04), district 23 representative
Jim Holdar, district 27 representative (2010-12)
Eric Holdt, district 7 representative (2010-12)
Rock Howard, district representative, political director (2001-02)
Kevin Hutchinson, treasurer (2010-12)
Christopher Jagge, district representative, Organizing & Outreach Committee Chair (2000-02)
Gary Johnson, district 14 representative (2010-12)
Keith Johnson, district 2 representative (2002-04)
John Jones, district 10 representative (2008-10)
Tom Kane, district 21 representative (2002-04)
John Kormylo, district 13 representative (2002-04)
Brian Kuzma, secretary (2008-10)
Robert Lapham, district 18 representative (2010-12)
Michael Lee, district 17 representative (2010-12)
Bob Lockhart, treasurer (1986-2004)
Vance Lowery, district 1 representative (2010-12)
Joe Marcom, district 6 representative (2008)
David Mason, district 8 representative (2008-12)
Tom Maxton, district 2 representative (2002-04)
Guy McLendon, vice chair (2008-10), district 13 representative (2010-12)
Jack McNally, district 27 representative (2002-04)
Linda McNally, district 27 representative (2002-04)
Royce Mitchell, Jr., district 11 representative (2002-04)
Gordon Mobley, district 24 representative (2008-09)
John Jay Myers, district 23 representative (2009-12)
Nancy Neale, vice chair, district representative, Publicity & Advertising Committee Chair
Steve Nichols, vice chair (2010-12)
Stan Norred, district 11 representative (2008-10)
Paul Osborn, district 16 representative (2008-10)
Allen Patterson, district 10 representative (2009-10)
Paul Petersen, district 16 representative (2010-12)
Terry Liberty Parker, vice chair
Paul Petersen, district 16 representative (2008-12)
Hugh Parsons, district 18 representative (2008)
Jim Prindle, district 8 representative (2010-12)
Pru Rearden, district 15 representative (2010-12)
Robert Restivo, district 28 representative (2002-04)
Jon Roland, district 24 representative (2008-12)
Coy Reynolds, district 22 representative (2008-10)
George Schwappach, Campaigns & Elections Committee Chair (2000?-2002), district 24 representative (2002-04)
John Shuey, district 9 representative (2008-12)
Warren Sippel, Jr., district 9 representative (2010-12)
William Sparkman, district 9 representative (2008-10)
Alan Smith, district 2 representative (2002-04)
Lance Smith, Finance Committee Chair, district 7 representative (2002-04)
Zackary Smith, district 16 representative (2010-12)
William Strange, district 8 representative (2008-10)
Jim Stutsmen, district 25 representative (2009-10)
Jim Thompson, district 30 representative (2002-04)
Bob Townsend, district 15 representative (2002-04)
Kevin Tunstall, vice chair (2006-2008), district representative
John Turnbow, district 28 representative (2002-04)
Laura Ann Valle, district 25 representative (2010-12)
Richard E. Walker, Database Committee Chair, district 14 representative (2002-04)
Allen Weatherford, district 1 representative (2010-12)
Craig Weems, district 5 representative (2008)
Stephanie Berlin Weiss, secretary (2000-2004)
Robert West, district 12 representative (2001-04)
Krista Wheatly, district 31 representative (2002)
Ernie Whiteside, district 9 representative (2001-02)
Lee Wrights, district 24 representative (2010-12)
Chuck Young, district 25 representative (2010-12)
Edwin Zimmerman, district 5 representative (2010-12)

Candidates

main article: List of Texas Candidates

The Texas election code provides for two classes of political party, and the requirements it imposes are presently both a blessing and a curse. At present, only the Democratic and Republican Parties operate under the rules for parties that nominate conventions by primary. Second-tier parties nominate by convention, and it was the second tier rules that the Republican Party was operating under at the start of the 20th Century. The rules to qualify for convention-nominating parties was changed in 1967 from an organizational requirement (delegates from 20 organized counties that held county conventions at the state convention) to a petition-gathering one that instead is essentially a fundraising barrier -- one that rather than forcing parties with growth potential to build up, ignores organizational capability and instead drains the pockets of their memberships, except in cases such as in 2010 when Republican Party operatives appear to have been responsible for paying more than half a million dollars to get the Green Party back on the ballot. Another party to have ballot access as a convention-nominating party since the mid-1990s is the now defunct Natural Law Party. Fortunately, unlike other states, Convention nominating parties, as they do not cost taxpayers money to select their candidates, do not have the state collecting a fee or requiring petition signatures to avoid the administrative fee. This makes it less difficult to recruit candidates in Texas than other states, as long as the Libertarian Party can stay on the ballot. Since 1980 there has only been one election cycle where the Texas LP failed to get its candidates on the ballot (1984). Petition gathering efforts by the Constitution Party, the Green Party, and independent Ralph Nader for President were unsuccessful.

In order to maintain ballot access, Texas, like many states, puts in requirements that force smaller parties to pursue statewide races that are nearly impossible to win in order to maintain ballot access, and most parties, unlike the Texas LP, are generally unable to stay on the ballot. The requirements are 2% in a gubernatorial race and 5% for any other statewide race to stay on the ballot without being forced to petition.

In 2010, Texas again came close to its goal of 200 candidates on the ballot in the November elections (closer than it came in 2008), and may succeed in 2012. As has been pointed out many times by chair Pat Dixon, when the Texas LP talks to legislators in the capital it can do something no other pro-freedom organization can do. It's not offering favors or campaign contributions or public relations. It's telling them that they're going to be facing our candidates in the next election, and the more they grow the state government the more voters will vote for the LP candidate instead of them.

2010 statewide candidates include:

• Kathie Glass for governor
• Scott Lanier Jameson for lieutenant governor
• Jon Roland for attorney general
• Roger Gary for railroad commissioner
• Mary Ruwart for comptroller
• Rick Donaldson for agricultural commissioner
• James L. Holdar for land commissioner
• William Bryan Strange III for Texas supreme court place 3
• Tom Oxford for Texas supreme court place 5
• Jack Armstrong for Texas supreme court place 9
• J. Randell Stevens for criminal appeals place 2
• Dave Howard for criminal appeals place 5
• Robert Ravee Virasin for criminal appeals place 6

Noteworthy Elections

• Texas Congressional District 22 in 2006

External Links

• Libertarian Party of Texas