The minutes of the 3 July meeting were approved.
The Chair reported on his visits to the office and other activities since the convention.
The Treasurer reported on various financial issues including the problems with accounts receivable. Amendments to the policy manual were made concerning: reporting of revenue shortfalls, handling of special events accounts, and booking of contractual obligations.
The LNC went into executive session to hear additional information from the Treasurer.
The Executive Director reported on the work of the Marketing Director, including results of the survey of current members, lapsed members, and inquiries. He reviewed progress on the metrics indentified in the strategic plan for this year and provided revenue and expense projections for the remainder of the year. He reported that the Development Director was no longer working for us and that the Marketing Director would be shifting his focus to major donor work for now.
The LNC went into executive session to discuss personnel issues.
A resolution was unanimously adopted concerning the resignation of Steve Dasbach as Executive Director. The Chair was directed to assume the responsibilities of Executive Director with Dasbach taking on a consulting role. There was discussion of additional steps needed to effect the transition to a new Executive Director.
There was discussion of additional reports to be provided to the LNC by the Executive Director, the schedule and format for presenting the proposed 2003 budget to the LNC, and the process of determining expense reductions. A resolution was adopted concerning the financial situation.
The General Counsel reported on legal issues including the status of the "Section 527" case and new FEC regulations arising from the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA).
The LNC went into executive session to discuss the implications of the BCRA for our operations. The Chair announced the conclusions reached with respect to various issues: payments from states for memberships and materials will have to be either from an FEC-filing committee or directly from individuals, actions with respect to contributions from minors cannot be determined yet, administration of LP News and rental of its subscriber list will be outsourced, and an independent committee will be established that may operate our national conventions.
The following appointments were made to committees: Advertising and Publications Review Committee - Joe Dehn, Dan Karlan, Lee Wrights; Audit Committee - Austin Hough, Bob Sullentrop, Jeff Zweber; Convention Committee: Sean Haugh, Joe Dehn, Nancy Neale, BetteRose Ryan; Program Committee - Michael Gilson de Lemos, Randy Holcomb, Phil Miller, Steve Trinward. Mary Ruwart was confirmed as Internal Education Coordinator and authorized to place items in LP News.
A formal definition of the Employment Policy and Compensation Committee (which currently consists of Mike Dixon, Mark Rutherford, and BetteRose Ryan) was adopted.
A new Political Steering Committee was created to advise on getting more Libertarians elected to office. Appointments to this committee are to be made at the next meeting.
Several regional representatives gave brief updates to their written reports.
A format for presentation of the Platform Executive Summary on the web site was approved.
There was discussion of to what extent material posted to the LNC discussion e-mail list should be considered confidential.
There was discussion of the possibility of forgiving Gene Cisewski's debt.
Other items briefly discussed included: disclosures of potential conflicts of interest, renewal rates, candidate debates, budget requirements for dedicated fundraising efforts, implementation of the new version of UMP, the need to give priority to UMP payments to the affiliates, the schedule for filing of FEC reports, and suggestions from members concerning ideas that are working for affiliate parties.
It was decided to hold a meeting in February 2003 in conjunction with the state chairs conference, for LNC members and SPT participants, for the purpose of communicating with the state chairs and reviewing the strategic plan. (This will not be a formal meeting of the LNC.)
The next meeting is scheduled for 14-15 December 2002 in the Washington, DC area.
Note: This is only a summary of the meeting, and is not intended to be relied upon as a complete record of business.
In accepting the resignation of Steve Dasbach as Executive Director of the Libertarian Party, the Libertarian National Committee thanks him for more than 20 years of service to the Party, culminating in his 5 years as National Chair and his 4 years as Executive Director. We commend his dedication to the cause of liberty and recognize his tireless efforts in this often difficult pursuit.
The Libertarian Party, like many non-profits, has experienced a downturn in fund-raising over the last 12 months. Though many special projects have been successful, and Libertarian Party candidates across the country are succeeding like never before, the national office fund-raising appeals have underperformed.Based on this knowledge, the LNC has taken steps to control costs at the national office, and is working with our vendors to improve our cash position.
The LNC asks for the understanding and support of our valued members and donors in this difficult time. With the continued support of our members, contributors, volunteers, and activists the LNC is confident that the Party will return to solid financial footing in the near future, and that it will remain a strong member driven organization serving its state affiliates.