Non Partisan Libertarianism

This comes from friend Wes Benedict of the Texas LP:

Friends of Liberty:

Several Libertarian Party members in Texas have thrown their hats into the ring to run for local offices in the May 12, 2007 general election. Political parties don't actually nominate candidates in these nonpartisan races, and no party affiliation is listed on the ballot (whether Libertarian, Republican, Democrat, etc.). However, all candidates listed below met the definition of membership in the Libertarian Party of Texas or National LP in 2006.

Contact the candidates directly if you would like to help with their campaigns. Some of them have been soliciting donations to help purchase yard signs and other forms of advertising. Donations can be mailed to the addresses listed below, and in some cases there's an online option on their websites.


Pat Dixon - Lago Vista City Council, Place 1 (http://patdixon.org)

5002 Sundown
Lago Vista, TX 78645
(512) 267-3941
pat@patdixon.org

Lago Vista, Texas: located northwest of Austin in Travis County
Population: 5,600

Pat Dixon is Chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas. He's running for re-election to the Lago Vista City Council, Place 1, which is an at-large seat. His only opponent is someone he actually appointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Pat thinks this will be a "tough" race with some insiders working against him because of his strong support for property rights and opposition to eminent domain abuse.


Michael Haven - Pine Island City Commissioner, Place 1

20341 Pierceall Rd
Hempstead, TX 77445
(281) 579-8885
mike@mphauto.com

Pine Island, Texas: located west of Houston in Waller County
Population: 830

According to Michael, "Pine Island city is the largest by area city in Waller county," even though it has a small population. He is in a two-way race against the incumbent for this at-large seat. Michael owns a motorcycle dealership in Houston.


Michael Idrogo - San Antonio Mayor (http://michaelformayor.info)

317 West Rosewood Ave
San Antonio, TX 78212
(210) 738-8780
michaelformayor@excite.com

Population: 1,250,000

Michael Idrogo is a retired U.S. Navy officer and was the Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Representative, District 20 in November 2006. According to Carl Anderson, Bexar LP Vice Chair, "The Libertarian Party of Bexar County has expressed its unofficial support for Mr. Idrogo, as this election is nonpartisan." He has six competitors for the office, including the incumbent, Mayor Phil Hardberger.


Gary Johnson - Austin ISD Trustee, District 2

2001 Parker Ln Apt 134
Austin, TX 78741
(512) 441-6378
sedition@aol.com

Population: 690,000 (note: about one-seventh live in District 2)

Gary Johnson is a long-time Libertarian activist from Austin who runs the cable access television shows "Live & Let Live" and "Smash the State." He has run for offices in the past as a Libertarian and currently serves as Secretary of the Travis County LP. He is in a four-way race to complete this seat's unexpired term. Gary recently caused a stir by opposing taxpayer money for a television truck that would compete with private businesses. The story was covered by the Austin American-Statesman:
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/03/15/15urban.html


Matthew Moseley - Richardson City Council, Place 6 (http://www.matthewmoseley.org)

P.O. Box 831734
Richardson, TX 75083-1734
(469) 879-4234

Richardson, Texas: north of the City of Dallas in Dallas County
Population: 99,000

Matthew Moseley was the 2006 Libertarian Party candidate for State Representative, District 112. He is in a two-way race for this at-large seat. Sean Haugh, who tracks Libertarian candidates nationwide, had this to say: "In my personal view you were one of the most active and exciting candidates we had in 2006 and you are putting everything you learned last year to great use in a winnable race this year."


Kevin Tunstall - Missouri City Council, District C (http://elect.kdtunstall.com)

13110 Mula Ct Suite C
Stafford, TX 77477
(281) 983-9936
info@kdtunstall.com

Missouri City, Texas: southwest of Houston in Fort Bend County
Population: 70,000 (note: about one-fourth live in District C)

Kevin is in a two-way race for this seat. He says, "I am running because folks are tired of controversy and the misplaced priorities in city government." Read about the controversy in Missouri City that drove Kevin Tunstall, Fort Bend LP Chair, to throw his hat into the ring:
http://www.fortbendnow.com/opinion/2541/in-missouri-city-sidewalk-policy-could-spark-a-political-uprising
Read about the exciting last-minute filings in his race here:
http://www.fortbendnow.com/opinion/2670/racers-take-their-marks-and-one-mayor-bets-on-another

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Additional notes about local elections in Texas

Election rules, including the timing of elections, vary widely throughout the state. For example, there are no Austin City Council seats up for election in 2007, while many other cities around Texas do have elections. Some places have races for school board and community college boards of trustees.

It's not uncommon for turnout in May elections to be as low as ten percent, adding to the potential for a hard-working Libertarian with a well-organized campaign to actually win, as has been done recently: http://lptexas.org/inoffice.shtml

Note, the "at-large" designation means the candidate is voted on by the entire city, not just a district of the city.

If you're running for local office in May 2007 and I missed your name, please let me know. Candidates are listed on our state website as well: http://lptexas.org/candidates.shtml

--
Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian Party of Texas
512-442-4910