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May 2022 ~ Jeramy Kitchen

This month we welcome guest speaker Jeramy Kitchen, Executive Director of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, an independent educational non-profit organization seeking to illuminate the actions of government, educate and equip citizens to effectively advocate for pro-taxpayer reforms, and hold lawmakers accountable for their actions.

Jeramy Kitchen has managed campaigns for conservative lawmakers across the state of Texas and has served as Chief of Staff for multiple state lawmakers, as well as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the largest public policy think tank in Texas. Most recently, he served as the Capitol Correspondent for Texas Scorecard to focus on bringing transparency to the Texas legislative process.

Come hear what Jeramy Kitchen has to say and ask him any questions on Monday evening, May 9th @ 6:45-9 p.m. at Casa Chapala Mexican Cuisine & Tequila Bar, 9041 Research Blvd. in Austin (near 183 and Burnet Road).

2022 County Convention Followup

Eric Guerra & Ted Brown

Travis County Libertarians held our County Convention on Saturday the 12th at Pioneer Farms in Austin.

Eric Guerra retired as Chair of the Libertarian Party of Travis County and was presented with a plaque to commemorate his service by new County Chair, Ted, who “was honored to be elected Chair of LPTravis for a two-year term.” About 30 Libertarians attended to conduct party business.

Nominated for Public Office to appear on this November’s ballot:

  • Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2 – Christopher David
  • State Representative, District 46 – Tom Kost
  • State Representative, District 48 – Dan McCarthy
  • State Representative, District 49 – David Roberson
  • State Representative, District 50 – Ted Brown
  • State Senator, District 14 – Pat Dixon

Delegates voted to amend the party bylaws to add two new officers to the Executive Committee: Vice-Chair and At-large Representative.

Elected County Party Officers for 2022-2024:

  • Chair – Ted Brown
  • Vice-Chair – Dan McCarthy
  • Secretary – Amy Gunkler
  • Treasurer – Diane Engel
  • At-large – Judith Ruder

Travis County was allotted 18 delegate positions at the upcoming state convention. Delegates elected are: Clark Patterson, Pat Dixon, Ted Brown, Mark Tippetts, Girish Altekar, Nancy Neale, Bill Kelsey, Steve Haskett, Art Dibianca, Mary Haskett, Geoffrey Neale, Tom Kost, Judith Ruder, Eric Guerra, Matthew Heflin, Sarah Heflin, John Ruder, and Diane Engel.

Alternates elected are: Peter Churchman, Chris Baker, David Roberson, Dan McCarthy, Daniel Hurley, Andrew Hohenstein, Jonathan Patschke, Brad Nielsen, Nathan Shepard, and Keith Bailey.

Thanks to new member Sarah Heflin for taking the photos. And thanks to those dedicated Libertarians who attended the convention to take care of important party business.

Conventions 2022

The Libertarian Party of Travis County will be holding three upcoming conventions to nominate candidates for the 2022 general election, as well as electing party officers and state convention delegates.

To be eligible to participate, voters must affiliate with the Libertarian Party by not voting in the Democratic or Republican primary, and by attending the upcoming Libertarian Party conventions.

Precinct Convention
The Precinct Convention determines your eligibility to participate in the county convention. You must be a registered voter in Travis County. This convention is Tuesday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m. at Mister Tramps Sports Pub & Café, 8565 Research Blvd., Austin, TX 78758.

Meeting in the private back room, “doors open” at 7:00 p.m., with business beginning as early as 7:30 and as late as 8:00, and ending whenever we’ve accomplished the objective of the Precinct Convention.
Except for one little loophole, attendance at this convention is imperative in order to become a delegate at the subsequent county, state, and national conventions.
We encourage those who can and would like to arrive when doors open to place orders at the restaurant/pub in an effort to decrease hustle & bustle once business begins, and in support of this locally-owned venue that is so generously giving its space to us.
Once adjourned you may rush right out, or stay awhile since Mister Tramps remains open until 2:00 a.m.

County Convention
The County Convention is the main county party business meeting and nominating event. This convention is on Saturday, March 12, at 10:00 a.m. at Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms, 10621 Pioneer Farms Drive, Austin, TX 78754. This event will last through lunchtime. The agenda includes: Bylaws, Nomination of local Libertarian candidates; Election of Party Officers; and election of delegates to the Libertarian Party of Texas State Convention.

Scheduled until 3:00 p.m. in Wessel’s Hall, it may end sooner. LPTravis will provide lunch, probably pizza, and anyone’s invited to bring a potluck dish or drink to share.
Volunteers are encouraged to arrive at 9:30 a.m. to help setup and/or stay an extra few minutes following adjournment, especially since LPTravis will be responsible for setting out and putting back tables & chairs, stored in the same building.
We request your assistance and cooperation in leaving the facility the same or better than we found it.
Besides participating in the future of LPTravis, this is an opportunity to explore and enjoy the historic grounds of this iconic venue. So those attending may bring their families, and so long as another adult is with any children they may take part in any other activities taking place at the time. Then afterward, anyone may stay and join other activities or just tour Pioneer Farms until closing at 5:00 p.m.
Some onsite events require reservation ahead of time, but for others anyone can just jump right in, and a few may charge a nominal fee, so please peruse prior to attending: special events Barnyard Buddies & Spring Stampede, plus classes in Yoga, Archery, Blacksmithing, and Current Exhibitions.

Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park

District Convention
The District Convention is the nominating convention for districts that are in several counties. There are three districts (two Congressional and one State Senate) in this category. This convention is on Saturday, March 19 at 11:00 a.m. at Walnut Creek Park, 12138 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin TX 78758.

The plan is to park in the lot nearest to and meet in the Picnic Shelter, unless all 4 tables are already taken or it is occupied by another party that has officially reserved it from the City of Austin Parks & Recreation Dept., in which case we can meet on the grassy area between it and parking.
Therefor, whoever arrives first, please claim a table for us if it has not been previously reserved.
This is typically a quick event, likely lasting less than a half hour.
For those who may wish to make an afternoon of it, enjoy exploring the park and its many amenities.

LPTexas recently recorded a series of informative interactive livestream videos for County Affiliates, including one specifically about these upcoming conventions on Facebook & YouTube, and is holding yet another livestream event especially for counties on Sunday, March 6th at 2:00 p.m.: Convention & Bylaws Q & A Forum. For your reading pleasure, here are our current and links to proposed LPTravis Bylaws thus far, open to questions & comments and subject to a vote at our County Convention.

Please stay tuned and check on changes to this article for updates, and please be there!

Next up: LPTexas & National Conventions

February 2022 ~ Liberty Lovers Day

February’s Monthly Happy Hour Meeting will be filled with news about the upcoming Precinct & County Conventions, along with Candidate & Communications updates.

Precinct Convention
Tuesday evening, March 8, 2022
Mister Tramps (tentative)
Read more

County Convention
Saturday daytime, March 12, 2022
Casa Chapala (tentative)
Read more

Travis County encompasses the capital of the Lone Star State. As such, our opportunities are many and unique. Please consider stepping up into a position to help as much as able, whether it’s to run for a party office or volunteer on a team.

Let’s show our love for one another and liberty on Valentine’s Day, Monday the 14th, at Casa Chapala on Research Blvd. at the northeast corner of Burnet Road!

January 2022 ~ Happy New Year

NOT to be confused with “2020, too”

When: Monday, January 10, 2022 @ 6:30-9PM
Where: Casa Chapala Mexican Cuisine & Tequila Bar
What: New Year News, Guest Speaker, Candidates, and Party

LP Travis is starting the new year loaded with news, candidates, parties, and more great guests:

The LP-UK was founded on January 1, 2008. So it celebrated its 14th birthday 14 years ago on New Years Day 2022!
Andrew P. Withers is stopping by on his visit from across the pond where he is a founding member of the Libertarian Party of the United Kingdom (LP-UK) to say a few words about the condition of freedom in Great Britain. (Let’s just say it’s good that we broke off from those fellows back in 1776!)

Candidates will be coming to talk about their runs for office, answer questions, and we hope leave with more supporters for their respective races.

The Board of Directors of Texas Gold will announce that tickets have become available for the 50th Birthday Party it’s throwing for the Libertarian Party of Texas later this month on its actual Golden Anniversary, along with some perks for those who register, and other news about this momentous milestone occasion.

Come start the new year on a high note with us to hear & talk about issues of the day and meet more local Libertarians on the 10th day of this brand new year!