Sean Haugh Elected State Chair
The Libertarian Party of North Carolina held its statewide convention
on May 3, 1997 in Charlotte. A new Executive Committee was elected to serve
the next two years, with Sean Haugh of Durham elected unanimously to State
Chairman.
Haugh is a longtime Libertarian and Executive Committee member. He was
the 1996 Libertarian candidate for Commissioner of Insurance and founder
of NC Liberty PAC. In recent weeks, Haugh has been travelling throughout
North Carolina helping build Libertarian support and organizations.
The delegates voted to create the position of Political Director on
the Executive Committee. Shannon O'Shields, the 1996 Libertarian candidate
for Superintendent of Public Instruction, and a graduate of the North Carolina
Institute of Political Leadership, was elected to fill the office.
Other positions were created in 1996, and filled for the first time
at this convention. Elected as Membership Secretary was Doug Berry of Cary,
while Dale Grote of Charlotte became the first Funding and Outreach Coordinator
of the LPNC. The addition of these new officers is expected to allow the
LPNC to better coordinate its activity and members, and translate into
better exposure and more votes at the ballot box.
Appearing at the convention were Beth Harvey, a member of North Carolinians
for Home Education, and Randolph Lee, a Charlotte attorney who served in
the Reagan Administration.
Beth Harvey, a homeschooling parent, discussed the benefits of homeschooling
over government-run schools. She also explained many of the legal hurdles
that homeschools have to face that government-run schools do not. The Libertarian
Party supports homeschools as a viable and successful alternative to the
failed publicly-funded school system.
Mr. Lee spoke about Liberty and the Law, and explained how the courts
have been the means through which the greatest victories for individual
liberty have been won. Noting that recent Supreme Court rulings have adversely
affected freedom, Lee stated that they still did better than Congress or
the President in protecting individual rights.
The Convention also recognized Dwight House, who stepped down as LPNC
Treasurer after 21 years of service. House spoke briefly of the growth
that the LPNC has seen through his tenure.
Sean Haugh, asked about the direction of the LPNC, stated, "Our
goal is to make the Libertarian Party a major party in the year 2000, and
that's what we plan to do."
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