On March 31st at our annual convention Drew Beeman was elected as our new Chair. The following is from his acceptance speech.
Hello fellow Lovers of Liberty,
I am Drew Beeman and it will be my pleasure to serve you as Chair of the GRLP.
I would like to thank Chris Edes for his years of service as a founder and Chair to our party. Thank you Chris!
As Chair, my main goal will be to see our party grow, and make more of an impact here in the greater Rochester area. This year and in the coming years we have a wonderful opportunity to see our party grow and prosper. A great number of independent voters, Republicans, and Democrats describe themselves as “Socially liberal and fiscally conservative”. That is “libertarian”! A great number of voters are looking for a third party and more options at the ballot box. We can be that option!
The word “libertarian” is now in the lexicon of most Americans. Thanks to candidates like Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Gary Johnson, and others, we have heard the word in the national dialogue. Thanks to them, the message has gone forth and they have gained very dedicated followings. Also thanks to all of the libertarian activists, who support these candidates, and spread the message. Give yourselves a round of applause!
Our numbers seem to swell every national election year then dwindle when the euphoria wears off. We need to maintain a growing presence every year! I am very much hoping that we can gain the Ron Paul supporters, when they are done being ignored by the Republican Party.There is a place here for them in the Libertarian Party.
It is very important that we all remain vigilant. Liberty is being lost at every level of government.With recent legislation limiting free speech and assembly, and authorizing indefinite detention,and executive orders giving more power to the executive branch,we are losing our liberty. With law enforcement becoming militarized, and the growth of the Nanny state, we are losing our liberty.
On the local level we also have much work to do. We must restore the right to bear arms in county parks, and make sure the Legislature does not deny free speech with so called “anti-bullying” laws. We need to make sure that all individuals are being treated equally and fairly under the law. We need to push for more transparency and end corruption in local government. We must also remove regulatory barriers to job growth in our part of the state.
If we do not passionately fight for what we believe in we will lose. If we only come out and get active during national election years, we will lose. If we don’t continue to spread the message every way that we can we will lose. If we remain vigilant and active for the cause of liberty, we will win. We can restore liberty in our lifetime and for those who come after us.
Each of us can have a role to play to move our party and our message forward. Look within yourselves and find the talent, however small, that you can use to help. Each and every one of you can have an impact, whether you work behind the scenes, or run for office, whether you hit the streets, or post tweets. We all are important to the cause of liberty!
The GRLP looks to run candidates for local office. We need your support. We need people who are willing to run and people to support them. We need people to help with campaigns, websites, literature, you name it.
Recently 3 of us ran for County Legislature, and we all doubled the record of vote percentages for our party in upstate NY. We all ran our own campaigns with moral support and some financial support from some of you.
How much more could we do with active support!
Please help us to bring back lost liberty, and spread the message of liberty here in the Greater Rochester area! Join us, get involved, and find out what you can do to be actively engaged in fighting for liberty! Thank you.