Libertarian Party

Press release:

The Genesee County Shooter’s Committee On Political Education (SCOPE) recently published their candidate ratings. They gave  Mark Glogowski, Ph.D., Libertarian Candidate for NYS Assembly District 139, a “D” rating. The copy of Scope’s rating document Glogowski received was partially obliterated, but what could be read stated “Glogowski supports the 2nd Amendment but lacks the … (two words unreadable) … in dealing with NY democrats.”

Glogowski said today that the “D” rating SCOPE gave him clearly doesn’t have anything to do with his position on your right to bear arms, nor the enforcement of the 2nd Amendment’s prohibition on governments passing laws infringing on your right to bear arms.

His position on the 2nd, 9th, and 10th Amendments are clearly explained on his campaign website page: www.glogowskiforassembly/the-second-amendment.

Glogowski said that the reason for the low rating is because is willing to vote for bills that protect your rights, liberties and freedoms no matter who proposes and supports those bills, even of those sponsors are Democrats.

The case in point, at the Oct. 12th meeting of Genesee County SCOPE, Glogowski criticized Assemblyman Steve Hawley’s opposition to the anti-SLAPP bill S.52A/A.5991-A. Glogowski emphatically said he would have voted for the bill, a bill that had overwhelming Democratic support and corresponding Republican opposition.

That bill was designed to protect you from the rich and powerful who have launched many frivolous “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation” (SLAPP) intended to stop such activity. According to Glogowski, the anti-SLAPP bill is consistent with the intent of the 14th amendment.

He stated he would have voted for that bill, and now believes that statement was the reason for SCOPE members to rate him a “D”; he will not willingly and blindly oppose Democrats and their proposals. Hawley, a solid Republican, voted against the Democrat-sponsored anti-SLAPP bill.

Glogowski was also very outspoken about the NYS legislators, including Hawley, who abdicated their responsibility to legislate earlier this year and who unconstitutionally transferred their legislative powers to Governor Cuomo.

“No incumbent should be reelected this year. Doing so would be an act rewarding them for their abandonment of their responsibilities,” Glogowski said.

Glogowski stated that he will support any bill, regardless of who the sponsors are, that will: reestablish county representation in the Assembly; end the tyranny of grants; furthers the reduction and elimination of state income taxes and real estate taxes; eliminate unconstitutional budget legislation practices; work to stop wasteful spending; work to overhaul the Election Laws; create line item veto powers for the Governor, Senate, and Assembly; create a balanced budget; decrease state mandates; and protect your rights, liberties and freedoms.

Glogowski claims Hawley’s “A” rating is not related to his position or actions concerning the 2nd Amendment. SCOPE has consistently overlooked Hawley’s vote cast to fund the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act of 2013, commonly known as the NY SAFE Act.

The SAFE act is clearly an unconstitutional gun regulation law. SCOPE also overlooked the explanation, provided at a New York Revolution meeting held in Genesee County, where Hawley stated that if he did not vote for the budget bill that included SAFE Act funding, he would have lost $28 million allocated for the Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing (WNY STAMP) Project.

With that statement, he traded your 2nd Amendment protection against tyranny for $28 million. The question today is why is he still receiving an “A” rating?

"Our right to own property, the right to own the fruits of our labors, both have already been traded for the thousands of dollars each year the government collects in taxes from you," Glogowski said. "What other rights do we have that will be traded for money this way?”

“We need legislators that will fight tyranny, not participate in the tyranny because it is convenient or that there is money in it for them.”

This year, with your vote, you can help put an end to this slide down the slippery slope to the Democrat’s tyranny of socialism or the alternative being the Republican’s tyranny of fascism. This year, Glogowski pleads, don’t make a choice.

Drive a stake in the ground and make a decision, a decision to Vote Libertarian. Vote for Mark Glogowski, Assembly District 139.

Press release from Duane Whitmer, Libertarian candidate for the NY-27 Congressional District:

Former Congressman Chris Collins has officially begun his prison sentence for his insider trading crimes. His guilt is not surprising. What is surprising is that he managed to get caught.

Duopoly politicians have abused their power and access for the pursuit of illicit profit throughout the history of this country, and it is only every once in a blue moon that we get to see one get caught like Rep. Collins.

Normally, these people are left untouched, free to continue their advocacy for endless warfare and welfare while acting against the public interest.

“The people of Western New York and, indeed, citizens all across the state, have seen this detestable movie over and over again for at least the past decade,” said Libertarian NY-27 Congressional Candidate Duane Whitmer. “Eliot Spitzer in 2008, Joe Bruno in 2009, Sheldon Silver and Dean Skelos in 2018...this list of New York State Republican and Democrat criminals continues ad infinitum.

"Chris Collins is simply the latest menace produced by the government criminal enterprise I just described, and NY-27 voters — apparently suffering from some form of Stockholm syndrome at the hands of the political duopoly — have accepted this criminal behavior as the norm.

"My message to the voters of NY-27 is that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing — meaning voting for Democrats and Republicans — over and over while expecting a different result. So, if voters truly want to throw off the oppressive shackles of both Washington and Albany and reassert their individual liberty, then it's time to make a different choice. I am that choice. The Libertarian Party is that choice.”

Rep. Chris Jacobs and Nate McMurray legacy Republican and Democrat NY-27 contenders have one thing in common -- they are all either current politicians or attorneys. Such professions dominate what are supposed to amount to part-time endeavors as "legislators" in Albany, and are wholly responsible for creating, condoning, and expanding the culture of rampant corruption that made Collins believe his insider trading scheme was acceptable.

By contrast, Whitmer has built a career as an accountant, fighting against the onerous state and county tax systems perpetuated by all of the aforementioned politicians so that everyday New Yorkers can experience the freedom of doing what they wish with the wealth their labor has produced.

In the wake of the Collins’ imprisonment, voters have the power to determine whether we go through another cycle of electing a career politician. But if voters truly desire less government involvement in their lives and more individual liberty, they need to reject the two-party duopoly and make Duane Whitmer the congressional representative for NY-27.

Duane Whitmer, the Libertarian Party candidate for Congress in the 27th District of New York, today accepted Democrat Nate McMurray’s invitation to Chris Jacobs to debate McMurray eight times during the election.

So far, Jacobs has ignored the invitation eight times.

“Chris may be afraid to debate Nate,” Whitmer said, “but Nate is apparently also afraid to debate me as he left me out of the invite. So, I hereby accept Nate’s invitation to Chris to debate Nate.”

Whitmer, who is the chair of the Erie County Libertarian Party, received the endorsement from the district county chairs of the Libertarian Party last night and is also petitioning to be on the Right to Bear Arms ballot line for both the special election on April 28th and the general election in November.

“I will really spice up this debate that would otherwise feature two corporate lawyers affiliated with Delaware North who are political centrists,” said Whitmer. “Without a candidate who proposes real change for the 80 percent of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, the audience could very well fall asleep from sheer boredom.”

Whitmer, who is a tax adviser who represents taxpayers before the IRS, said his key issues if nominated would be: ending the twin wars on peaceful gun owners and drug owners; ending the pointless foreign undeclared wars started by George W. Bush and Barack Obama; and drastically cutting federal spending to stop borrowing from our grandchildren to pay for our own greedy programs.

Whitmer, who ran track at Fredonia State, is originally from Franklinville and now lives and works in Lake View.

Press release from the Batavia-based Libertarian Party of New York:

Yesterday, the New York Campaign Finance Commission voted to raise the threshold for political parties to gain ballot access. In so doing, they voted to deny choices to the millions of New Yorkers who are fed up with the two major parties.

All New Yorkers should know this: THE FIX IS IN.

Despite the claims of Jay Jacobs, minor parties are not “sham parties.” The Libertarian Party earned ballot access in 2018 with 95,000 votes. Now, Andrew Cuomo wants to move the goalposts further back to 130,000.

Unless the state legislature acts, this change will become state law. We call upon the legislature to reverse this shameful decision and allow voters a choice.

The Libertarian Party of New York is determined to fight for fair and open elections for all New Yorkers and will use every resource available to us.

SHAME ON ANDREW CUOMO AND SHAME ON JAY JACOBS!

Libertarian Party of New York

P.O. Box 1627

Batavia, NY 14021-1627

Press release:

The Genesee County Libertarian Committee announced today that it is seeking candidates to run for local office in 2019.

After earning ballot access and duly constituted party status in NYS in the 2018 gubernatorial election, the onerous task of securing independent ballot petition signatures is no longer a requirement. In fact, for 2019, NO petitioning will be required.

Interested candidates who receive the endorsement of the local Genesee County committee will be certified for the Libertarian line on the ballot this November.

The Genesee County Chapter of the Libertarian Party was established in 2013 and has since regularly run candidates for public office. We welcome inquiries from those who believe in a limited and nonintrusive government, the unwavering defense of personal liberties and fiscal responsibility.

Potential candidates and those seeking more information about getting involved with the GCLP are encouraged to contact Chairman Mark Potwora at 585.993.3358 or by email at gclp.ny@gmail.com

Press release:

New York gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe (L), will meet with citizens of Batavia to share a Sunday afternoon of music and fun on July 22.

Joining Larry will be Lieutenant Governor Candidate Andrew Hollister and Mark Glogowski, who is running for the 139^th District NY Assembly seat. Music will be provided by the Old Hippies.

The event, hosted by the Genesee County Libertarian Party will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at T. F. Brown's (214 E. Main St., Batavia). Tickets are $20 and include a buffet lunch to be served at 2 o'clock.

Proceeds from ticket sales benefit the Sharpe campaign. Music will begin at 1 p.m. and continue until 2:30, at which point the candidates will make their remarks and answer questions. 

The event will also include a basket raffle and silent auction for the benefit of the Genesee County Libertarian Party. Results will be announced at 3:50 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased online here: 

For more information regarding this event or to purchase tickets directly, please contact Deborah Kerr-Rosenbeck as 585-356-1712.

Larry Sharpe (L) is a Bronx native, a Marine Corps veteran, an entrepreneur, and a management consultant with 15 years of experience mentoring international executives, entrepreneurs and sales people.

He is also a teacher, previously serving as a guest instructor for business management and leadership at institutions such as Yale University, Columbia University, Baruch College and John Jay College.

He is running for Governor of New York in order to make education more effective through innovation, reform the criminal justice system to focus on rehabilitation, and build an economy that works for all of New York State.

To schedule Larry for an interview, contact Lauren McKinnon at (347) 916-7732, or lauren.mckinnon@larrysharpe.com.

For more information about Larry Sharpe’s plan for New York, visit http://www.larrysharpe.com/.

The Libertarian candidate for governor, Larry Sharpe, stopped at T.F. Brown's in Batavia on Monday and told about two dozen people who attended the breakfast that he has two main issues in his campaign: fighting corruption and returning more control to local governments.

Sharpe's plan for eliminating corruption is to either eliminate or make more accountable the state's various boards and commissions, to change the way infrastructure is funded, and reduce if not eliminate taxpayer funding for economic development.

"Forget the MTA or the Port Authority or Oasis or the Board of Regents or insert name here," Sharpe said. "All they are are boards that now people can be rewarded for being party loyalists. That happens all the time.

"Our current leader, King Andrew, he actually has received over eight hundred thousand dollars from the people he's put on boards for his campaigns."

Sharpe said these boards are unaccountable and impose edicts that people can't fight.

They also give Gov. Andrew Cuomo a layer of insulation. They allow him to say, "it's not me, it's the boards," he said.  And he's insulated from any charges of corruption with those authorities.

"That's why everyone around him goes to jail not him," Sharpe said.

Sharpe's plan for infrastructure, he said, will not only help eliminate corruption but it will help get more things funded.

Local businesses should be able to sponsor locks on the Erie Canal to help cover its $100 million annual price tag for upkeep and maintenance. RIT or some other school should release its students on a project to come up with hovercraft to transport people and goods on the canal, which would also help being a student in New York more exciting, to work on those kinds of projects.

"I also want to build whatever is the new Erie Canal," Sharpe said. "I don't know what that is. I want to talk about it. I want to become the marketer-in-chief so I can sell whatever the new Erie Canel is. Is that a new Google road? Is that driverless vehicle road or something like that? I'm OK with that. Let's do it."

Google, or some other company, Sharpe said, would pay for it.

Bridges, he said, should be paid for by private companies. He envisions sponsorships or naming rights, just like, according to him, companies do with sports stadiums now.

"The idea of sponsoring stadiums is working," Sharpe said. "It is successful people keep doing it all over the place. You keep seeing it even locally now, right?"

When somebody in the audience suggested a company could fail, Sharpe said, "yes they could." 

But he said, have you ever heard of a stadium named after a company failing or falling prey to corruption?

He said the current system for building and maintaining bridges is rife with corruption and cronyism. Turning the bridges over to companies through naming rights would solve those problems, he said.

"Now while you may not like the idea of some company having the naming rights for a bridge at least the company that has naming rights for the bridge, that company is responsible," Sharpe said. "Someone is actually responsible. Right? Someone is. If they can't do it, you fire them and let another company in there. It's fine. Someone is responsible."

(NOTE: When a company buys naming rights for a stadium, the company is just another advertiser and does not participate in the management of the stadium.)

Just as important to Sharpe as eliminating corruption, the candidate said, is returning control to local governments. 

Not only would he end unfunded mandates, he said, he would eliminate all mandates.

Mandates, he said, discourage people from participating in government because they have no control over how their money is spent, so they just give up.

"I get that the reason why so many people don't want to show up for their own government," Sharpe said. "They believe there's no value in doing it. And in many cases they're right. If you have a county or a township or a village where my perception of your budget is mandated why bother showing up?

"Your county your township or village is actually being run by all of you in Albany or Washington, so why show up? It makes no sense. We have a situation where only the four of us show up. So guess what? I guess you're chair, you're vice chair, you're a secretary and you're treasurer. That's it. No one else ever shows up unless they're mad. You've seen that happen. I'm sure you have. People don't show up unless they're mad."

And then when the only people local government officials deal with are people who are mad, Sharpe said, they stop taking them seriously and then make decisions behind closed doors.

Eliminating mandates would re-engage people in their local governments, he said.

He also wants to create a $500 tax credit that people can direct to charities of their choice, with at least half required to stay in the county of the taxpayer's residence.

His other local issue he wants to change is economic development. He believes only private money should support economic development.

"There's a problem that has been popping up in New York State and that is if there's a problem, how can we find a government program to solve it," Sharpe said. "That has been failing again and again and again and again and again. I like when money goes to a small business. I like when money goes into a community. I like when money goes into a town or a city. That's awesome. But how about it not being taxpayer money?"

David Olsen, chairman of the Genesee County Libertarian Party, asked Sharpe to discuss his views on the Second Amendment.

He started by noting that the Second Amendment is about more than a right to own guns. 

"It says 'the right to bear arms,' Sharpe said. "What does that mean? It's the right to defend yourself, whether that's a knife, a gun, whatever, it's the right to defend yourself."

He added that the First Amendment and the Second Amendment are interlocked and the Founders intended these two key rights to top the Bill of Rights because of their importance.

"The First Amendment is the most important amendment," Sharpe said. "I don't care who you are. Number one. They're all important freedoms and number one is the most important. If you don't have free association, you don't have a religion, you don't have a press, you don't have freedom of speech. If you don't have those basic freedoms, you don't have freedom. That's the number one overall.

"The rest all matter. That one is number one over all of them. Without that there's nothing. That's critical. What did they put right after that? The one that defends the first. They didn't wait for the right to bear arms to be 10. They made that two."

Sharpe said he thinks the SAFE Act is horrible and though he wouldn't have the power to repeal it, he would pardon the 1,000 or so people who have been convicted of SAFE Act violations so far and encourage law enforcement not to enforce it. He would also block any SAFE Act funding. 

As governor, he said, he will be accountable, not appointed boards and commissions.

"What I'm saying is when I'm governor, I'll make sure that every board, every issue, every concern is either under me, chief justice, the Assembly, someone will be responsible for every single thing to get it done," Sharpe said. "I won't be like, our current governor who sits here his last State and laments about how tough things are. Anybody happen to see his state-of-the-state?

"Oh, tough, bad spot, things are so bad -- [interruption] -- he lamented how bad things were. He's the governor for seven years. He's the governor for seven years. What are you lamenting about? It's you. You're the one responsible. It just randomly happened that things got bad in seven years? Come on. It's crazy."

Press release from Dave Olsen, GCLP chairman:

The Genesee County Libertarian Party will hold its 2017 convention on Monday June 5, beginning 6:30 p.m. at T.F. Brown's Restaurant in Batavia.

Organizers expect to introduce three candidates for the Batavia City Council At Large positions.

Each will have a few remarks to make, along with Dr. Mark Glogowski, LPNY State chairman, Larry Sharpe, LP candidate for NY Governor next year, and possibly Austin Petersen, 2016 Presidential contender via video chat.

The public is cordially invited to attend and ask questions.

T.F. Brown's is located at 214 E. Main St. in Downtown Batavia.

Phil Ricci, upper right, leads a discussion at Coffee Culture among the more than 20 people who showed up to help form the Libertarian Party in Genesee County.

I was only there for a few minutes to get a picture. I'll let Phil, in comments, if he wishes, discuss what went on tonight and what progress was made.

The time might be right for a third party to try to make a difference in Genesee County politics, the way Phil Ricci sees it, so he along with a small group of like-minded residents are working getting the Libertarian Party established locally.

The process involves signing up members for the committee, holding a convention and finding a candidate or two to run for local offices.

"I think this has been coming for a long time," Ricci said. "There's a growing interest in the breakdown of the two-party system. People see either Republican or Democrat and they just don't fit in. I think what the ideology of Libertarian stands for is vastly misunderstood. More people have what I believe are libertarian beliefs and are looking for viable options to the two-party system. They want less intrusive government and people in government who are responsible financial stewards."

Rather than trying get candidates elected to national and state offices, Ricci thinks any viable third-party effort needs to start at the local level where it's easier to build an organization.

And localism fits well with the basic Libertarian tenant of less intrusive government.

"Here's the big thing -- I'm tired of people far away telling people here, where we live, what's best for us," said Ricci, who ran for Batavia City Council in 2009 and is currently a member of the Batavia City School District Board of Education.

"We control were we live, and we do that as an individual, so why does our government, which has no real local connection, even think about telling us what we should do for our local community? We need local ideas, local vision, to fix local issues."

At a minimum, Ricci would like to have Genesee County Libertarians well enough organized by late summer to run at least one candidate for city council, perhaps a candidate or two in village or town elections and maybe the county legislature.

"Our first goal is to allow people who support individual liberty to have a viable choice at the local level," Ricci said.

On Facebook: The Genesee County Libertarian Committee.