Dear Friend of Liberty,
It has been a pleasure serving as your Executive Director for the past 2 1/2 years. I feel like we've accomplished a lot over this time, and I thank you all for your support of the LP.
However, in September I gave 90 days notice that I was leaving the job of Executive Director at the national headquarters in Washington, D.C. at the end of the year because I'm getting married and moving back home to Louisiana.
And now, I am delighted to announce, LNC Chair Mark Hinkle hired long-time Libertarian activist Carla Howell to serve as your new Executive Director.
Ms. Howell has an impressive resume of political and business experience.
Political:
o 308,860 votes - 12% of the vote - as Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate against Ted Kennedy and a Republican candidate in 2000. The highest % in party's history for a Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate in a 3-way race (against both a Republican and Democrat). Her campaign raised over $821,000 for that race-an amount unheard of for most Libertarian campaigns.
o Two-term Massachusetts Libertarian Party State Chair (1997-1999)
o Organized and ran the most successful regional Libertarian Presidential campaign fund-raiser in party history (Harry Browne, 1996); filled Faneuil Hall and Parker House to capacity in Boston (where John Kennedy announced his 1960 presidential campaign).
o Successfully fund-raised for and ran 5 Libertarian candidate statewide petition drives in 1998, 2000, and 2002 with 100% success rate in making ballot.
o Organized and managed two statewide libertarian ballot initiatives to End the Income Tax in Massachusetts in 2002 and 2008. Endorsements from Wall Street Journal, Steve Forbes and National Taxpayers Union. Almost one million votes each time.
o Featured stand-alone guest on O'Reilly Factor, Neil Cavuto, Glenn Beck, and Fox Business News Happy Hour as well as hundreds of TV interviews and debates during the last 12 years.
o Covered by Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, The Economist, and USA Today.
o Co-founded Center For Small Government which advocates for specific proposals to shrink Big Government.
o Spearheaded 2010 statewide ballot initiative to roll back the sales tax garnering 966,973 votes - in liberal Massachusetts!
o Ran against Presidential candidate Mitt Romney for governor in 2002.
Business:
MBA 1985, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts
Twenty years experience in product/project management, marketing, and software development
I am especially pleased that we have found someone with such an impressive background to continue working to build the Libertarian Party and reduce the size of government.
I am most impressed by the fact that Carla Howell ran the most successful campaign for U.S. Senate in the history of the LP, and that she got an initiative to end the income tax on the ballot in Massachusetts which almost won with 45% of the vote! Wow!
Join me in welcoming Carla Howell to the Libertarian Party national headquarters. Carla can be reached at carla.howell@lp.org.
Finally, I want to send out one last LP Monday Message thank you to all of the Libertarian Party activists, donors, candidates and supporters like you. You make the LP what it is.
Sincerely,
Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee
P.S. If you have not already done so, please join the Libertarian Party. We are the only political party dedicated to free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can also renew your membership. Or, you can make a contribution separate from membership.
