Brief by Central Staff
Politics – May 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
Colorado’s Libertarians will gather May 17-19 in Leadville for their state party convention, where they will nominate their 2002 candidates for state office, discuss political strategy, and hear from a variety of speakers.
The keynote speaker, scheduled for 7 p.m. May 18, is Bill Masters of San Miguel County (Telluride), the only Libertarian sheriff in the United States. He is the author of Drug War Addiction: Notes from the Front Lines of America’s No. 1 Policy Disaster, and that will be the topic of his speech.
Other scheduled speakers include Douglas Bruce, the main mover behind Colorado’s tax-limitation amendment, and Colorado Central’s own Ed Quillen, who plans to talk about a new and improved state constitution.
All events will be held at the National Mining Museum and Hall of Fame, and the convention fee is $75 for individuals and $125 for couples if you register before May 1. For more information, you can check out the website at www.lpcolorado.org, call state chair Ari Armstrong at 303-412-8356, or write him at P.O. Box 745015, Arvada CO 80006.
As for the philosophy of the Libertarian Party, think of Thomas Jefferson’s statement that “The government that governs best, governs least,” and you’ve got it.
Leadville is the only city in Colorado with a Libertarian majority on its city council, but that isn’t why it was picked for the convention site, according to Carol Hill, who’s one of those Leadville Libertarian council members.
“The decision was made last year,” she said, “when there were only two Libertarians on the council. The party decided Leadville was a good site because most of our members are on the Front Range or in the Four Corners area, and Leadville sits in between, so it’s convenient.”
And there’s also a chance that its altitude and consequent shortness of breath will prevent long-winded political speeches, although she didn’t mention that benefit.
