Liberty Dinner Recap

The 2010 NHLA Liberty Dinner at The Chateau Restaurant in Manchester, N.H. was a huge success.  There were approximately 150 people in attendance between the VIP Reception and the dinner.

This year’s Legislator of the Year award went to Rep. Carol McGuire of Epsom.  Her unwavering support and continuous push for more liberty, demonstrated by her impeccable voting and attendance record, earned her the highest score and this most prestigious award.  Congratulations!  The runner-up was Rep. Calvin Pratt of Goffstown.

Along with presenting the award, we unveiled NHLA’s 2010 Liberty Rating.  To see how lawmakers scored on this year’s liberty report card, visit http://www.nhliberty.org/2010_liberty_rating.  Please share this with your friends and encourage them to use it as a voter’s guide.

This year’s Activist of the Year award was presented to Matt Simon of NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy (http://nhcommonsense.org/).  His hard work, dedication, and influence in the State House and in the public, with the passage of a medical marijuana bill in both the House and the Senate, earned him the recognition of this honorable award.  Congratulations!  The runner-up was Barbara Aichinger of NH Property Rights (http://www.nhpropertyrights.com/), whose up-hill struggle to educate property owners and legislators of a little-known practice called “involuntary lot merging” captured the Board’s attention.

Keynote speaker Jeffrey Miron delivered a powerful, informative, and timely speech on the dangers and failures of marijuana policies in today’s society.  Centered around the California Initiative, Miron’s message captivated the audience with many facts and references for people to research if they wanted to learn more.  To view a video of his presentation, click here.  To learn more about Jeffrey Miron, visit his website at http://jeffreymiron.com/.  His book, “Libertarianism from A to Z,” can be purchased at Liberty Books and Comics in Concord.

Emcees Denis Goddard and Lydia Harman of NH Capitol Access were absolutely fantastic and very entertaining.  They did a great job keeping the event on schedule.  Thank you!  We encourage everyone to watch them on their weekly television series at www.nhcaptv.com.

A very special “Thank You” goes to Amanda B., organizer of the silent auction fund-raiser held at the event.  The amount of money raised for the PAC Fund was greater than expected.  The new $900 injection will help the campaign of many pro-liberty candidates in this year’s elections (see list of endorsed candidates below).  Awesome job, Amanda!

A very big kudos goes to Kevin B., organizer of this year’s Liberty Dinner.  The large time commitment spent coordinating this event was not easy and did not go unnoticed.  The Board would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Kevin for an outstanding job well done. 

Civic Action

Last month, the NHLA donated $100 from the Civic Action Fund to help an 8-year-old girl, Bella Tucker, in Londonderry, N.H. who lost both her arms and legs to a serious infection this past spring.

Click here to read Bella’s story.

The Civic Action Fund was created to help support private, non-government funded organizations (such as Scholars’ Academy in Manchester) or fellow N.H. citizens in time of need (like the family above).  If you become aware of other people or places that could use our support, email chair@nhliberty.org with your suggestions.

Candidate Training Session

The next candidate/campaign training session is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, August 15th at 2:00 pm at The Draft in Concord.  This session is part of a continuing series presented by former State Representative Don Gorman.

R.S.V.P. to chair@nhliberty.org if interested. 

Board Positions

Have you ever thought about serving on the NHLA Board of Directors?  It’s a great way to take a leadership role in promoting liberty in New Hampshire. 

The Board has seven positions (Chairman, Vice Chairman, Political Action Director, Treasurer, Membership Director, Research Director, and Secretary) and each position is a two-year term. The Board meets once a month, at a central location, usually in Concord, to plan, organize, and brainstorm ways of pushing liberty forward and promoting the NHLA through legislative activism and public outreach.  These all-volunteer positions are very rewarding and do require some time commitment. 

This September, the NHLA will be holding elections for Chairman and Research Director.  The Chairman is responsible for setting the agenda for the meetings, presiding over the meetings, recruiting new Board members, and scheduling the annual meeting.  The Research Director is responsible for bill review oversight and training, producing the weekly Gold Standard, producing documentation of NHLA positions on key legislative issues, and developing the Liberty Rating for Board approval.  More details about the Board and the organization can be found here on our website.

We are now accepting nominations for both positions.  Please submit names (or questions about the process) to chair@nhliberty.org.

It’s never too early to start considering your role in NHLA leadership.  NHLA members are always welcome to join us for any of the monthly Board meetings to learn how to get more involved, give input, and see if it’s right for you.  The next Board meeting is Sunday, August 15 at 11:00 am prior to the annual meeting.  Hope to see you there. 

Annual Membership Meeting

This year’s annual membership meeting will be Sunday, August 15 starting at 1:00 pm in New Boston.  The Board will report on the past year’s events and successes as well as objectives for the upcoming election and legislative seasons.  Members are welcome to present thoughts or suggestions to the Board on how to improve the NHLA’s influence and recognition. For more information about the annual meeting, including the venue location, email membership@nhliberty.org.  We hope to see you there.

Please consider bringing something to eat or drink for all to share.  We will have a pot-luck luncheon immediately following the meeting.

R.S.V.P. to secretary@nhliberty.org if you’re planning to attend. 

2010 Endorsed Candidates

Below is the list of the official 2010 NHLA endorsed candidates.  Many hours were spent sifting and sorting through all the data, and after careful consideration, we feel that these candidates are the absolute best choices for NH voters and worthy of a NHLA members’ support.  Campaign contributions were sent to those candidates who scored highest on the Liberty Rating (incumbents) or on our candidate survey (new candidates). 

This year is a big year for moving liberty forward in New Hampshire and we must do everything we can to ensure that these candidates make it into office.  We encourage all members to pick at least one candidate to help with campaigning (signing, literature drops, phone calls, door to door, etc.).  By working hard to get these candidates into office, we can help keep liberty a tradition in New Hampshire.

Primary Election Date:  September 14, 2010
General Election Date:  November 2, 2010

Official 2010 New Hampshire Liberty Alliance Candidate Endorsements*

Candidates marked with an asterisk (*) have a contested primary 

* Candidate endorsements may be added in the future as more surveys are returned.  Check our website regularly for updates. 

Liberty Books

Jim Dodson of Liberty Books in Concord (75 Allison Street) hosts NHLA’s monthly Board meetings.  Please visit this treasure-filled store for books on history, economics, and politics, as well as an unrivaled collection of graphic novels and comic books.  You may also visit Jim on the web at http://www.libertybooksnh.net/. 

Communications Volunteers

Our thanks go out to Andrew Manuse for his efforts in writing professional press releases for NHLA. 

Kellie McGuire has also been helpful in her communications and outreach efforts.

We salute you both!

Get NHLA news fast by becoming a fan on Facebook.com  http://facebook.nhliberty.org/

Help support the NHLA by making all your Amazon purchases through the NHLA/Amazon.com affiliate program.  Go to http://www.nhliberty.org/books_and_videos and click on the “Shop at Amazon.com!” link.