Luke Brumfield, chairman of the Libertarian Party of West Virginia (LPWV), was interviewed in the Charleston Gazette-Mail on plans to nominate between three and six candidates for the Charleston city council, when the LPWV holds its annual convention in April.
From the Feb. 17 article, “Libertarian candidates running in city election,” by Lori Kersey:
At least three Libertarian candidates plan to run for Charleston City Council in this year’s election.
Jerry Tucker and Anthony Woods will run for at-large seats and Chris Kessell will run to represent Ward 8, according to Luke Brumfield, chairman of the Libertarian Party of West Virginia.
None of the three names appear on the Charleston city clerk’s official list of candidates. That’s because only Republican and Democratic candidates — and not candidates from the Libertarian or other parties, or independent candidates — will have to run in the May primary election.
Instead, the Libertarians will hold their party convention April 28 in Clarksburg to choose their candidates, Brumfield said.
Brumfield said that, nationwide, the Libertarian Party’s elected officials are in local offices, some of which are nonpartisan positions like school boards, judges, and some city councils.
“We don’t have the whole machine of a large party structure, a lot of [political action committees] and things like that to be a able to compete in terms of just the fundraising and the organization it takes to run maybe a statewide campaign,’ Brumfield said. ‘But when it comes to being someone in the local community, everyone starts off running for their city council or House of Delegates race.”
“That’s how most people get interested in politics, and since we have very few people elected, most people are running their first time and they have good standing in the community; they know people.”
The Libertarian Party will nominate up to six candidates for at-large seats and up to one candidate per city council ward.
Learn more at the West Virginia Libertarian Party’s website: LPWV.org
