Kole Stepping Down As Chair
Monday, January 24, 2011
The time has come for me to step down as County Chair. Family, work, and continued education concerns make it so.
I take stock in the gains that our organization has made in the past two years:
- Libertarian candidates for offices in our county were on the ballot again in 2010 for the first time since 2006.
- Our base more than doubled! I have previously crunched the numbers via this link.
- We have a full roster of officers in the organization.
- Our monthly Meet-Ups are well attended.
It is crucially important that somebody steps up to replace me as Chair. In the seven years I have been involved with the Libertarian Party here in Hamilton County, our organization has been characterized by members who will vote for our candidates, attend our events, financially support the organization, but shy away from being involved in leadership, and for the actions that are the reason for this organization to exist: running for office, and campaigning door-to-door.
We have very capable people in our membership. Libertarians are almost universally self-sufficient and achievers. Please consider bringing your talent to the Libertarian Party of Hamilton County, as a leader and/or as a candidate.
We have a clear momentum we can build upon! People are talking about libertarian policy and philosophy like never before. Hamilton County voters are at last beginning to shift from the old parties towards us. It would be a tremendous shame if the chapter were to fold for lack of participation at the leadership level.
At minimum, the Chair spends about 5 hours/week. This is what is needed to recruit candidates; answer questions from media and the public; watch issues affecting us here. Ambitious Chairs of course spend more time than that.
So, we will host a County Convention for the purpose of electing a new County Chair. Here are the details:
When: Thursday, January 27, 2011; 7-8pm
Where: Claude & Annie’s, 9251 E. 141st St, Fishers IN 46038
Who Can Vote: Those with current membership in either the national or Indiana Libertarian Party. Membership can be made current at the meeting prior to votes taking place.I'll look forward to seeing you at Claude & Annie's on Thursday!
Sincerely Yours-
-Mike Kole
Chair, Libertarian Party of Hamilton County
Labels: County Chair, County Convention, Hamilton County Libertarian Party, Mike Kole
posted by Mike Kole @ 3:08 PM,
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More Unofficial Returns
Friday, November 05, 2010
While we did not win our ultimate goals- election to office- in the recent general elections, the Libertarian Party can show that our base has grown significantly here in Hamilton County. Let us compare the countywide numbers with the same cycles from elections past:
2010 US Senate Results
Rebecca Sink-Burris
5380 votes, 6.66%
2004 US Senate Results
Al Barger
970 votes, 1%
(In 2006, there was no Democratic candidate for US Senate. Libertarian Steve Osborn got 4,226 votes, 8%, in a two-way race with Republican Dick Lugar.)
2010 Indiana Secretary of State Results
Mike Wherry
5,880 votes, 7.35%
2006 Indiana Secretary of State Results
Mike Kole
1,775 votes, 3%
2010 Indiana Auditor Results
Eric Knipe
3,360 votes, 4.31%
2002 Indiana Auditor Results
Bruce Parisi
1,535 votes, 4%
(The Libertarian Party did not field a candidate for Indiana Auditor in 2006.)
2010 US House, District 5 Results
Chard Reid
7,584 votes, 9.45%
2006 US House, District 5 Results
Shari Conover Sharlow
2,393 votes, 4%
Links to Hamilton County election results: 2010, 2006, 2004, 2002.
It has always been the experience of the Libertarian Party throughout Indiana that the candidates at the top of the ticket, for federal offices like President or US Senate, tended to get the lowest returns, with numbers improving further downticket in local races. So, the numbers pulled by Chard Reid and Rebecca Sink-Burris are positively encouraging.
Both Reid and Sink-Burris earned some broad name recognition, Reid having been endorsed by the Indianapolis Star, and Sink-Burris performing well in three televised debates. This clearly translated into votes for each.
These are huge gains that suggest to me that our base has grown significantly, and that the voters are increasingly comfortable with casting votes for offices perceived to be the most important. This is a source of great pride for me as County Chair!
The Secretary of State race is also very interesting to compare, as Mike Wherry more than doubled up my 2006 results, the Democrats stayed flat, while the Republicans took a hit.
2010 R: 67.03%
2006 R: 71%
2010 D: 25.62%
2006 D: 26%
No doubt the voter registration issues dogging Republican Charlie White were a factor here. Interesting, though, that White's status as Republican County Chair did not help overcome losing support to Wherry. But also, I suspect the fact of the Secretary of State race as the ballot status race for the Libertarian Party was also a factor.
In other races where we had candidates, Libertarians also fared well.
2010 County Council Dist 3 Results
Joe Tucker
2,761 votes, 17.08%
2002 County Council Dist 3 Results
Terry Baker
830 votes, 8%
There was no Libertarian in this race in 2006, and in 2002, Baker ran in a three-way race, so there isn't an apples-to-apples comparison available here. We can compare to a different district though. In 2002, in District 2, Gregg Puls ran in a two-way race for County Council and got 1,079 votes and 11%. It could be that the Noblesville area is more inclined to vote Libertarian than the Fishers area was at that time. It could simply reflect the party's growth, or more likely, some of both.
2010 County Council Dist 2 Results
Mike Kole
1,643 votes, 6.88%
2002 County Council Dist 2 Results
Greg Puls
1,079 votes, 11%
As with District 3, there was no Libertarian candidate in 2006, and there isn't an apples-to-apples comparison, because 2002 was a two-way, and 2010 was a three way race. I take stock in the increase in number of votes, especially considering there was a Democrat taking roughly 25%. No doubt in 2002, some Democratic voters cast votes for Puls lacking a candidate of their own to vote for. What I noticed right away, though, was that my 2010 vote total of 1,643 votes represents just three of the County's nine townships, my 2006 vote totals of 1,775 for the Secretary of State were taken from the entire County. That's pretty remarkable.
2010 Indiana House Dist 36 Results
Greg Noland
29 votes, 4.01%
2008 Indiana House Dist 36 Results
Greg Noland
36 votes, 3.41%
This is a nice one to compare, as we had the same candidate running against the same incumbent Democrat. While the Dem lost 10 points, we went up by more than half a point. This district is primarily in Madison County, but it does extend into White River and part of Jackson Townships.
2010 Indiana House Dist 87 Returns
Joe Hauptmann
1,638 votes, 16.76%
2008 Indiana House Dist 87 Returns
Pamela Hickman (Democrat)
4,991 votes, 31,19%
There isn't an apples-to-apples comparison for this race for 2002-2010, but this one is interesting. In 2008, there was no Libertarian candidate, and Republican Cindy Noe ran a two-way race with Democrat Pamela Hickman. Against the same candidate in 2010, Libertarian Joe Hauptmann got more than half the percentage of the Democrat, who was boosted by a national pendulum swing to the Democrats in 2008.
In Summary: Our numbers are going up despite our candidates not having huge advertising budgets. We do a fantastic job of taking advantage of earned media. The base of the Libertarian Party in Hamilton County is growing at all levels, but most significantly at the top of ticket, where voter confidence was previously very scarce. The key now is to translate more votes into more candidates for future ballots, and more volunteers to walk neighborhoods and work phone banks and polling places. We may be getting near to Malcolm Gladwell's tipping point, where we start electing officials to office in Hamilton County!
Labels: Chard Reid, Charlie White, Eric Knipe, General Election 2010, Greg Noland, Joe Hauptmann, Joe Tucker, Libertarian Party, Mike Kole, Mike Wherry, Rebecca Sink-Burris
posted by Mike Kole @ 9:05 PM,
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Unofficial Returns
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Unfortunately, I did not win in my bid for County Council. That's okay- I'll take stock in the positives:
I enjoyed going door-to-door to talk issues with my neighbors. I know that more people have an understanding of what a Libertarian would do in office if elected, and dispelled some misnomers.
We found where some of our supporters are. I am hopeful this will result in more people active with the Libertarian Party.
The support of friends was tremendous! Many, many thanks to friends who braved the cold to pass out palm cards on election day, including Jim Hurst, Mark Kolovrat, Craig Witt, Lars & Pami Noldan, and Matt Mulder.
The unofficial returns have me getting 6.9% of the votes, with the Democrat getting 24.8%, and the Republican 68.3%. This was the first time this Council seat had a three-way race. It was unchallenged in 2006 with the Republican unopposed, and in 2002 Libertarian Gregg Puls got 11%, but there wasn't a Democrat in the race. Now we know where the baselines are for this area.
The best Libertarian showing in a three-way County Council race was in 2002, when Terry Baker got 8% in the district that includes Noblesville.
The turnout was really low. Just 44% of registered Hamilton County voters appeared at the polls. That's disappointing, but consistent. 4 years ago, the turnout was also just 44%. It just goes to show that even though there is more media buzz and more commercials on TV, the result isn't necessarily translating into more voters.
More later on the Libertarian numbers for Hamilton County and across Indiana. Very encouraging!!!
Labels: ballot results, General Election 2010, Hamilton County Council, Libertarian Party, Mike Kole
posted by Mike Kole @ 9:59 AM,
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Ready To Vote!
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
I'm up early and ready to vote. I hope you will be voting too! The votes we cast are crucial in getting policies that will grow our economies, or our governments. In my Fishers precinct I will be voting for:
Labels: Chard Reid, election, Eric Knipe, Mike Kole, Mike Wherry, Rebecca Sink-Burris, voting
posted by Mike Kole @ 4:59 AM,
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Your Hamilton County Libertarian Candidates
Friday, October 15, 2010
Election Day is Tuesday, November 2. Be sure to plan to vote! Every resident of Hamilton County will have at least four Libertarian candidates to vote for.
US Senate - Rebecca Sink-Burris
US Representative, District 5 - Chard Reid
Secretary of State - Mike Wherry
Treasurer of State - Eric Knipe
There are additional candidates for portions of the county:
Indiana Representative, District 36 - Greg Noland (White River & Jackson Twps)
Indiana Representative, District 87 - Joe Hauptmann (part of Clay Twp)
Hamilton County Council, District 2 - Mike Kole (Delaware, Fall Creek, Wayne Twps)
Hamilton County Council, District 3 - Joe Tucker (Noblesville, Jackson, White River Twps)
Fall Creek Township Trustee - Lars Noldan
Election Day polling place staffing is also needed. A smiling face handing out palm cards can be worth a 5% boost! We especially need staffing for Joe Hauptmann in Clay Township, and Mike Kole in Fishers, although when you work your home precinct, you are most effective when you talk with your neighbors prior to their votes. We have materials for Rebecca Sink-Burris, Chard Reid, and Mike Wherry also.
Contact Mike Kole to schedule for AM rush (6-9am) and PM rush (4-6pm) and for materials pick-up.
Labels: Chard Reid, election, Eric Knipe, Greg Noland, Joe Hauptmann, Joe Tucker, Libertarian Party, Mike Kole, Mike Wherry, Rebecca Sink-Burris
posted by Mike Kole @ 3:11 PM,
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Kole Campaign Blog Posted
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Look for Mike Kole's new blog, posting items specifically relevant to his run for Hamilton County Council, District 2. To view his blog, click this link.
If you support Mike's campaign, become a follower of his blog and subscribe to the RSS feed.
Labels: blogs, Hamilton County Council, Mike Kole
posted by Mike Kole @ 1:38 PM,
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Kole On WXNT, Monday
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Be sure to tune in at 7am to WXNT 1430-am to hear Mike Kole on the Abdul In The Morning Show.
Host Adbul Hakim-Shabazz has also invited State Chair Sam Goldstein and Executive Director Chris Spangle to join Mike in talking all things Libertarian. Kole will promote the upcoming Meet-Up & County Convention, plus the platform the county party will adapt at the convention.
Labels: Abdul In The Morning, Chris Spangle, Mike Kole, Sam Goldstein, WXNT
posted by Mike Kole @ 11:17 PM,
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