Over the past weekend, the Libertarian Party of Arkansas held their annual convention in Little Rock. Building on the momentum that the party experienced over the 2020 electoral cycle, this year’s event was one of largest in recent memory, with over 80 libertarians from around the state and region in attendance.
Several speakers addressed the convention, both remotely and in person, including Spike Cohen, the Libertarian candidate for Vice-President last year, as well Arkansas’ own Ricky Dale Harrington Jr., our 2020 candidate for the U.S. Senate. The convention included some of the typical mundane tasks of a political party meeting: reports from party officers, debate over bylaws amendments, etc.
Perhaps the most important accomplishment of the convention was the election of officers and representatives to the party’s Executive Committee, who will lead the Party forward over the next two years. Several of the races were contested, with members vying for a seat on the board. Party Chair Michael Pakko commented “This was a novel experience for us. We’re often in a position of recruiting people to take on the responsibilities of being a member of the Executive Committee, but this year there was active competition. It’s just another sign of the growth and maturity that we’re going through.”
The new slate of officers for 2021-23:
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- Chair: Michael Pakko – Roland
- Vice-chair: Christopher Olsen – Viola
- Secretary: Lee Evans – Uniontown
- Treasurer: Stephen Wait – Little Rock
- District 1 Representative: Chris Lutterloh – Jonesboro
- District 2 Representative: Caleb Bryan – Conway
- District 3 Representative: Miranda Corwin – Lowell
- District 4 Representative: John Moreton – Fort Smith
- At-Large Representative: Linnea Gabbard – Vilonia
