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[Freeman]

Allez, quelques bonnes nouvelles ne font jamais de mal.

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Texas LP chair elected to office

Patrick Dixon, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Texas, was elected May 7 to the city council of Lago Vista, taking 68 percent of the vote to defeat an incumbent councilman. It was his first campaign for public office.

Lago Vista is a city of about 5,100 residents just northwest of Austin. There are seven council members, and Dixon will serve a two-year term on the council.

Dixon said his two biggest immediate concerns for city governance are the city's debt and zoning ordinances.

"We have at least $26 million in debt, and our annual revenue is about $3 million, over half of which goes out for public safety and administration," he said. "We have to find something to do about that debt.

"In my campaign I said we need to concentrate on the core functions of government. I pointed to the law enforcement and said that's something the government should certainly do. There isn't really a lot of fat to cut out; we're going to have to be pretty austere about a lot of things. But there are other things that we can streamline, and I hope we'll be able to do so."

The city's zoning ordinances need to be revisited because they keep people from developing property and buying homes or businesses in Lago Vista, Dixon said.

"We're growing, but not very quickly," he noted. "We're being very hard on business owners and people who want to buy homes, and I think that's a disincentive to development. I think we would grow faster if we weren't providing that disincentive. The community is beautiful -- a huge lake and hills, and a forest out there -- and I think a lot more people would be attracted here if it weren't for the problems we're causing for developers and business owners."

Dixon, an industrial consultant by trade, has lived in Lago Vista for seven years. He said he believes his experience will help bring efficiency to the city council.

He also said he plans to purchase each of the other six council members their own copies of two books: Frederic Bastiat's The Law and 2004 LP presidential candidate Michael Badnarik's It's Good to be King.

"I'm doing this with the idea that if they wonder about how I vote on the council, at least they'll be able to understand the principles on which I'm basing my vote," Dixon explained.

This campaign proved something to Libertarians in the Austin area, he said, noting that "when Libertarians get together on a winnable race like this, we can win big.

"I got donations from Libertarians all over the country on this. The energy put into the race by members of the Libertarian Party had a lot to do with this victory. To be honest, we really have an unfair advantage in these situations.

"If you're running for Congress as a Libertarian and trying to raise millions of dollars, it's hard. But if you just need a few thousand dollars for a winnable race, it's a distinct advantage to be part of the party. In a city council race like this, our nationwide organization can be a tremendous advantage."

Using donations, Dixon was able to run ads in the local newspaper, send two direc mail pieces to about 800 people -- all those who voted in the previous city election -- and hire a caller to do phone solicitation in the days before the election. He also put out 100 yard signs, further spreading his name around the city.

And it worked. Almost 950 people voted, which is a significant increase over previous city elections, and Dixon defeated his opponent by more than a 2-1 margin.

"While Lago Vista is a rather small city, Mr. Dixon's victory does confirm what I have been saying for years," said Jeff Daiell, a member of the Texas LP's executive committee and chairman of the Libertarian Party of Harris County, Texas. "In elections where the rules are the same for all candidates and special-interest money is not an overwhelming factor, Libertarians can, and often do, win."

In nearby Austin, Wes Benedict -- executive director of the Texas LP -- came in second place in a five-way race for a city council seat, earning him "grudging acknowledgement in the media as a serious candidate that represents a growing force in Austin politics," said Rock Howard, chairman of the Travis County LP.

- Published in the June 2005 issue of LP News -

[Fredo]

He also said he plans to purchase each of the other six council members their own copies of two books: Frederic Bastiat's The Law and 2004 LP presidential candidate Michael Badnarik's It's Good to be King.

"I'm doing this with the idea that if they wonder about how I vote on the council, at least they'll be able to understand the principles on which I'm basing my vote," Dixon explained.