By Dan Spalding
InkFreenews

WARSAW – One of the oft-heard reasons cited by new candidates running for local office is their desire to “give back.”

That line – as sincere as it often is – is rarely heard when sitting around a table of Libertarian Party enthusiasts weeks before an election.

Over dinner, a handful of them sound passionate, policy-driven, and fueled in part by past pandemic policies.

And in Kosciusko County, they are on a bit of a roll.

Whether this third-party movement locally has traction down the road could become more clear on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 8 when the local party boasts more Libertarian candidates than in recent history – maybe ever – with nine candidates appearing on ballots in parts of the county.

Two Libertarians are running in the Wayne Township races. Cassie Rolon, the party chair, is running against three Republicans for the advisory board, and Dugan Julian is challenging incumbent Republican Jeanie Stackhouse for township trustee.

Libertarian David Lewis is running against Republican Tony Ciriello for county council district 3.

In House District 22, Libertarian Josh Vergiels is running against Democrat Dee Moore and incumbent Republican State Rep. Craig Snow.

Libertarians also have candidates for two area Congressional seats along with Indiana Secretary of State, State Auditor and the U.S. Senate.

So how did all of that happen?

Rolon, 35, got the ball rolling two years ago during the pandemic. The longtime registered Democrat said she grew dissatisfied with the party and said neither of the two big parties had been able to fix anything.

She said she was influenced by her husband’s interest in firearms and the Second Amendment, which led to her start looking at other issues. She voted Libertarian for the first time in 2016.

Government reaction to the pandemic – shutdowns, vaccines and mandates – propelled her interest in politics and she began campaigning for Donald Rainwater, the 2020 Libertarian gubernatorial candidate whose campaign captured nearly 12 percent of the vote. He came in second place in 32 of Indiana’s 92 counties including Kosciusko County where he collected 19 percent of the vote.

Representatives of the state party soon reached out to Rolon and asked if she’d help establish a local party.

“They contacted me and asked if I wanted to move forward with Kosciusko County and I was like, ‘Hell yeah – let’s put some people on the ballot!’ ” Rolon recalled while seated with other candidates at Mi Lindo Acapulco Mexican Restaurant.

Rolon began having meetings with other Libertarians at the restaurant and started building a presence in the community by being involved with events like First Friday to help spread the word.

The party was officially affiliated in January of 2021

When it came to finding candidates, the first person she thought of was Dugan Julian, who she knew from high school.

Julian, 36, said he’s been politically minded since high school. “I love engaging in political discourse and debates and bringing philosophy into political discussion.”

“Unlike Cassie, I used to be hardcore Republican … I thought Rush Limbaugh was a little too soft,” Julian said.

Julian was influenced by longtime Congressman Ron Paul over the years and was especially bothered when the Republican Party changed party rules to block Paul’s presidential path.

In their township races, Rolon and Julian are both carrying many of the same concerns voiced by Democrat Shari Benyousky four years ago when she ran for Township Trustee. Those include a lack of emphasis on providing aid, a lack of transparency and a lack of any presence on the internet.

Julian accuses the township of waste, negligence and not carrying out its main duty – financial assistance.

According to Julian, the township in 2021 provided assistance to 31 households.

The township moved to a new office in recent years, but Julian said the office did very little to publicize the move.

“It’s a slap in the face. We have 30,000 people in the township, 28% of which are below poverty. So why are we only helping 30 households? The answer is nobody knows they freaking exist,” he said.

Other candidates

Lewis, 38, works in operations for an orthopedic company. It’s also his first run for office but has been involved with the state party for years.

Ron Paul’s approach, he said, has been an influence. “He turned a generation of people toward Libertarianism,” Lewis said.

Lewis’s main concern as a candidate for county council is the need for more community development. At the same time, he’s a critic of tax abatements.

“I think we can do a lot better with community growth,” he said.

William Henry, 41, of Goshen, ran for Lieutenant Governor two years ago alongside Rainwater and is now running for Congress in the 2nd District.

He’s a strong advocate for veteran issues, which led in part to his support for legalizing cannabis.

Vergeils, 36, caught wind of the local Libertarian effort and attended one of the first meetings. He has an engineering background and works for a medical software company involved in orthopedics. He’s also had at Libertarian outlook for years.

“I was looking for opportunities to get plugged in, but basically, there wasn’t anything below the state level,” Vergeils said.

“Everyone I know is deeply opposed to the quality of government we receive. They’re just hopeless because the system is so entrenched,” he said.

Julian said he thinks the public is turned off by the “hyper-tribalism and the inefficacy of both parties at every level to actually provide the solutions that they all promise.”

In addition to government over-reach from the pandemic, local Libertarians hope to capitalize on some apparent dissention within the local Republican party, and the increasing public support for legalizing cannabis, which Libertarians have supported for decades.

Based on yard signs, it appears many local Libertarians are supporting Democrat Travis McConnell, who is running for prosecutor against Republican Brad Voelz.

McConnell is focusing much of his campaign on getting tough on child sex crimes and said he would not bother prosecuting simple cannabis possession charges.

Rolon said she believes the party “has a foot in the door,” but admits victory could be an uphill battle on Tuesday.

She said she hopes to continue the new-found momentum into next year’s municipal election.

“We looking for a mayor to run under our ticket,” Rolon said.