8 Libertarians to be listed on the ballot in November

DANVILLE, Ind. -- Dan Derrick doesn't expect the eight Libertarian candidates running for county offices in November to shake up the status quo in Hendricks County. Not this year, at least, said the head of the new Hendricks County chapter of the Libertarian Party. But Derrick believes this year's election provides a great opportunity to get the party message out in front of local voters and begin building a base for the future.

"We need to start someplace. We need to let the voters know we are out there and that they do have some choices at the polls," he said.

"I think our party has an interesting message and, as it gets harder and harder to sort out the Democrats from the Republicans, we will start gaining some momentum."

The eight Libertarian candidates -- including two of Derrick's family members -- filed paperwork Monday to get their names on the ballot for the Nov. 7 election. The deadline to fill ballot vacancies is noon today.

"As far as I know, this is the first time we have had any Libertarians on the ballot for local offices," said County Clerk Sharon Dugan.

Derrick of Brownsburg is running for the District 2 county commissioner seat.

The other Libertarian candidates are:

• Rachael Derrick, Brownsburg, coroner;

• Dennis Derrick, Avon, county council at-large;

• Bernard Piotrowski, Danville, county council at-large;

• Gordon Werner, Brownsburg, county council at-large;

• Christina Piotrowski, Danville, treasurer;

• Ben Petro, Brownsburg, auditor; and

• Doug Stone, Brownsburg, clerk.

Rachael Derrick and Dennis Derrick are Dan Derrick's daughter and brother, respectively, while Bernard and Christina Piotrowski are husband and wife.

"We're not expecting to shake things up a whole lot this year," Dan Derrick said. "The purpose of having these candidates run is to get the Libertarian name on the ballot."

Campaign activities will focus on the party's core message of reducing, instead of expanding, the role of government, he added.

"We're not as into telling people what to do in their personal lives. We think they can handle that on their own," Derrick explained.

The party's national Web site states Libertarians are committed to a free-market economy of abundance and prosperity, individual liberty and personal responsibility, and a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace and free trade. The efforts of the new candidates will be watched closely by state Libertarians, as well as local GOP officials, who have had a virtual stronghold on local offices for the last 20 years.

"I don't think this will change anything we do," said County Republican Chairman Bob Bales. "We've pretty much already set our course, but it may make us work a little harder."

The eight Libertarians also outnumber local Democratic candidates more than 2 to 1. The Democrats are fielding just three candidates for county offices.

Brad Klopfenstein, executive director of the state Libertarian Party, said he is excited about the Hendricks County candidates.

"It is important that we start having some strong candidates at the local level," he said.

Klopfenstein explained the benefits are two-fold: having candidates at the local level helps the party's state and national candidates, while also creating a sort of political farm team from which future state and national candidates can be recruited. Libertarians made their first inroads into local government in Indiana in 1998, when two party members were elected to public office in Washington County. Libertarians also won three town posts in 1999, and a party member was elected to a school board in Delaware County earlier this year.

"We've got to start small and build up from there," said Klopfenstein. "People have heard of us, but it makes us a lot more real when they can see the names of local people they know on the ballot."

Information about the county Libertarian Party is available on the Internet at www.lphc.org.