Helen Milenski told the Los Alamos Daily Post that she has decided to run for a seat on the Los Alamos County Council.

“I’ve heard it said that the best person for the job of a politician is the one who doesn’t want it and I’ve had to have my arm twisted pretty hard to get me to do this,” Milenski said. “I get emails every week from people who have seen what I’ve done and ask me to run for County Council. I get stopped in the grocery store and while sitting at Subway with my family. Part of the reason they want me to run – and I agree with them – is that the direction of our leadership needs to change. I appreciate some of the members on Council for their willingness to listen to the citizens but in general that doesn’t seem to be the case on Council or for management staff at the County.”

Milenski is chair of the Libertarian Party of Los Alamos County and vice chair of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico and expressed her desire to bridge the gap among major political parties.  

“In the current political climate and as polarized as we’ve become as a nation I feel as a Libertarian I can work very well with everyone … even though this isn’t a partisan position, I can pretty much work with anyone and find a solution … and we’ve got some pretty big problems looming in the not so distant future,” she said.

Milenski has been at the forefront of the local code enforcement debate and said that while that issue obviously will be one of the platforms of her campaign, she also will target finding ways to “strengthen and cultivate local businesses”, adding that she believes the two issues go hand in hand.

“My viewpoint is respect for the citizenry first,” she said. It’s all well and good to have a stable local government and that’s great but if it’s not respecting the citizenry then it’s not doing what it is supposed to do.”

Milenski also spoke about her roots in the community.

“I grew up here and graduated from Los Alamos High School,” she said. “I gave birth to my first child at Los Alamos Medical Center. I am very interested in this community not just because of my job at the Lab but because this is my home. I love the fact that we are at our best a very caring community. At our worst is the divisions over issues such as the rec bond and code enforcement and that’s not what a government is supposed to be doing … causing bitterness among its citizenry.”

Milenski said she is pushing for a citizen appeals and oversight board “to ensure CDD doesn’t overstep its bounds” and if elected to Council would like to serve as the liaison to that board.

“I am not going to go away so I can either be working with them on the inside or working from the outside,” she said.

Now that she has announced her candidacy for council, Milenski said she is stepping down from her leadership position on Citizens in Action but will remain a member. She also mentioned that other members of her Libertarian Party are showing interest in running for local seats during this election season.

Milenski holds an associate degree in pre-engineering from UNM-LA and works in the chemistry division at LANL. She has been married to Scott Milenski for six years and she has two daughters who live in town.

“Running for Council is a sacrifice but it’s my way of serving my community,” Milenski said.

Adopted in Convention, Los Alamos New Mexico ____

ARTICLE I: NAME

Section I: Name

• The Libertarian Party of New Mexico affiliate in Los Alamos County, New Mexico shall be the Libertarian Party of Los Alamos County, New Mexico.

Section II: Abbreviation

• Libertarian Party of Los Alamos County, New Mexico may be referred to in this document and other official documents as LPLAC.

ARTICLE II: PRINCIPLES

[To be filled in]

ARTICLE III: PURPOSE

The purpose of the LPLAC shall be to educate and persuade the residents of the county and the State of New Mexico towards the ideas embodied in the Statement of Principles. To this end LPLAC will work to this end by  nominating, supporting, and electing candidates for public office; by lobbying officials and governmental bodies; by engaging in educational and informational activities; by general advocacy, and by other means deemed appropriate by the members of the LPLAC.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP

Section I: Affiliate Member

• An affiliate member is any registered voter within Los Alamos County in the State of New Mexico who has indicated “Libertarian” as his or her party affiliation on the affidavit of voter registration.

Section II: Caucus Member

• A caucus member is any person residing in Los Alamos County who has indicated “Libertarian” as his or her party affiliation on the New Mexico affidavit of voter registration, who is a Caucus Member in the Libertarian Party of New Mexico, and has signed the non-initiation of force statement, which reads “I certify that I do not advocate the initiation of force.”

Section III: Associate Member

• An associate member is any member that is not a registered voter within Los Alamos County in the state of New Mexico, or has not indicated “Libertarian” as his or her party affiliation on the affidavit of voter registration. An associate member is not a voting member, and shall not hold an elected position within the LPLAC.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS

The Officers of the LPLAC shall consist of an Executive Committee and a Central Committee.

Section I: Executive Committee

• The Executive Committee shall consist of a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary.

Section II: Central Committee

• The Central Committee shall consist of the Executive Committee and up 6 additional members.

Section III: Duties

• Any executive officer who fails to execute their duties may be removed as provided in this constitution. The duties of executive officers are:

1. Chair

• The Chair shall serve as the chief administrative officer of the LPLAC; preside over meetings of the Executive Committee and Central Committee, preside over county conventions, serve as spokesperson for the LPLAC, and perform such other duties and functions as specified in this constitution or as delegated by the Central Committee. In the event of a tie in an Executive Committee or Central Committee vote, the vote of the Chair shall be the deciding vote.

2. Vice Chair

• The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair, assume the duties of the Chair when the Chair is unable to perform such duties, and perform such other duties and functions as delegated by the Chair, the Executive Committee or the Central Committee.

3. Secretary

• The Secretary shall keep minutes of Executive Committee and Central Committee meetings, keep minutes of county conventions; initiate such correspondence as directed by the Chair, the Executive Committee, or the Central Committee, and manage all records of the LPLAC except financial records.

4. Treasurer

• The Treasurer shall receive monies paid to the LPLAC, keep and disburse the LPLAC funds as directed by the Central Committee, keep the financial records of the LPLAC, make financial reports to the Central Committee, and manage the property of LPLAC.

Section IV: Meetings

• The Central Committee shall meet, in person or electronically, no less than 4 times in a calendar year.

Section V: Quorum

• When thirty-days written notice has been properly executed, a quorum of the Central Committee shall consist of a majority of the current Central Committee, one or more of whom is an Executive Officer. Otherwise, a quorum shall consist of at least three-quarters of the current Central Committee, one or more of whom is an Executive Officer.
• Any member who misses two consecutive meetings or any three meetings during his or her term of office is automatically removed from the Committee.

Section VI: Vacancies

• Vacancies on the Central Committee and Executive Committee shall be filled by appointment of the Chair with the advice and consent of the Central Committee. Vacancies of the Chair position will be filled by an emergency vote of the Central Committee initiated by the Secretary.

Section VII: Elections

• Officers will be elected in convention on odd numbered years and serve a term of two years.

Section VIII: Committees

• The Chair may form committees with the advice and consent of the Central Committee.

Section IX: Appointments

ARTICLE VI: CONVENTIONS

Section I: Convention Dates

• Annual conventions shall be held no later than two weeks before the Libertarian Party of New Mexico’s annual convention as determined by the Central Committee.

Section II: Notice

• The Secretary shall cause to be published in newspapers of general circulation notice of county conventions; or by email, sms message, or phone , of at least 40% of registered Libertarian s in the county;  at least fourteen days prior to the date of the convention provided, however, that where a county party organization has been established, the officers of the county party organization shall cause such notice to be published as provided herein.

Section III: Business of the Convention

• Each annual county convention shall include a business meeting.
• Caucus members in good standing shall be automatic delegates to county convention business meetings and no fee shall be charged to delegates for attending the business meeting portion of county conventions.
• The Chair of the LPLAC, or the designee thereof, is empowered to verify the credentials of any delegates.
• Business meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order except as otherwise provided by this constitution and LPLAC bylaws.

Section IV: Nomination of Candidates

• Candidates for county office will be nominated in accordance with New Mexico State Law and the bylaws of the Libertarian Party of New Mexico.

ARTICLE VII: PLATFORM

Section I: LPLAC Platform

• The Platform of the national Libertarian Party is the Platform of LPLAC, except that LPLAC may, at any county convention, delete any plank by a two-thirds vote of the delegates voting, or add any plank consistent with the Statement of Principles, by a two-thirds vote.

Section II: Candidate Platforms

• Candidates for public office may run on their own platforms. However, the Central Committee may disavow any plank that is contrary to the Statement of Principles or LPLAC Platform.

Section III: Resolutions of Position

• The Central Committee is empowered to issue resolutions expressing party positions on various issues throughout the year. However, any caucus member may challenge any such resolution that he or she believes to be inconsistent with the Statement of Principles by bringing the challenge to the Chair.

ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS

The Statement of Principles may be amended by a nine-tenths vote of the delegates voting at any county convention. This constitution may otherwise be amended by a two-thirds vote of the delegates voting at any county convention.