Contact:
Anthony D’Orazio
1st Vice Chair
Libertarian Party of New York
tdorazio@lpny.org
866-336-3120

The post Libertarian Party of New York To Hold Nominating Convention In Albany County on Saturday, February 19, 2022 appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

While appearing on Kennedy Nation, Libertarian Larry Sharpe officially announced his second run for Governor of New York. In an unprecedented move, he revealed that he anticipates the backing of three political groups: The Libertarian Party of New York, Andrew Yang’s Forward Party which includes many of his left-leaning supporters, and Unite NY which includes many former Republicans.

A recent Zogby poll showed that compared to a two-way race between Kathy Hochul and Lee Zeldin, the addition of Larry Sharpe in a three-way race resulted in 4 points pulled from the Republican, 1 point pulled from the Democrat, and 1 point pulled from undecided voters.

With two additional lines, Sharpe intends to take a rarely-seen approach to campaigning by modeling cross-party cooperation. It is with this strategy that Sharpe expects to reach voters of all persuasions. Sharpe is leading with his “BRO” platform for: Ballot Access, Ranked Choice Voting, and Open Primaries. His platform also includes his “SUS” program, or Step-Up Stipend inspired by the concept of a negative income tax.

He previously earned automatic ballot access for the Libertarian Party when he attained almost 100,000 votes in the 2018 election. This was subsequently revoked as a line item in Governor Cuomo’s 2020 budget. Expecting that Kathy Hochul would continue Cuomo’s legacy, Sharpe garnered the support of Unite NY and the Forward Party to compete with the major political parties for voters in New York State.

Unite NY is an organization intended to bring all political ideologies together to seek common-sense, non-partisan solutions to fixing government, the economy, and democracy.

Andrew Yang’s Forward Party uses a human-centered approach that is “Not Left, Not Right. Forward.”

Larry Sharpe is a native New Yorker, Marine Corps veteran, husband, and father. He is a seasoned businessman, executive coach, management consultant, and a strategic consultant for thought leaders in government, finance, law, technology, media, and healthcare. Larry has taught at Yale and Columbia and has been active in grassroots campaigning since 2018.

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Press Contact:
Name: Resa Willis and Gabrielle Cordova
Phone: 201-222-1001
Email: press@larrysharpe.com

Download Press Release

The post Larry Sharpe Announces Unprecedented Left, Right & Libertarian Coalition for NY Governor appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

Without having officially announced his candidacy, Larry Sharpe polls almost 4 times higher than the total votes he received in the 2018 election for Governor of New York.

Commissioned by Unite NY on January 22, 2002, John Zogby Strategies conducted a wide-ranging poll of New York State voters’ outlooks on the current political climate of their state, as reported in Forbes Magazine. Larry Sharpe has not officially announced his candidacy. Despite this fact, he garnered 6% sentiment from New Yorkers who indicated they intend to vote for him during this election cycle, in a three-way race against Governor Kathy Hochul, and Congressman Lee Zeldin. This is almost 4 times the percentage of votes Larry Sharpe received in 2018, which could mean over 350,000 votes if the election were held today.

With Cuomo dismissed from his long-held seat, 49% of voters indicated they believe NYS politics are off track. Cuomo’s Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul was appointed Governor by default after Cuomo resigned due to allegations of inappropriate conduct. 28% of voters are so disillusioned with the 2-party system in New York that they deem it as broken, according to the poll results. This is further indicated by 17% of New York voters changing their voter registration from a major party to either independent or third party in the past few years, according to John Zogby Strategies.

In his Forbes Magazine article, John Zogby said, “despite one-party dominance and record spending on social programs, many New Yorkers have or are considering voting with their feet.” One in three voters state they have considered or are making plans to leave the state due to New York politics, stifling mandates and regulations, and high taxes.

Unite NY is an organization intended to bring all political ideologies together to seek common-sense, non-partisan solutions to fixing government, the economy, and democracy.

Larry Sharpe is a native New Yorker, Marine Corps veteran, husband, and father. He is a seasoned entrepreneur, executive coach and political activist. His experience includes management and strategic consulting for teams and executives in government, finance, law, technology, media, and healthcare. Larry has taught at Yale and Columbia and has been active in grassroots campaigning since 2018.

To learn more about Larry Sharpe and his proposed solutions for New York State, visit his website at https://archive1.larrysharpe.com.

Press Contact: Resa Willis / Dennis Consorte
Phone: 201-222-1001
Email: info@larrysharpe.com

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The post Exploratory Candidate for NY Governor Larry Sharpe Shows Gains in New Poll appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

Quiter’s 2020 campaign gained nationwide traction within the Libertarian Party, which he believes is part of the reason why leadership reached out, urging him to run for higher office.

“I intend to capitalize upon my success in 2020, carry a message that resonates with everyone, and remind the people that their government belongs in their hands only. They are the power, and they are the solution”, says Quiter.

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Thomas Daniel Quiter is a 2022 candidate for office. He ran for New York State Senate in 2020 within District 52, claiming nearly 13%, garnering almost 14,000 votes.

The post FORMER NEW YORK STATE SENATE CANDIDATE INTENDS TO SEEK LIBERTARIAN PARTY NOMINATION FOR STATEWIDE RACE appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

Albany, NY, June 29, 2021 – Abysmal voter turnout in last week’s primary elections clearly demonstrates the need for election reform and Unite NY has been joined by entrepreneur and 2018 Libertarian candidate for Governor Larry Sharpe in calling on both the Democratic and Republican parties to open their primary processes to give more New Yorkers a greater say at the ballot box.

Last week the four largest cities across Upstate New York held contested democratic primaries for mayor and voter turnout was extremely low, with only 13 to 26 percent of registered democrats turning out to decide who will lead their cities. In Albany, Kathy Sheehan garnered a measly 3,600 votes in a city of nearly 100,000 people. The current leader in the Syracuse race attracted just over 2,700 votes, while total Democratic Party primary turnout in Rochester and Buffalo was 20 and 26 percent, respectively.

Given that these cities heavily favor Democrats, the primary often serves as the de facto election, meaning in a city like Buffalo where there is no general election opposition, only 7 percent of eligible voters will have cast a ballot for the likely incoming mayor.

Unite NY Founder Martin Babinec said, “Voter engagement is a vital part of giving people a voice and breaking the grip our current two-party system has by being tilted towards party bosses with restrictions that shut out competition in the electoral process. The fact of the matter is that people aren’t turning out to vote because they don’t feel like they have a choice or a voice in our current electoral process. That is precisely why we need reforms like open primaries, ranked choice voting, and initiative and referendum so that we can put the power of government back where it belongs, in the hands of the people.”

2018 Libertarian candidate for Governor Larry Sharpe said, “Closed primaries are the number one reason why New Yorkers feel trapped, feel powerless and then check-out. This is proven by the embarrassingly low primary voter turnout this year, after record voter turnout last year. The system is allowing the status quo to facilitate our statewide decay.”

Unite NY is the new political home for independent and moderate voters in New York and is strongly supporting a host of electoral reforms that will take power away from party bosses and put it back in the hands of the people. One of those reforms, Ranked Choice Voting was used in New York City and was extremely successful, driving more than 135,000 more New Yorkers to the polls than at the last open mayoral primary in 2013. That increase in voter participation is larger than the entire population of the Cities of Utica and Schenectady COMBINED.

New York is one of only 9 states that still uses a completely closed primary system, effectively disenfranchising more than three and half million voters in the state who are not enrolled in any political party. The need is even more dire since last year. Under the auspices of a COVID relief bill, five of New York’s seven minor parties lost ballot status, leaving half a million people without a party.

The action Unite NY is calling for does not require legislation, rather, both parties could simply change their rules to allow more New Yorkers to participate in the electoral process.

About Unite NY

Unite NY is a new political home in New York State for Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals, independents, and others to come together to seek common sense solutions. This new movement offers a home to more than 3.5 million New York voters not currently enrolled in a major party. Focused on a non-partisan approach to fixing real problems in our government, democracy, and economy, Unite NY supports candidates who understand working together is the only way we can succeed. Further, in 2022, Unite NY seeks to establish a ballot line by running a candidate for Governor to help fill the void created by our loss of 5 of the 7 minor parties previously holding statewide ballot access now eliminated from voter choice as the result of 2020 legislation which tripled the qualification hurdles needed to qualify as a minor party. More information is available at: UniteNY.org

Contact

Andrew Rush
PC Public Affairs
Tel. 518.441.2118
EMail: andrew@pcpublicaffairs.com

The post Unite NY Calls for Open Primaries in New York State appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

The Libertarian Party of New York (LPNY) rejects this scheme, and sees several insidious issues related to this policy.

“This new emotion-based policy may be popular among the vaccinated – who, ironically, should have the least to fear – but accomplishes little other than removing personal choice and proclaiming the righteousness of having been vaccinated.” Cody Anderson, Chair of the LPNY, stated. “This policy allows people who have made the choice not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to be shamed and segregated, in public, based upon their vaccine status. Further, anyone wishing to attend a public sporting event will be forced to publicly disclose private health information, as the population density of their respective seating sections will be apparent from a distance. The class structure that Governor Cuomo has created around peoples’ vaccination status creates a de facto regime of vaccine mandates – do as you are told, or remain separate from everyone else. Let us be clear: this is not optional participation. This is an invasion of medical privacy and a forcible vaccine mandate.”

For more information about the Libertarian Party of New York, please visit lpny.org. You may also visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/LPNYOfficial, Twitter @LPNYOfficial, or Instagram @LPNYOfficial.

Contact: 
Anthony D’Orazio 
Public Engagement Director 
Libertarian Party of New York
866-336-3120

The post Libertarian Party of New York Condemns Governor Cuomo’s Segregation by Vaccine Status appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

“Cherry” came out on March 12, 2021. It’s a movie about an army medic suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In the context of National Let’s Laugh Day on March 19, and the International Day of Happiness on March 20th, we must shine a light on this escalating problem.

Military suicides have increased by as much as 20% during the coronavirus pandemic with a 30% spike for active Army personnel, up from 88 in 2019 to 114 in 2020 according to CBS News. COVID-19 PTSD is real, and when layered upon Veteran PTSD, it’s a recipe for disaster.

We’ve been socially isolated for over a year due to lockdowns on our lives and the economy. This pandemic is real, and deadly. But we cannot ignore the 18 million veterans in the US, many of whom suffer from mental health issues. Governors like Andrew Cuomo are ignoring the needs of people who served, in an attempt to maintain control and win votes.

Larry Sharpe was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps during the Gulf War era. While he was active, he made hundreds of friends who still struggle from that time. And post USMC, he has worked with hundreds of Veterans who struggle with suicidal thoughts, even today. Sharpe ran for Governor of New York in 2018 and got about 100,000 votes. Numerous Sharpe supporters are veterans. He is still connected to many of them.

Recently, Sharpe spoke with US Army veteran, Justin Durm about suicide among veterans. Durm said, “I lost a friend that I’ve known since elementary school and it was a dark period in my life. He was a former marine. Semper fi.”

According to Sharpe, we must act IMMEDIATELY to deal with this veteran crisis and:

1. End the COVID-19 lockdowns and ask people instead to voluntarily stay home or get vaccinated if they are at high risk of infection.
2. Go through our contact lists and call every Veteran we know, to check in with them and let them know we’re available to talk.
3. Rework regulations that revoke gun licenses for mental health issues, which often result in veterans avoiding the mental health treatment they desperately need, out of fear that they’ll have their guns taken away.
4. Reach out to your local support group for veterans and ask them if they need help. If none is present, then start one.
5. Socialize with local veterans in healthy activities that help them to adjust to civilian life.

About The Sharpe Way: The Sharpe Way Show was founded by Larry Sharpe, the 2018 Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of New York to help heal the nation’s political divide between liberals and conservatives.

PRESS CONTACT

Georgia Walker / Dennis Consorte
The Sharpe Way
Phone: 201-222-1001
Email: pr@sharpeway.com

The post 5 Steps to Reduce COVID PTSD Among Veterans and Others After a Year of Social Isolation appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

The lawsuit that Larry Sharpe of The Sharpe Way organized with Dani Zoldan of Stand Up NY against Governor Cuomo proved successful. Two days after Attorney James Mermigis, the “Anti-Shutdown Lawyer” brought suit, Cuomo announced that entertainment venues including comedy clubs would be able to reopen on April 2 at 33% capacity.

Larry Sharpe defeated Governor Andrew Cuomo with a four-pronged attack.

1. He convinced Dani Zoldan, the owner of Stand Up NY, to sue Governor Cuomo.
2. For over two months, Sharpe’s team discussed strategy and vetted many lawyers on behalf of Zoldan to find the perfect fit for the case. Constitutional lawyer James Mermigis had a history of defeating Cuomo. This track record put more pressure on Cuomo than that of a lawyer who has not achieved positive impact with anti-shutdown cases.
3. The teams partnered to produce a website and petition at LegalizeComedy.NYC to raise awareness.
4. Through Zoldan’s media connections, they put together a media blitz where Zoldan represented Stand Up NY on multiple media outlets including The New York Post, Fox & Friends, NY1, and blogs including ILoveTheUpperWestSide.com and Patch.com.

Cuomo’s announcement to unshutter entertainment venues came just hours after an appearance by Larry Sharpe and Dani Zoldan on Bernie and Sid in the Morning.

Sharpe believes that we can defeat Cuomo again, in court if not at the ballot box. Cuomo has done enormous harm to people and small businesses over the last year, and politicians are not holding him accountable. Cuomo’s bad policies resulted in a 40% surge in bankruptcies since the lockdown began, with over 6,000 New York businesses shut down by September 2020, according to Bloomberg. His incompetence also resulted in thousands of deaths that the Cuomo Administration under-reported by 50% as of January 19, according to the Associated Press.

Larry Sharpe ran for governor in 2018 because he was fed up with the poor leadership that is failing New York State. He continues to help the people of New York despite being a plain citizen who does not hold public office. People are already using nicknames like “Liberator Larry” to describe the man who is taking on Cuomo one lawsuit at a time.

“Culture is the key to New York City rebuilding. It’s time to let us heal.”

Larry Sharpe

PRESS CONTACT

Georgia Walker / Dennis Consorte
The Sharpe Way
Phone: 201-222-1001
Email: pr@sharpeway.com

The post “The Liberator” Larry Sharpe Beats Cuomo with Venue Lawsuit and Media Blitz appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

Comedy club owner Dani Zoldan filed suit against the Cuomo Administration for unfair treatment. With help from Larry Sharpe, the 2018 Libertarian Party candidate for Governor and host of The Sharpe Way, he retained Constitutional Attorney James Mermigis to reopen Stand Up NY following New York restaurant and bar guidelines.

Venues in New York have been shuttered since the pandemic began, while restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, pool halls and movie theaters have been able to operate. Venue owners have received no guidance as to when they can reopen. Many New York institutions have already closed permanently including Dangerfield’s—the legendary comedy club which opened in 1969.

Sharpe convinced Zoldan to sue the Cuomo Administration after seeing Zoldan’s efforts to revitalize the comedy industry by holding pop up shows in parks, rooftops, houses of worship and train stations. Elon Musk’s January 13th “legalize comedy” tweet fortified his confidence to move forward.

“When I heard that Stand Up NY, a wonderful venue that my campaign used often in 2018, fell victim to Governor Cuomo’s stranglehold on small business, I knew that I had to help.”

Larry Sharpe

The Sharpe Way team worked with Stand Up NY to retain Attorney James Mermigis of the Mermigis Law Group, P.C., who has a history of success against Cuomo in court. Known as the “Anti-Shutdown Lawyer,” he has filed over half-a-dozen lawsuits against the state, Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio on behalf of small businesses in New York including theaters, pool halls, family entertainment centers, restaurants, and gyms. Mermigis filed a class action on behalf of 1,500 gyms in August. His lawsuit was instrumental in opening gyms throughout the State of New York, as Governor Cuomo issued guidance just days before oral arguments. Mermigis defeated Cuomo and his 17 pool hall clients were granted an injunction when a State Supreme Court Judge in Syracuse, NY found no rational basis for distinguishing between billiards halls, on the one hand, and bowling alleys, casinos, large stores, restaurants and airports, on the other hand. This victory was the only case to defeat Governor Cuomo on a “rational basis” theory in the State.

“In New York now, Saturday Night Live is doing live shows every week, Jimmy Fallon is doing live shows, Jazz Supper Clubs are open and restaurants with incidental live music are open but Stand Up NY is still shut down. The State’s refusal to open Stand Up NY amounts to an unconstitutional content-based restriction on speech. The State has no power to restrict expression because of its message, its ideas, its subject matter or its content.”

James Mermigis

The trio announced the lawsuit on The Sharpe Way show online, on Monday March  1, 2021. In addition to the lawsuit, they are asking people to support the reopening of Stand Up NY and to sign the petition at LegalizeComedy.NYC.

About Stand Up NY: A Manhattan landmark, Stand Up NY opened in 1986. Comics like Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Louis CK are regulars in what New York Magazine calls the “incubator of stand-up nobility.” Tucked into a residential block of 78th Street on the Upper West Side, it features superstars as well as the brightest young talent in the business.

About The Sharpe Way: The Sharpe Way show was founded by Larry Sharpe, the 2018 Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of New York  to help heal the nation’s political divide between liberals and conservatives.

PRESS CONTACT
media@standupny.com
(646) 229-1650 (voice/text)
Dani Zoldan

The post Stand Up NY Shutdown Lawsuit vs. Cuomo is No Laughing Matter appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.

Reparations for slavery were promised at the end of the Civil War. Had they been granted, the Black community would be much stronger today. Instead of reparations, they were targeted by government sponsored racism and terrorism.

“There was a broken promise at the end of the Civil War. A great opportunity for reparations that would have changed the trajectory of our nation’s culture. 40 Acres and a mule fell apart and so did reparations for over 100 years,” says Larry Sharpe

A reparations program should last a generation, about 23 years, and then end according to Larry Sharpe, the 2018 Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of New York and host of The Sharpe Way. During that time, the following actions would help right a wrong, support more ownership culture in the Black community and encourage integration:

1. All property owned 51% or more by African Descendants of Slaves (ADOS) incur 1/2 property tax regardless of local laws: Residential or commercial, primary or investment. This encourages long-term investments as well as ownership and partnerships with the ADOS community.
2. All businesses owned 51% or more by ADOS incur 1/2 property tax regardless of local laws. This encourages shorter-term investments and profit schemes, as well as partnerships with the ADOS community.
3. All transfers of wealth to family members within the ADOS community is free regardless of taxes and/or fees. This encourages transfers of generation wealth down the family line, as well as up to older family members that may not want to engage in commercial activity.
4. End the War on Drugs and expunge all drug possession and selling convictions. Giving millions of ADOS a real second chance at life.

“Reparations can be a divisive issue and we need to find a solution that supports reconciliation and reconnection.”

Larry Sharpe

According to Sharpe, many Republicans and Democrats have expressed support for the plan when they heard it in full. This solution would not cost taxpayers directly. The encouragement to invest, start businesses, and partner with the community would create large boosts to the economy and in particular the Black community. This is exactly what the Black community, and all American communities need, according to Sharpe.

This means encouraging ownership, and this can be sped up through property and business advantages granted to ADOS and an end to the War on Drugs.

“The biggest issue in the Black Community is lack of generational wealth and Ownership. To right this wrong we need an answer that encourages ownership in the Black community.”

Larry Sharpe

Cash payouts can actually create long-term harm, as seen with lottery winners and structured settlement recipients. In the long-term, Sharpe believes that we must deal with a huge problem in the Black community, the lack of generational wealth and ownership. Rapper and activist, Killer Mike says that trying to live off of Black businesses is “damn near impossible.”  If we help create both, it will benefit Black families and Black communities.

The distance of slavery from today makes the American people feel less and less connected to it. Many would like to forget the past, but we are still living with the consequences of broken promises.

“It is difficult to repair a wrong from so long ago. It feels like ancient history to most Americans and many feel disconnected from it.”

Larry Sharpe

Slavery, racism, and Jim Crow have taught too many Black Americans that they cannot get ahead. African Americans who did get ahead often found themselves the targets of violence. Consequently, so many learned to keep their heads down and not get too attached to anything, according to Sharpe.

The end of Jim Crow did not end systemic racism. Many laws passed under Jim Crow are still on the books. New forms of discrimination emerged like the racially motivated war on drugs. These programs ensured the Black community continued to be suppressed.

“The biggest issue in the Black Community is lack of generational wealth and Ownership. To right this wrong we need an answer that encourages ownership in the Black community.”

Larry Sharpe

Congress seems to be taking reparations seriously, but Sharpe fears they will drop the ball as they’ve done often in the past.  As we continue to debate this high-profile topic, it is important to keep our eyes on the goal: A strong and inclusive America, built on trust.

“Recently Ice Cube has been frustrated with the response to his  Contract with Black America. Neither party has shown any real interest in acting!”

Larry Sharpe

Wealthy members of the Black community do not need reparations. The people who do need help do not need a handout, either. They need a pathway to a better life. We can turn more members of the Black community into owners. Making people strong is the best way to achieve social justice, and will be a huge step towards inclusion and equity, according to Sharpe.

PRESS CONTACT
Georgia Walker / Dennis Consorte
The Sharpe Way
Phone: 201-222-1001
Email: pr@sharpeway.com

The post Zero Cost Reparations Plan Proposed by Black Libertarian, Larry Sharpe has Mass Appeal appeared first on Larry Sharpe, Libertarian.