LIBERTARIANS SEEING A RECEPTIVE PUBLIC

MERIDEN -- Libertarians in Connecticut are an optimistic bunch.

Sure, the party isn't swimming in money, and Democrats and Republicans
alike criticize pieces of the Libertarian agenda, which includes
privatizing education and decriminalizing "victimless crimes."

But Libertarians at the party's state convention Saturday were pleased to
have candidates for mayor in Hartford and Meriden this fall, and contended
that people seem increasingly willing to hear about what the party stands for.

"We certainly have the best message out there, we certainly have the best
solutions," outgoing Chairman James Madison told about 50 people who
gathered in the basement of the Masonic Temple on East Main Street.

The key is learning how to best deliver that message, said Sharon Harris,
president of Advocates for Self-Government, an Atlanta-based libertarian group.

Harris, the keynote speaker at the convention, also presented a workshop on
communicating better with prospective Libertarians.

"We may be the first Libertarian someone meets, and how we speak to them
and act toward them is the way they will think all Libertarians are,"
Harris said.

She advised the group to be good neighbors and friends, to listen
attentively, understand their audience and talk about issues in a way that
people can relate to. For example, talking about legalizing drugs can sound
scary, Harris said.

"Some people see that as condoning, so how about the word 're-legalize'
drugs?" Harris said, noting that substances now considered illegal were not
always so.

It was a point well-taken by Richard Lion, who is running for mayor in
Hartford. Lion's campaign centers on his desire to end the war on drugs,
and his fliers bear a simple message: "If you ever smoked marijuana and
liked it, then I want your vote!"

"Violence in Hartford is all drug-related," said Lion, who said he will
also accept votes from people who tried marijuana and didn't like it.
"People are going to use it whether it's legal or not. You might as well
make it safer for them."

The Libertarians' other candidate, Arline Dunlop, is making her second run
for mayor of Meriden. She received about 6 percent of the vote in 1999, and
is hoping to more than double her total this year.

"I can hardly capture the office when I'm running with only my own money,
which isn't much," Dunlop said. "Fifteen percent [of the vote] will be a
win, not in the office, but in that we're moving up."