LIBERTARIAN WILL LEAD INDEPENDENCE PARTY

Monnet Succeeds Smith In St. Lawrence County

OGDENSBURG - Lee J. Monnet is getting main stream. Well, not
quite.

The man who ran for state Assembly two years ago as a Libertarian, and
has shirked everything Republican or Democrat, now holds the power to
give or deny St. Lawrence County candidates in those parties one thing
they often want - the Independence Party line on the ballot.

"It seems different now that I'm main stream," he said. "I don't want
the party run over by Democrats or Republicans. I'd like to see
independents get involved."

Mr. Monnet was registered in the Independence Party when he ran for
the Assembly two years ago, but he declined his own party's line in
part because he disagreed with some ballot endorsements the party gave
to candidates from other parties. Instead, he collected more than
1,900 signatures to be on the ballot for the Libertarian Party.

As chairman of the St. Lawrence County Independence Party, he said, he
will work to get new candidates involved, but all the while hold on to
his libertarian beliefs.

"As the Independence Party chairman, it's a way we can have some
influence on the political scene," Mr. Monnet said. "I didn't think
the party stood for a whole lot, but there is a void here, and
somebody had to fill it. We' ll see what we can do and give it a shot."

Mr. Monnet takes over as chairman of an interim county committee to
replace Willard Smith of Norwood, who died May 31 at age 56 of
complications of heart surgery.

By Independence Party rules, the interim committee can act in place of
a constituted county committee so long as no one opts to create a
constituted committee by electing party committee members in 25
percent of the county's towns.

Serving the committee along with Mr. Monnet are his wife, JoAnne, as
treasurer, and Tobie Newcombe, Fowler, as secretary. The interim
county committee's most notable power is to give out-of-party
authorizations to candidates seeking the Independence Party's ballot
line as an extra spot to draw votes on the ballot.

Mr. Monnet said he will remain active in the Libertarian Party, but he
will set that activism aside when he's in the role of Independence
Party chairman. He said he wants people to offer input and be
inclusive, saying that people should call him at his home, 393-5233,
to get involved.

Mr. Monnet finished forth in the 2002 race for the 118th state
Assembly District behind now Assemblyman Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape
Vincent, St. Lawrence County Clerk Patricia A. Ritchie, a Republican,
and 2004 Republican candidate Scott A. Gray, who was on the ballot on
the Conservative Party line despite losing in a September Republican
Primary.

The Libertarians' platform issues included the legalization of
marijuana, lower taxes, an end to state land buys, the repeal of laws
requiring adults to wear seat belts and motorcycle helmets, the use of
ballot initiatives and referendums, and lowering the drinking age to
19.