Pot Legalizing "Stoners" meet at Austin Beer Garden to launch Libertarian City Council race

Austin Weird

From Eric Dondero:

Kris Bailey announced his candidacy for Austin City Council Place 3 on Saturday. He was a candidate for State House in 2010 on the Libertarian Party ticket. The Austin race is officially non-partisan.

Bailey's "TeaPot Party" platform:

• Cannabis should be “legalized – period,” and it should be an issue in every candidate and every election.

• The city should "reconsider" the regulations on sound permits, because they are stifling Austin's music scene and industry

There was a tinge of irony in the location for the candidate's kick-off; a more traditional beer garden, Scholz on 6th Street, rather than a marijuana festival.

From The Austin Chronicle:

A small but lively group of libertarians, stoners, and diners greeted the brief program, led off by campaign staffer Robert Butler, formerly executive director of the Libertarian Party of Texas. Butler began by saying that Bailey's campaign is not just about “one person or one cause, but about people's freedom to decide what to do with their own bodies."

Afterward, in the beer garden, NewsDesk asked Bailey a few followup questions... Bailey said, "We need to bring the city to a policy of non-enforcement." He noted that while the city's official policy is now in accord with state law allowing officers to "cite-and-release" for simple possession, it's his understanding that "Chief [Art] Acevedo has not been doing that." He said the figures he has from 2009 reflect 4,500 people arrested and booked for marijuana possession. "Cite-and-release is better than nothing," he concluded, "but we need to move to non-enforcement."

Editor's note - Obviously, there are no Republicans in this race, nor do they ever run in Austin city council races. So, this is a safe race for a Republican to vote for the Libertarian Party... 'er... TeaPot Party candidate.