Choice belongs to you. So choose leaders who respect your choice.
LASHAR & LOGANSMITH
Your Candidate
About David
David is a family man and an IT executive who has served with distinction in both the legislative and executive branches of government at both the federal and state levels.
David believes that neither of the two established parties is representative of who we actually are and who we really want to become. He is committed to expanding opportunity for all Marylanders, promoting accountability amongst both individuals & authorities, and extending civility to all fellow citizens.
In addition to family life, David enjoys gardening and cooking, with low-and-slow BBQ being a specialty of his.
Public Service: Early Years
Presidential Campaign. After studying the Soviet Union and international relations in his college years, David joined the 1988 presidential campaign of Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS). From which experience, he began to appreciate the difference between political life and actual life.
Congressional Policy Analyst. After the Dole campaign, David joined a legislative caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, working as a policy analyst. In this role, he developed special expertise on issues relating to infrastructure and transportation, even authoring a landmark provision that promoted so-called public-private partnerships (PPPs) for highways.
Lessons Learned. During these years, David began to appreciate the substantial difference between that which was reported in the media and that which is supported by metrics, experience, and history (in other words, myth vs reality).
Finding the Beltway culture to be unsavory to his tastes, David left DC to embark on a career that commenced in manufacturing, then shifted to information technology (IT).
Commercial Business: Manufacturing & IT
Manufacturing. David’s business career started at a top business school, at which he led an overhaul of the honor code. Upon graduation, David joined Xerox Corporation as a supervisor on an assembly line in upstate New York. During which experience, he developed his credo and method of being firm but fair as a manager and leader.
Information Technology (IT). While at Xerox, David moved into IT as part of the company’s so-called Y2K readiness initiatives. Finding that he had both a knack and a passion for making IT work successfully for people and their organizations, he adopted IT as his adulthood profession, winning national awards and emerging as a thought leader along the way.
As a partner in a boutique consultancy, David currently specializes in so-called low-code technologies, which represent a new wave in IT for delivering powerful applications at affordable costs for commercial businesses and public agencies alike.
Lessons Learned. From his two decades in IT, David has developed an acute appreciation for the difference between the goals that we might all share for a given endeavor and the various options that might be available for achieving those goals (i.e., the difference between what we want and how we might obtain it). We need to heed the distinction while being open to debate on both questions.
During this stretch of his career, David remained involved in public service.
Public Service: Recent Years
Transportation. In 2015, David returned to public service as a commissioner on the Maryland Transportation Commission (MTC), a role from which he resigned once he realized that, as is the case at far too many boards and commissions created for political reasons, the job was all show and no substance.
Health. Far more gratifying in terms of making a meaningful difference, David received appointment at the start of 2016 to serve as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Maryland’s $14 billion Department of Health (MDH). A year later, David received promotion to Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief of Staff (CoS).
Selected Accomplishments. During his 30 months in topmost operational roles at MDH, David not only absorbed how things actually get done in state government, beneath the surface levels at which lifetime politicians float and drift, but he actually got some good things done. He did so not only by bringing top-tier experience in operations and technology but also by being an effective team leader and a successful team player across governmental offices and political parties.
Of his accomplishments, David is most proud of spearheading a team that safely and lawfully transitioned vulnerable nursing-home patients out of a sizable facility that had been found unfit to continue delivering care.
In addition, working with the Maryland judiciary and leaders in MDH’s Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), David drafted and orchestrated a plan that successfully addressed a decades-long problem at the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health.
The problem was the socially unacceptable and constitutionally dubious situation of those in the criminal justice system with mental illness or substance abuse disorders (SUDs) being put on wait lists and denied their court-ordered health services for, in certain important categories of care, over 100 days on average. By the time David left MDH in 2018, the waits were down to 10 to 20 days on average, compliant with statute and consistent with constitutional rights, depending on the type of court-ordered care.
David is grateful to all with whom he collaborated on these and other accomplishments during his time at MDH.
Candidate for U.S. Congress. Upon leaving MDH in 2018, David stood as the Libertarian Party candidate for Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District (then as now represented by Rep. John Sarbanes (D)). David did so in order to provide his neighbors with an alternative to the appalling behavior and dysfunctional results coming from the two established parties in the nation’s capital.
Ready to Lead. David believes that these experiences, spanning across all branches of government and reaching from lowest worker to highest official, make him uniquely prepared to actually get good things done in Maryland for all Marylanders in the event that you, as a Maryland voter, elect him as your Governor, along with Christiana as your Lt. Governor, in 2022.
Journey to the LP
Republican Party: No, thank you. David exited the Republican Party in 2016 out of both despair with Bushism / Hoganism and dismay at Trumpism, the former being too insipid and negative, the latter being too demagogic and divisive.
Democratic Party: No, thank you. From reading history, studying abroad, and serving as a leader, David knows that socialism, like all movements that place faith in government authorities and social elites, never has fulfilled and never will fulfill its vision and promise, despite its alluring slogans and rousing banners, due to it inevitably stifling economic dynamism, social vigor, and political choice by elevating the collective over the individual. When divorcing himself from the Republican Party, David therefore could not go over to the modern Democratic Party.
Libertarian Party: Yes, please. David instead embraced the Libertarian Party (LP) as our best and perhaps only hope for sustaining the decade-by-decade and generation-by-generation advances in liberty, justice, and prosperity for all that has characterized our country’s undoubtedly sullied but ultimately redeeming history.
David finds the clarifying and unifying strength of the LP to be its core principle, which is: Rejection of the initiation of force to achieve personal, political, or social objectives. Which means: No bullying, no mobbing, and no coercion. No riots or insurrections, either.
In other words, David joined the LP because it is the only party that consistently respects the dignity of all individuals, regardless of race, gender, or sexuality; consistently insists on restraint and accountability from individuals, authorities, and elites; and consistently opposes the initiation of aggression or coercion of all types.
With every passing month, David finds himself more and more pleased and proud to be with the LP, despite its own idiosyncrasy and imperfection.
Your Chance for Change. David therefore encourages those of you seeking an alternative to the Democrats and the Republicans… those seeking government that is genuinely representative of both who we are and who we want to become… those looking for a course that is free of resentments and intrustions… to follow this campaign, learn about libertarianism, and make a difference by supporting and electing David as Governor and Christiana as Lt. Governor for Maryland in 2022.
Home & Family
David and his wife, Margaret, have lived in Annapolis since 2006. They are proud parents to a teenage daughter. Together, the three of them enjoy cooking, outdoor activities, and family gatherings.
In his younger days, prior to his knees and ankles giving way, David was a competitive distance runner. These days, he relaxes by cultivating his garden and cooking good eats.
Education
David went to public high school in northeast Ohio. He received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College (NH). He received his business degree (MBA) from Carnegie Mellon University (PA).
Through his teens and twenties, David was a competitive distance runner, regularly winning individual and team trophies. At college, he ran with… and learned both dedication and sacrifice from… mates who became Olympic athletes.
David’s Journey
Why Libertarian?
The Two Parties of Division & Intrusions. After the 2016 election cycle, David divorced himself from the Republican Party and joined the Libertarian Party (LP) out of conviction that its ideas, which can be characterized as tolerant and responsible, were the best ideas for escaping the politics of resentment & division and the policies of excesses & intrusions coming from the modern Democratic and Republican parties.
The Party of Principle. David joined the LP because it is the only party that consistently respects the dignity of all individuals, regardless of race, gender, or sexuality… that consistently insists on restraint and accountability from all authorities & elites, regardless of the perch from which they wield their influence… that consistently rejects coercion of all types, regardless of the stated pretext for the aggression or overreach.
Lt. Governor
About Christiana

With her husband, Christiana owns and runs a commercial cleaning business that the two of them launched in 1991 after both serving in the US Navy, then settling in Maryland. Christiana is also a devoted parent who is active in the community.
Christiana is standing for Lt. Governor in order to be a force for economic revitalization and a voice for accountability & civility.
For the role of Lt. Governor, Christiana brings her experience in founding & growing a successful business in the Chesapeake Bay region. She knows first-hand how government can either help or hinder entrepreneurs in creating jobs and serving their customers. She is highly attuned to the costs & disruptions of poorly run government programs; to the unintended consequences of government interventions & mandates.
Christiana encourages everyone to recognize that they cannot achieve their visions of the good life without personal effort & resilience; without extending courtesy & respect to others.
Public Service: Navy & Community
US Navy. Following in her father’s footsteps, Christiana attended an Ivy League college on a Navy ROTC scholarship before serving for four years, first in Japan, then in Maryland. Her time in the military confirmed for her the importance of having clear policies with achievable objectives. It gave her deep appreciation for the talent and smarts of our fellow citizens who may not have gone to college right after high school.
Political Activism & Advocacy. Back in the states, Christiana worked on the Perot Campaign and served for many years on the Greater Annapolis Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee. For several years she served as the parent representative on the Annapolis High School Improvement Team. In 2014 she was appointed the Annapolis High School Representative on a school redistricting committee. She has participated in many lobbying efforts in Washington DC as part of the International Franchise Association.
Small Business: Ownership & Operation
Business & Job Creation. Christiana and her husband, Steve, bought a ServiceMaster Commercial Cleaning franchise license in 1991. They settled in Anne Arundel County and proceeded to grow their business to the point that they now have roughly 180 employees and over 100 customers.
First-Hand Experience & Lessons. From this experience, Christiana knows how to launch, run, and grow a business. More important for her as candidate for Lt. Governor, she also knows first-hand the ways in which government can both help and hurt the causes of strengthening the economy & creating jobs.
Nationwide Experience & Lessons. As part of a nationwide network of franchise owners, Christiana brings not only her own first-hand knowledge but also the experience and lessons from those running small & medium businesses in other states. She hears what works. She hears what doesn’t. She will bring those insights & lessons to the job of Lt. Governor.
Journey to the LP
Youth & Discomfort. Christiana grew up in a family committed to small government, the rule of law, and equal opportunity for women. She was a Republican. But she long ago started becoming uncomfortable with the party when during the Reagan years it abandoned principle for reasons of politics in order to let government expand its reach into both the economy and our personal lives via deficit spending and legislated morality.
Departure from GOP. With the passing of the Patriot Act after 9/11, Christiana’s discomfort with the GOP escalated. Then, with the rise and nomination of Trump in 2016, it reached the breaking point. Christiana decided to leave the GOP, not only because of Trump’s personal repugnance, but also because she as a proper business owner could not bear the hoax of Trump presenting himself as a titan and friend of business, when in fact he was notorious for stiffing his small business contractors like her.
Commitment to the LP. Christiana, along with her husband and son, began attending local Libertarian Party (LP) events. She found people with whom she might not agree on every specific policy issue, but with whom she could discuss those differences respectfully and civilly. She found people who shared a simple, coherent principle for guiding decisions about personal and governmental actions: The non-aggression or non-coercion principle, which is the stitching that holds the LP quilt-work together.
The principle says in sum: No bullying & no coercion in order to get your own way.
Christiana decided to join the LP formally. She has been working quietly ever since to advance the idea that yet another law or mandate is NOT the answer to every challenge or problem that arises.
Localism & Humanism. Christiana believes that government decisions should be made as close to home… as locally… as possible. She believes as well that voting districts need to be drawn along local community lines, neither gifting politicians safe seats nor dehumanizing people into buckets on the basis of their race, sexuality, politics, wealth, or any other mere statistic, as if we are all undifferentiated & indistiguishable widgets in a machine.
Rejection of Cynicism & Identity Politics. As Christiana exited the GOP, the Democratic Party was never an option. For her, it was clear as early as the Clinton years that the Democrats were just as eager to legislate and enforce their social mores as were the Republicans. In other words, the Democrats were no more principled and restrained than the the Republicans were.
Christiana had become attuned to the importance of having principles and adhering to them early in her adulthood. As a Midshipman and Navy officer in the 1980s, she experienced first-hand the problems created by authorities who were not guided by principle… i.e., who carried one set of standards for themselves or their group but contrary standards for other individuals or groups.
Later, as a successful business entrepreneur, she saw the inefficiencies and injustices arising from well-intended but ill-fated preference programs that reduce the individual to their membership in a group. Which, again, failed to make the Democratic Party an option for her, given its devotion to divisive and debilitating identity politics.
Your Opportunity. Christiana is an accomplished, articulate, and principled Libertarian who looks forward to meeting with Marylanders during the campaign, then serving them humbly and effectively for four years as Lt. Governor.
Home & Family
Family. Christiana has lived in Maryland with her Husband of 34 years since 1989. For the past 24 years they have lived just outside of Annapolis, where their son was born in 1997 and graduated from Annapolis High in 2015.
Community & Faith. Christiana was an early board member of the All Children’s Chorus of Annapolis, and she continues to support the MD State Boychoir. She is a member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, but also attends services at the First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis.
Outdoors. Christiana and her husband love to camp and hike, getting out for long weekends with their pop-up trailer. When such excursions are not possible, she can often be found running on the Annapolis Waterworks and Bacon Ridge Trail system, which she offers as a fantastic example of what community members can do when the government gets out of their way.
Education
Christiana received her B.A. in Computer Science from Harvard University (MA).
The Ticket
Why our team?
David & Christiana make a uniquely qualified & compelling pair for Maryland voters & citizens in several respects.
Principled
David & Christiana possess abiding faith in the ability of regular people to make decisions for themselves and their loved ones. From reading history and observing life around them, they are skeptical of government actually being able to do successfully that which it says it is going to do on our behalves.
David & Christiana both arrived to the Libertarian Party by attraction to its non-aggression principle, which rejects the initiation of force for obtaining personal, social, or political objectives. They believe in persuasion, not coercion.
As your Governor & Lt. Governor, they will be effective by being clear in their principles but restrained in their actions.
Accomplished
David & Christiana bring a range of experience and accomplishments from the worlds of business and government.
From their leadership roles in business, they both know how things get done to good effect through planning, management, and persistence.
From service in the US Congress & the Maryland Dept. of Health, David in particular knows how policy actually gets formulated, negotiated, and passed.
The two of them are focused on progress & achievements, not headlines & celebrations.
As your Governor & Lt. Governor, David & Christiana will get good things done for Maryland by bringing valuable skills, collaborating with others, offering innovative ideas, and being genuine leaders.
Respectful
David & Christiana embrace all people of good will, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or politics.
They believe that you should be able to do your thing while letting others do theirs, as long as no one is physically harming or deliberately diminishing another.
They are committed to decency & civility, especially toward those with whom they might disagree.
David & Christiana look forward to working with all the members of the General Assembly when serving as your Governor & Lt. Governor.
Aligned
David & Christiana are already a team. They have known, liked, and respected each other since early 2017.
They decided themselves, with blessing of their respective families, to stand together for the Libertarian Party nomination. No rivalries. No tussles. No egos.
As your Governor & Lt. Governor, David & Christiana will be a proper team, each bringing special talents and passions to the job of making Maryland better for the all of us.
Normal
David & Christiana, it bears mention, are normal. They have hobbies & interests outside politics, just like you. They are tolerant & responsible, just like you.
On the campaign trail, David & Christiana look forward to meeting you. In office, they look forward to serving you.
Libertarian Ground
“At the end of the day, Democrats go out and appeal to 30 percent of the far left; Republicans go out and appeal to 30 percent of the far right. Hey, there's a big middle ground here that's not represented. I think [that the] Libertarian Party really occupies that ground.”
Gary Johnson, former Arizona Governor & Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate
