ICYMI

The 2026 Pirate National Conference kicked off on June 6th, 2026 and wrapped up the next day. A very special thank you to the Massachusetts Pirate Party, those who flew out to attend, and those who attended online. Without you, this conference would not have been possible, let alone the success it was.

Our election of a new board has also come to a close and the results are in! Your new 2026 Pirate National Committee board:

• Captain – “Jolly” Mitch Davilo (Inc.)
• Vice Captain – Blase Henry
• Quartermaster – Eli McGee
• Scribe – Lily Boyt
• Lookout – Joseph Onoroski
• Beancounter – Joel Lightfoot
• Swarmcare Manager – Wanda Ward
• Webadmin – Mars Bale (Inc.)
• Director of the PR – Rowan Tipping

“Jolly” Mitch returns as Pirate Party Captain. Bestowed the vote of confidence to continue on course, I am honored to have been reelected to the position of Captain. As per my speech from this weekend (one that experienced audio issues and will thus be re-recorded and uploaded separately), my leadership philosophy can be summed up with this quote from G.D.H. Cole:

“In democracy, the leader stands in an essentially different relation to those whom he leads and, instead of substituting his will for theirs, aims at carrying out, not their “real will” as interpreted by him, but their actual will as understood by themselves.”

Blase Henry, Captain of the Arizona Pirate Party and United States Pirate Party Scribe lives up to his once-described-position of “rising star” within the party as he takes on the role of Vice Chair. Blase has quickly put together one of the more successful and active Pirate Party state parties in his short time. The time between Blase’s arrival to the state of the AZPP today is ultimately very brief, making what he has done all the more impressive. Blase’s leadership style is a much welcomed addition to higher leadership of the Pirate National Committee board. Blase fills in the vacancy left by previous VC Ty Clifford, who resigned weeks prior to the conference.

Quartermaster gets taken over by Beancounter Eli McGee. Jumping from auditor to treasurer itself, Eli has shown a commitment to helping the Pirate Party wherever he is needed, and it is the trust he has built that has lead to him taking over from two-term-incumbent Darren McKeeman. Eli’s position as Treasurer sees the position return to a Massachusetts Pirate, which has historically been a position held by a Massachusetts Pirate (not by design, just a funny coincidence).

Scribe has taken over from Blase by YPUSA Co-Captain Lily Boyt. Lily, who has been the heart and soul of building up our YPUSA organization, along with other fellow Young Pirates, has been granted a seat at the table and will provide that same care and attention given to the YPUSA to the PNC. Lily, much like Blase once was described, can be called a rising star within the Pirate Party, and we’re excited to have her aboard.

Lookout! Our Lookout is Joseph Onoroski. Joseph, who ran for 17th Middlesex in 2024, wins after largely promising to be the impartial voice sorting out internal affairs and reaffirming his commitment to stability and fairness within the party. Capt. Emer. Onoroski takes over from Wanda Ward, who speaking of…

Wanda Ward moves on from Lookout onto the role they’ve essentially done for the better part of the last year: Swarmcare Manager. Wanda, who has quickly shown herself to be the one of the most dedicated and committed Pirates around, assisting not only here but heavily with YPUSA, takes over a role that I have long considered one of the most important yet underappreciated roles. Swarmcare Manager is a role I myself held for two years, and I felt that time was invaluable to my feature time spent as Captain. Wanda, the current FLPP Captain and (likely) a future USPP Captain in her own right, will serve the position with the honor and respect it deserves.

Beancounter moves from Eli to Joel Lightfoot, captain of the Maryland Pirate Party. Joel, a small business owner and newer addition to the party, has been granted the role of Eli’s successor and number two guy. Joel has been dedicated to helping the party from the moment he arrived, and we believe this role will help Joel emerge as a true leader on the national stage.

The only other incumbent returning to the board is Webadmin Mars Bale. Thankful to have some positional consistency, Mars returning to his position on the board is a vote of confidence and approval of the work he’s done, and as Captain, I do commend the work he’s done. I believe Mars’s return is a net positive, not just for the party itself, but it strengthens the role of Webadmin and hopefully leaves us in a position of great confidence moving forward, as Webadmin is strengthened through experience.

Our new Director of PR is Illinois Pirate Rowan Tipping, forming Swarmcare Manager and inaugural Captain of Young Pirates USA. Rowan, as dedicated as you’ll ever see someone dedicated to the Pirate Party, fills in the role as a man who loves this party. Not only does the role of PR receive the attentions of a man who cares about the image of the party, but the role is being filled by a man who came in with plenty of idea of how to execute while in said role. Rowan’s being here is a sign that passion for the Pirate Party is still very much a factor in getting elected to the board. Rowan, as much as anyone, loves the Pirate Party. The Pirates should feel lucky to have some who cares as much as Rowan does watching over our image.

Those are the election results! We spent Day One aboard the U.S.S. Constitution before moving onto lunch then the conference portion itself. You can catch all the latest videos, include the conference itself (Here) and my opening speech for the conference (Here).

Election results can be found here: PNC Officer Elections Results. Winners and acceptance takes certain winning candidates out of contention, meaning some candidates may have won multiple races but could only accept one outcome.

The speech given that was largely cut due to audio errors will be re-recorded and uploaded separately.

Day 2 was a camera walk mapping event along the Freedom Trail, followed by lunch and then a split: some went to the Aquarium, and some (well, myself) went to the New England Free Jacks vs Chicago Hounds game.

The Free Jacks dynasty unfortunately did get eliminated from playoff contention, but my Hounds did go undefeated in regular season play.

This, of course, is entirely unrelated to the conference, but I did need to brag. HOUND TOWN BABY! LETS GO HOUNDS.

Thank you all who made 20 Years a Pirate possible. We look forward to serving you this year and we will be working out details for next year as early as our next meeting on June 14th.

uspirates.org/icymi-updates-fr…