Leaders of the South Dakota Democratic Party will meet tomorrow (Sat.) in Fort Pierre to start to formulate a plan to rectify the party’s financial woes.
Chairwoman Paula Hawks and executive director Stacey Burnette both stepped down Wednesday after a Federal Elections Commission report came out showing the party’s federal campaign committee owes nearly $47,000 and has a negative balance of more than $8,000.
Randy Seiler of Fort Pierre is now Chairman of the party.
Hawks and Burnette had been in their jobs less than a year and Seiler says their resignations are not indications of mismanagement.
He says democracy works best when there are two vibrant, active, engaged political parties.
The Democratic Party currently holds no statewide elected offices and about 15 of the 105 seats in the state House and Senate. But, Seiler says the party has been strong before and he believes it can be again.
An FEC audit earlier this year of the party’s finances for the years 2015 and 2016 found several problems, including failing to disclose debts and vendor obligations.
