I am pleased to report that yesterday’s meeting of the State Central Committee of the South Dakota Democratic Party produced no substantive surprises. A quorum gathered in Mitchell and gave its seal of approval to the emergency leadership team Randy Seiler assembled to drive the party back out of the ditch after the sudden departure of chair Paula Hawks and executive director Stacey Burnette in October.
Democrats elected Randy Seiler to serve as party chair. Nikki Gronli will serve as his vice chair. Democrats picked Marcia Bunger serve as official party treasurer; However, in an apparent move to assure all members that at the party’s fiscal affairs will be closely monitored, Seiler will retain Larry Olsen to serve as co-treasurer alongside Bunger. Of party leaders elected last March, only Lorri May remains in her position as party secretary.
Of party leaders elected last March, only Lorri May remains in her position as party secretary.
Seiler reciprocated the State Central Committee’s vote of confidence with this useful reminder that no one runs a party alone:
Although we are still in the process of correcting past misfilings, we have a dedicated team and a third-party accounting firm working diligently to make sure we have accurate information filed. We’ve also done an assessment of our monthly income and taken steps to quickly eliminate past debt that might have held us back. I couldn’t be prouder of the work of many Democratic Party members from across the state [Randy Seiler, press release, SDDP, 2019.12.07].
Progressive voters interested in seeing an effective opposition party effectively challenge the plutocrats, incompetents, and moral cowards of the SDGOP should take heart at yesterday’s apparently quiet and firm vote by Democratic leaders to trust Team Seiler to lead the real People’s Party through the 2020 election.