The South Dakota Democratic Party Chair and Executive Director are resigning from their positions effective immediately.
Both Paula Hawks and Stacey Burnette took up leadership positions in the party this year.
Vice Chairman Randy Seiler is confirming the resignations. He says he’s confident they had both professional and personal reasons for resigning, but declined to comment further.
“The South Dakota Democratic Party is alive and well,” Seiler says. “We’re working hard. We’re going to be a presence in our state for years to come. The party is much bigger than two individuals. We represent thousands and thousands and thousands of people across South Dakota and we intend to continue to do that moving forward.”
According to party by-laws, Seiler will ascend into the role as party chair. He says he’s not interested in becoming party chair. Sieler says he will consult with the party’s executive board and state central committee.
He says he will schedule an emergency meeting of the executive board for this Saturday to talk about replacements and the direction of the party.
The party closed its offices in Sioux Falls and Rapid City in September. Recent Federal Election Commission filings show the party is in debt by about $47,000.