[T]he Vermont Democratic Party’s operations director was forced to resign last month, after officials found he allegedly used about $3000 of party expenses for personal use.
Brandon Batham, whose resignation was announced in mid July, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday. A source familiar with Batham’s resignation confirmed that it stemmed from embezzlement allegations.
Seven Days first reported on Batham’s ouster Friday morning.
In a statement on Friday, the Democratic Party said that after an examination of its finances, it was discovered that there were seven instances, totaling $2,938.31, in the first six months of 2019, where party funds were used for personal gain by a party employee.
The statement did not mention Batham by name, but said that after finding the financial irregularities party officials “took appropriate actions to remove the source of the misuse and entered into an agreement for repayment of these funds.”
Over the past three years, Batham had served as the party’s political director and director of party operations.
Terje Anderson, chair of the party, declined to comment Friday on whether Batham was the “source” of embezzlement. “We do not comment on personnel matters,” he said.
“This is a sad and regrettable situation, similar to what so many other Vermont organizations have experienced in recent years,” Anderson said in a statement.
“In the end, we are relieved that our internal systems were able to detect it, that the relatively modest amount is being repaid, and that we now have even stronger internal controls and procedures in place,” he added.
The party also said it is currently working with its campaign finance lawyers and advisers to file corrected information with the Federal Elections Commission, as is required by law.
Batham was also a Barre city councilor and chair of the Barre City Democratic Committee until earlier this year. He recently resigned his local party post and did not run for reelection to the city council, according to Teddy Waszazak, who took his seat on the council. Rep. Tommy Walz is the acting Barre party chair.
Colin Meyn contributed reporting
