The executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party is stepping down days after a staffer issued a public resignation letter alleging a “toxic environment” at the organization.
In a statement Monday night, the party said that its executive director, Scott McNeil, would leave his post “in order to pursue new opportunities.” McNeil plans to remain on staff for an unspecified period of time “to help ease this transition,” the party said.
The statement does not directly mention Kevin Burgess, the former director of party affairs and outreach, who resigned last week and criticized the party in an email to its leaders. But it does refer to recent staffing changes and the party’s plans to support underrepresented communities — a focus of Burgess’ critique.
“As Democrats, we share a common mission to engage and welcome all Vermonters,” the statement reads. “We will be doing so through dedicated efforts to support our relationships with marginalized communities, through the ongoing work of our town and county committees, and by working with allied groups that share our vision for a more diverse and inclusive Vermont.”
In his email, which was sent to top leaders of the organization last Thursday, Burgess said that the party had failed to address “systemic issues.”
“From dismantling (the state party’s) ‘old boys club’ culture to exploring how the party has failed/continues to fail candidates and Democrats of color, party leadership refuses to acknowledge these long standing issues,” Burgess wrote.
He called the party “the most unorganized and poorly managed institution I have ever seen” and said he “cannot continue working in this toxic environment.”
“It is turning me into someone I don’t recognize. I have been continually told that I either don’t know what I’m talking about or that I need to be falsely positive in the face of a legacy of injustice. That is not accountability. It’s gaslighting,” Burgess wrote.
McNeil has served as executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party since July 2019 and previously led the North Dakota Democratic Party.
The organization has weathered frequent turnover in recent years. When McNeil joined the party he became its third executive director since 2018.
McNeil did not immediately respond to a phone call Monday evening seeking comment.
