Mecklenburg Democrats’ African American Caucus calls for party chairman to resign
The Mecklenburg Democratic Party’s African American Caucus is calling on party chairman Drew Kromer to resign.
The caucus is one of seven organizations operating under the county party’s umbrella. Its responsibilities include recruiting and supporting Black candidates and helping organize precincts in communities with large numbers of Black voters.
The group said in a statement this weekend it “does not have confidence” in Kromer’s leadership amid “a number of unprecedented events.” Its call comes as Kromer faces criticism from within the party.
Executive Director Monifa Drayton resigned days after the general election with a letter that compared her experience to that of “professional Black women during the Jim Crow era.”
Multiple Black precincts chairs, including the first vice president of the African American Caucus, told The Charlotte Observer after Drayton’s resignation that party leadership, including Kromer, failed to heed warnings about lackluster grassroots organizing in communities with large numbers of Black voters.
County Commissioner Arthur Griffin also sent an email to Kromer in the wake of Drayton’s resignation calling for him to leave his post, WFAE reported.
The caucus’s statement references Drayton’s resignation and Griffin’s message. It accuses Kromer of “poor communication,” “a lack of transparency” and “a refusal to engage” with minority communities.
“This has been detrimental to the stated mission of the AAC-MCDP and does not promote our stated goal to strengthen the Democratic Party,” the statement said.
Kromer told the Observer Tuesday he doesn’t plan to resign and noted that the current African American Caucus president ran against him in the last chairperson race. He said the caucus hasn’t responded to his requests to talk or meet since the election and alleged its members didn’t volunteer during the 2024 election cycle.
“I’m struck by their lack of candor,” Kromer said.
He previously pushed back on the precinct chairs’ claims, saying the party is focused on advancing new strategies for organizing and outreach and made investments in the African American community during the 2024 election cycle.
“Anybody is welcome to run against me for whatever they like,” he told the Observer previously.
The county party’s next regularly scheduled election for chairperson is in April.
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 12:24 PM.
