CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's been more than two weeks since Monifa Drayton resigned from her role as executive director of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, claiming she faced a racist and toxic work environment. Now, the African American Caucus of Mecklenburg County is calling on the party's top leader to resign.
In a letter Saturday, the caucus said what Drayton and other Democrats in the county have faced all happened under the leadership of Drew Kromer, the current party chair. The caucus said paid and volunteer staff have been mistreated, that Kromer made unilateral decisions to remove leaders from their positions, and has been uncommunicative. The caucus letter also claims there's been a lack of transparency surrounding the party's financial concerns and there's been a "refusal to engage with ethnic minority communities in Mecklenburg County."
WCNC Charlotte has asked for comment from the party. As of publication, a response has not been provided.
In her own resignation after Election Day, Drayton echoed similar claims. She claimed she was stripped of her responsibilities and that false allegations were made to create a negative portrayal of her work performance. She also accused party leaders of limiting her to only work with Black, brown and LGBTQ+ communities after stripping away her power.
Drayton claimed she learned about losing her duties in a staff memo that was shared by her colleagues.
Her resignation also came after Democrats struggled in Mecklenburg County despite a strategy local leaders, including Kromer, felt would help turn North Carolina blue. Instead, Vice President Kamala Harris failed to earn as many votes as President Joe Biden in 2020. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump increased his voter share in the Democratic stronghold.