King County Democrats say they’ve been torn this year between resolving a workplace scandal in their own ranks, and supporting candidates in this much-anticipated election year. Now they say they’re ready to move forward.

The resignation of King County Democrats Chair Bailey Stober took effect Saturday, April 14. He stepped down at the end of a marathon meeting the week before, over allegations of harassment and creating a hostile work environment. Stober said many of the allegations were untrue but that “some of them are true.”

Board member Bevin McLeod said it was exhausting for everyone. “I was there for over 14 hours. It felt like we were trying to reenact a courtroom trial,” she said.

McLeod filed the initial complaint against Stober over his treatment of Natalia Koss Vallejo, the group’s executive director.

“I feel very strongly that if we’re going to change the culture around us, we have to take steps to address situations as they arise, and call them out for not acceptable,” she said.