September 8, 2017

DSA Accountability Task Force Statement on Danny Fetonte’s Resignation

Comrades,

Two weeks ago, DSA members from across the country formed a task force for addressing transparency and accountability deficits in DSA, both in the National Political Committee (NPC) and in the organization as a whole. The immediate motivation for this was the crisis surrounding Danny Fetonte’s position on the NPC. Our aim has been to call a Special National Convention in order to remove Mr. Fetonte from the NPC, amend our Constitution to create a recall procedure, and address transparency issues on the NPC and Steering Committee. However, now that Mr. Fetonte has resigned from DSA altogether and the immediate controversy has passed, we are no longer calling for a Special Convention.

In the interest of transparency, we are releasing the amendments, resolutions, and justifications for a Special Convention we developed; they were near completion and we were planning on releasing them publicly this weekend. Out of respect for our comrades in Austin, we are not publishing materials dealing specifically with the question of Mr. Fetonte’s NPC seat, which have been rendered moot by his resignation. If you are interested in seeing these materials, you may email us at dsa.acct.taskforce@gmail.com or DM us at @DSAAccntability.

While the immediate crisis has passed, our group itself will remain. This incident has provided an opportunity to examine DSA’s democratic procedures and to come up with ideas to improve them. The nationwide collaboration of this group over the past two weeks has shown the power of democracy, and how much we can accomplish when we come together across geography and ideology to work toward a common goal. We will continue this important work. If you are a member of DSA and would like to join us, please fill out this form: https://goo.gl/r9Lroc. Alternately, email us at dsa.acct.taskforce@gmail.com or DM us at @DSAAccntability.

We believe that DSA is the best vehicle for advancing socialism in this country, and we are committed to making it even better over the coming months and years. Although the crisis has passed, we will continue to work for transparency, accountability, and the development of democracy within DSA. We hope you join us.

In solidarity,

DSA Accountability Task Force

List of documents

Document 1: Amendment to the DSA Constitution to institute NPC recall procedures

Document 2: Amendment to the DSA Constitution to ensure openness of NPC meetings

Document 3: Amendment to the DSA Bylaws to require advance notice of NPC meetings and the regular publication of the minutes of NPC meetings

Document 4: Resolution to Charter a Transparency & Accountability Commission

Document 5: Frequently asked questions regarding parliamentary procedures for the Special Convention (note: this document has not received legal review)

Document 6: Proposed rules for the Special Convention (note: this document may have formatting/spelling/grammar errors)

Document 7: Resolution to Remove Danny Fetonte from the NPC (available upon request)

Document 8: Supporting documentation for the Fetonte removal resolution (available upon request)