Minneapolis DFL Party chairman resigns, treasurer gets ousted

The Minneapolis DFL chairman resigned and the group's treasurer was removed Thursday, weeks before the City Council and mayoral election.

Chairman Dan McConnell resigned at the end of a party meeting after eight years in the position. He is succeeded by Alicia Bennett, who previously served as associate chair.

Treasurer Tim Bonham was removed at the same meeting after the state DFL affirmative action committee investigated a complaint against him and recommended removal.

McConnell's resignation comes on the heels of an attempt to remove him as chairman in March, after he spent $2,000 on a poll to see if Green Party Council Member Cam Gordon was vulnerable to a challenge. McConnell's wife, Minneapolis DFL Secretary Becky Boland, was a potential candidate to run against Gordon.

Scott Graham, chairman of DFL Senate District 61 and a member of the Minneapolis DFL executive committee, said McConnell's resignation Thursday was related to the earlier effort to oust him.

"Dan felt an obligation to stay in that position to guide us through the convention," Graham said, referring to the DFL convention in July.

Bonham's removal was unrelated to McConnell's resignation, Graham said.

Reached by phone, both McConnell and Bonham declined to comment.

A new associate chair and treasurer will be elected at the next Minneapolis DFL meeting, which has yet to be scheduled. Party members who live in Minneapolis are eligible to run.

Graham said he thinks this could be a turning point for the Minneapolis DFL.

"I think there's going to be the emergence of a progressive, grass roots leadership approach in the Minneapolis DFL," he said, citing conversations he's had "with many people who feel like that's the direction the DFL needs to head."

Emma Nelson • 612-673-4509