Two laders of the Democratic National Convention’s host committee in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — including the committee’s president — have been suspended following allegations of a “toxic work environment” tainted with widespread “sexism,” local media reported Tuesday.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel claims that host committee president, Liz Gilbert, and her chief of staff, Adam Alonso, were suspended from their duties Monday by the host committee’s board of directors, who received complaints about the pair who, sources told the paper, were creating a “toxic work environment” for staffers.
Several women complained to the board, WISN added, alleging that Gilbert and Alonso created a “boys club” environment that allowed “sexism” to flourish and run rampant. In addition, the Journal-Sentinel reported, “two experienced political hands who have worked with the host committee…accused the top two officials, Gilbert and Alonso, of giving contracts to their friends in New Jersey, calling meetings and then failing to attend them and being more focused on accumulating power than promoting Milwaukee.”
The complaints triggered an internal investigation, and the pair will remain on the sidelines until the investigation has concluded. Gilbert “will not have direct contact with staff” and Alonso has been placed on “administrative leave,” per the Journal-Sentinel.
This is, reportedly, not the first time concerns have been raised about the pair. Last month, Gilbert and Alonso “came under criticism for continuing to do work for New Jersey Democrats while leading the Host Committee full time.”
The Democratic National Commitee selected Milwaukee to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention back in March of 2019, electing to go to Wisconsin perhaps as a way of making up for Hillary Clinton’s lack of attention to the state during the 2016 presidential campaign. Although Clinton blamed her loss on sexism, racism, and other internalized biases, experts cited her decision to ignore battleground states in the “Rust Belt” as a major contributing factor in her defeat at the hands of now-President Donald Trump.
“Don’t forget folks, 490 days and this place will be hopping,” DNC Chairman Tom Perez said at the time. “Four hundred ninety days and we will have a discussion about how to retake our democracy in the city of Milwaukee. That discussion will not only ripple across Lake Michigan, it will ripple across the world.”
Gilbert was quickly placed in charge of the host committee, which is responsible for raising the $70 million it will cost to hold the multi-day event where Democrats will finally crown their 2020 presidential nominee, and recruting the 15,000 volunteers needed for the convention to run smoothly.
Luckily for the DNC, a separate committee, the Democratic National Convention Committee, is in charge of running the convention itself. That committee released a statement Tuesday morning distancing itself from the host committee and promising to investigate the complaints.
“The Democratic Party is firm in our belief that every person deserves to feel safe and respected at their place of work, and we will always take seriously claims of bullying and workplace harassment,” Joe Solmonese, the chief executive of the DNCC said in the statement. The board of directors, he added, “is moving forward with a plan to restore an office culture that aligns with the values and expectations of our party.”