SD 54 Officer Descriptions, Duties and Responsibilities

Senate District Chair

The Senate District Chair has the responsibility to lead the Senate District.  That person must have the ability to organize, provide direction and work well with others.  The Senate District chair must monitor those assigned tasks to insure their completion, including his/her own tasks.  A Senate District chair should consult with other officers about decisions, yet must use his/her own discretion on some matters.  The Senate District Chair should be well versed in the tenets of the current Official Call of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and the Minnesota DFL Constitution & Bylaws.

Some of the duties required of a Senate District Chair are to:

  • Preside over meetings of the Senate District Executive and Central committees
  • Represent the Senate District, as a delegate, to (member) the State DFL Central Committee
  • Represent the Senate District, as a delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Central Committee
  • Represent the Senate District, as a delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Executive Committee
  • Act as an ex-officio member of all Senate District committees
  • Call, organize and convene Senate District conventions
  • General organization of precinct caucuses including recruiting precinct conveners, reserving handicapped accessible locations for precinct caucuses within the Senate District and making sure there is public notification about local caucuses, etc.
  • Submit a list of individuals interested in serving as election judges to the county auditor or city clerk.
  • Act as the main local contact in your area for campaigns and the State DFL office

The following is a suggested checklist of things that most effective Senate District Chairs do:

  • Survey the county to make certain that every precinct is covered by a precinct chair.
  • Appoint committees to carry out party activities.  Some examples are: Fundraising, Publicity, Newsletters, Issues or Research, Community Service, Volunteer Recruitment, Speaker’s Bureau, Precinct Organization, Campaign Coordination; Candidate Recruitment and Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV).
  • Meet with committees or the committee chairs to make sure each committee has members, is interested in its duties and is prepared to pass information on to party leaders and workers.  See that their activities are properly coordinated with other committee or party activities.
  • Arrange regular meetings of the Senate District to give precinct chairs and party workers training and information on programs, campaigns and issues.
  • Coordinate efforts and provide information between the Senate District, congressional district and state DFL party organizations.
  • Develop a budget and timetable for fundraising so that the party organization and campaigns are properly financed to carry out their program or projects.
  • Identify and encourage potential candidates for state legislative, county or local office.

Committees and Meetings

For a Senate District meeting, the Senate District Chair should:

  • Prepare for the meeting by creating an agenda and discussion topics and distributing it to committee members two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.
  • Always be in control of the meeting by following the agenda closely and moving the meeting along quickly, without discouraging meaningful discussion.
  • Plan appointments and delegate specific tasks in advance.
  • Appoint people to committees when the need arises.
  • Invite guest speakers to meetings.  The DFL has many legislative leaders, elected officials and potential candidates who would be interested in speaking to your meeting and might offer a new dynamic to your meeting.

Senate District Associate Chair

The Senate District Associate Chair should be the complement to the Senate District chair.  The Associate Chair should advise and share information with the chair to make each of their jobs easier.  The Associate Chair should keep abreast of all activities and duties of the chair in the event that the chair would be unable to fulfill their job (this could be due to illness or personal schedule conflict).  The Associate Chair can also assume the unofficial position of a certain committee chair or a specific Senate District project, such as: Senate District fundraiser, newsletter editor, program chair, etc.

The Associate Chair should:

  • Remain abreast of the Senate District’s activities
  • Be prepared to assume the duties of the chair, if need be
  • Be at the disposal of the chair to assist him or her as necessary
  • Delegate (member) of the Senate District’s Central and Executive Committees
  • Represent the Senate District, as a delegate, to (member) the State DFL Central Committee
  • Represent the Senate District, as a delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Central Committee
  • Represent the Senate District, as a delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Executive Committee
  • Be willing to take extra initiative in a specific project, such as fundraising, newsletter, program or issues, etc.  

     Senate District Secretary

    The secretary of the Senate District is the recorder and keeper of the records of the Senate District DFL. 

    Through accurate recording of the minutes of meetings, the secretary can:

 

  • Prevent a repeat of old business, allowing more time to discuss new items.
  • Help define assigned individual or group tasks to prevent any misunderstandings later.
  • Keep a record of lists, such as good DFLers, contributors, costs of activities, etc. and provide a record of proceedings to help settle disputes. 
  • The secretary can also relieve some of the burden of details of correspondence from the chair. 

The secretary’s usual duties include the following:

  • Recording the minutes of Senate District Central and Executive Board meetings.
  • Sending out meeting notices and agendas to all members, including the minutes of the previous meeting.
  • Maintaining a list of all members, updating addresses and telephone numbers, and helping the state headquarters by sending in revisions.
  • Maintaining a permanent record of activities for use by future Senate District officers.
  • Sending the state office a copy of the Senate District’s latest constitution with any new revisions.
  • Sending meeting, rally and fundraising notices to the state headquarters for publication on the State DFL Web site.
  • Delegate (member) of the Senate District’s Central and Executive Committees
  • Represent the Senate District, as an alternate delegate, to (member) the State DFL Central Committee
  • Represent the Senate District, as an alternate delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Central Committee
  • Represent the Senate District, as an alternate delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Executive Committee

    Senate District Treasurer: 

The Senate District treasurer is, according to state law, the legal representative of the Senate District.  The treasurer maintains custody of all funds, prepares checks for payment and keeps strict financial records of contributions and expenditures.  It is the treasurer’s responsibility to submit those records in the required format to the State Ethical Practices Board.  The Treasurer may not disburse funds without the authority or ratification of the Senate District Executive Committee or the SD 54 Chair.  The best listing of the duties of the Senate District Treasurer is Minnesota Public Disclosure Law – Political Committee and Fund Handbook, compiled by the Ethical Practices Board.  This is the treasurer’s canonical source for information and must be read by all DFL Party officers.    

  • The Senate District treasurer is the Senate District’s chief fundraising organizer
  • Delegate (member) of the Senate District’s Central and Executive Committees
  • Represent the Senate District, as an alternate delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Central Committee
  • Represent the Senate District, as an alternate delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Executive Committee

    Senate District Affirmative Action Officer

    The affirmative action officer is responsible for:

·         Developing and then implementing a Senate District’s affirmative action plan. 

·         Taking the lead in recruitment, education of DFL members and encouraging greater participation in the unit’s DFL party activities.

·         Developing relationships with citizens groups that include persons of color, senior citizens, youth, farmers, those with disabilities, women, gays, lesbians and others.

·         Representing the Senate District on the 4th Congressional District’s Affirmative Action Committee

·         Chair of the Senate District’s Affirmative Action Committee.

Senate District Directors

The Senate District Director performs various duties for the Senate District party organization.  Many Senate Districts specify in their unit’s constitution what responsibilities are assigned to each director.  Examples are: Fundraising Director, Publicity Director, Voter Registration Director, Issues and Program Director, Volunteer Director, Legislative Liaison Director, Campaign Director, etc.  Either the Senate District Chair or Central Committee assigns these directors specific duties.     

 

Senate District directors are members of the Senate District’s executive and central committees.

State Central Committee Members (delegates and alternates)

The State Central Committee delegate represents your Senate District on the DFL State Central Committee.  The State Central Committee is the governing body of the DFL party, between conventions. 

 

  • Represent the Senate District, as a delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Central Committee
  • Represent the Senate District, as a delegate, to (member) the 4th Congressional District DFL Executive Committee