The Democratic Party of Multnomah County strives to be an inclusive organization.

We are committed to creating a “safe and inclusive environment for all by expecting members to treat everyone with courtesy and respect in both speech and behavior.”

One cornerstone of achieving this goal is listening to those who do not feel they have been treated with courtesy and respect and providing a safe process for hearing those concerns. The Ethics Panel exists to provide that process to our members—where all grievances are taken seriously and investigated, where all those involved are treated with respect and where appropriate action will be taken to ensure we are living up to our by-laws. Ensuring that all feel welcome and heard could not be more critical.

To File a Complaint with the Ethics Panel, download a complaint report form and submit to grievances@multdems.org.

In August 2019, The Democratic Party of Multnomah County, under the direction of the Chair, with the goal of achieving a more equitable and accountable organization, has created a special committee known as the MCD Ethics Panel which will carry out several important services to our community and its members.

First, the panel will accept, document, and review internal grievances from members of the party. The panel will investigate the grievances and provide recommendations to the Chair, executive committee or MCD PCP body, depending on the severity of the violation. While the panel will be focused on resolving future conflicts and incidents, members are encouraged to bring forward formal complaints from past conflicts/incidents if they a) have not reported the incident because of a lack of a formal system for submitting grievances b) have submitted a report to MCD leadership but feel the issue has been unaddressed or unresolved and c) the incident occurred within the past five years.

Second, the panel will offer guidance to the body about how to successfully adhere to the MCD Code of Conduct, Behavior and Office Use Guidelines. This may include seminars, training sessions, how-to guides, or reviews of institutional practices that may violate the Code. Our intention is to hold our community to these standards to ensure civility, respect, and fairness between our members.

As an organization that obtains its power from the collective action and support of its community, of particular concern to the Democratic Party of Multnomah County is whether any aggrieved individual or individuals have felt excluded, disenfranchised, or subject to intimidation or harassment to the point of no longer attending meetings or participating in events. We seek to encourage ALL our members to participate and feel welcome at our meetings and activities. If you feel this basic tenet has been violated, we encourage you to submit a report to grievances@multdems.org and allow our Ethics panel to review it. Our ethics panel Chair, Anna Kanwit, can also be reached directly at ethics@multdems.org. Details about the panel’s rules and procedures can be found by clicking on the link below.