A copy of Code of Conduct Reform suggestions sent to Chair Richard Carlbom in December 2025
The below document was shared with Richard Carlbom, DFL State Party Chair, in early December of 2025 after he solicited ideas for reforming the Code of Conduct committee. As of February 16th, 2026, no response has been received and there has been on indication that reforms will be enacted or even considered. Additionally, the complaint I made in regard to the misgendering and transphobia I experienced at the Feminist caucus on September 9th, 2025 (161 days ago) has yet to be resolved. Additionally, a complaint made against me stemming from the same meeting has yet to be resolved.
This is all work I have taken on at the request of the State Party Chair, with zero recognition. At this point, I am an award winning volunteer who has put in hours that amount to a part-time job, and I do not want to go into convention season without resolution. Several other people have also submitted suggestions for reform, including a jury duty model, a model that leaves code of conduct complaints to individual organizing units, and modifications of my proposals below.
I place this documentation on my website here for public accountability and transparency.
Code of Conduct Suggestions:
A code of conduct document and a code of conduct committee should spell out what kind of behaviors are acceptable and unacceptable within the organization, with enough room for reasonable person interpretations of the code of conduct to cover behaviors not explicitly spelled out. A code of conduct is also a living document: we should look at streamlining update processes and have a biennial review of the code of conduct to make it responsive to the needs of the party.
The current format of the code of conduct is untenable, and the current membership has demonstrated themselves to be corrupt in their dealings and unable to act in ethical ways. They operate in secrecy, without check on their disciplinary abilities, and clearly use their powers to silence those critical of the more conservative members of the party (of which they are). The current membership should be vacated and a new system for selecting membership should be put into place (detailed below).
Even further, decisions handed down by the current committee should be subject to review by the state central committee, with an oversight committee made of a majority of traditionally marginalized people within the party who are not current state leaders in the party. This is as close to outside observers as we will get without actively hiring someone. We need a truth and reconciliation commission to overhaul this process, rectify wrongs done, and rebuild trust. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.
Beyond that, below are my suggestions for revision of documentation and processes:
Committee Membership. Set a rule for the composition of the committee that people on the committee cannot hold other leadership positions within the party. The way it is set up currently is ripe for conflicts of interest in terms of maintaining structures of power.
Current membership documentation: “Membership. The State DFL Code of Conduct Committee consists of thirteen members elected by the State Executive Committee from amongst its members (at least five from counties outside of Anoka, Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties), serving at the pleasure of the State Executive Committee. Any member of the State Executive Committee, voting or non-voting, is eligible to serve as a voting member of the Code of Conduct Committee. One of the committee members must be an attorney or human resources professional versed in personnel matters. Members of the State Executive Committee who have a potential conflict of interest should recuse themselves and do not count towards or against quorum for the consideration of an appeal from a decision of the Code of Conduct Committee.”
Revise to: “Membership. The State DFL Code of Conduct committee will consist of thirteen members. Seven members will be elected at the State Convention, with at least three being from counties outside the seven county Twin Cities metro area. Gender and racial equity should apply. The remaining six members are appointed by the State Executive Committee. Terms on the committee are for two years, with a limit of two terms served, and during that time period, members of the Code of Conduct committee are barred from serving in other leadership roles within the party, with the exception of being a delegate to conventions or precinct caucus convener. All members of the committee must undergo basic conflict management and mediation training, and at least one member of the committee should be professionally trained in those concepts. Members of the State Executive Committee who have a potential conflict of interest should recuse themselves and do not count towards or against quorum for the consideration of an appeal from a decision of the Code of Conduct Committee. Administrative duties like managing intake, sending notifications, and collecting and collating evidence are the province of an assigned DFL staff member, not party volunteers.”
Guidelines for dispensation of code of conduct violations. Currently the code of conduct is very punitive, which it occasionally needs to be (cf. Warsame in Ward 10 in 2023). But there also needs to be room for mediation and conflict management with an eye toward restorative justice.
Amend the Disciplinary Action section of the code of conduct to include: “Mediation and Restorative Justice. Where appropriate and amenable to all parties involved, the Code of Conduct Committee should offer mediation with the aim of restorative justice. Many conflicts can be resolved through alternate, non-punitive means, and restorative justice practices should be the first line of inquiry once it is determined a violation has occurred.”
Transparency. The CBRC lays out explicitly on their website what happens during a challenge process. The Code of Conduct process should be the same. There should be a website you can go to see the process laid out, and what options you have within that process. Currently, the processes are buried in the party documents, on page 28 of a 40 page document in a PDF you have to know to find.
Documentation of processes and transparency thereof needs to be made accessible on a public facing website, in full - the PDF of the constitution within party documents does not count. Step by step plain language, alongside an FAQ.
If a complaint is made and a respondent is notified, the description of the complaint portion will be shared with the respondent at the time of notification. It is honestly ridiculous that the current system is to notify that there’s a complaint with absolutely no information about what the complaint is.
This should be done with the utmost care to preserve confidentiality. Personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, and email must be redacted before the complaint information is passed along. If someone is complaining about harassment and stalking, for example, we need to know that the harasser will not have access to personal information as the result of this process.
