Arizona’s Democratic Party chairwoman is paid $12,000 a month in as an independent contractor despite a bylaw employment ban, which the party says is a common way to pay party chairs nationwide.
ADP Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano started receiving payment in August, according to Federal Election Commission records, which the party said is part of an independent contractor agreement.
Party bylaws, in Article V Section 4B, state that "ADP Officers and other members of the ADP Executive Board shall not concurrently serve as employees of the ADP," which would make her independent contractor status a loophole under the party's rules.
Federal Election Commission records show that she got paid in August, September and October. These disbursements are all labeled as payroll.
The Arizona Democratic Party's Executive Director, Morgan Dick, told The Center Square that executive committee members are aware of the arrangement.
"Chair Bejarano is not an employee of the Party, but rather an independent contractor. The IRS actually lays out that members of governing boards are defined as "non-employees" and organizations should treat them as independent contractors," she said in an email to The Center Square.
Dick added that having a paid chair will help their efforts in a competitive state like Arizona.
“Arizona has become the most prominent battleground state in the country. Having a full-time, compensated Chair is an important step in the process of building a strong battleground State Party that has the ability to build a stronger coalition year in and year out while strengthening candidates up and down the ticket," Dick said in a statement. "Thanks to the support of generous donors to ADP, we are proud to make this happen and have Arizona catch up to the national standard of other battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan.”
“A full-time Chair is a regular practice in other key battleground states where there are extensive time demands for the State Party’s Chair. We are proud to compensate our Chair, in line with senior Party leadership and in a manner that comports with both the IRS and the State Party bylaws," she continued.
The Center Square checked to see if past state party chairs received payment based on FEC records available from 1999. Although recent chairs like Raquel Teran and Felecia Rotellini did not get payroll funds, the most notable example was from 2006, which was a midterm election year. Former chairman David Waid received regular payments of $3,404.42 in the spring and summer of 2006 from the Arizona State Democratic Central Executive Committee, but it's unclear if he was an independent contractor.
On the other side, the Republican Party of Arizona is in a different financial situation. The party has $54,830.40 as of Oct. 31, and $38,391.65 in debts or loans. The party began the year with $151,085.55 on hand, according to records.
The low amount is partly related to spending in the last election under previous leadership, ABC15 reported in September. DeWit told Arizona's Family in October that their financial situation is getting better when it comes to fundraising.
DeWit, who is the successor to Kelli Ward, does not receive any payment for his role, according to FEC records of the party's disbursements.
“The AZGOP Chairman Jeff DeWit receives no financial compensation from the party. He is dedicating his own time and resources while working tirelessly to help Arizona Republicans achieve victory," Dajana Zlaticanin, AZGOP press secretary, told The Center Square in a statement.
