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Updated: 1:00 PM- A week before the party's main event, Salt Lake County Democratic Chairman Christian Burridge is out of the ring.
Burridge, still bristling at what he described as an "ambush" by fellow party leaders, resigned Thursday at the urging of his executive board.
"They gave me an ultimatum," he said, "and I called them on it."
The intra-party squabble seems to have intensified since January, when Burridge accepted a time-consuming litigation job at the law firm Siegfried & Jensen.
While Democratic leaders gave few specifics about Burridge's ouster, board member Ellen Birrell said Thursday the outgoing chairman simply did not have the time to serve as an effective party boss.
"We have so much momentum, we have got to do everything possible to preserve it," she said. "That will take someone in the leadership role who can devote those many, many hours each week."
The move comes a week after a scheduling snafu delayed for two weeks the Salt Lake County Democratic Convention - a mistake that party insiders say contributed to Burridge's fall.
The convention was pushed abruptly to April 26 after party leaders learned that their host, Jordan High, had scheduled ACT testing the same day. The Democrats had reserved the auditorium, commons area and several classrooms months in advance, but it wasn't enough to accommodate the candidate-clogged convention.
Yet Burridge's departure had more to do with the his recent career shift to Siegfried & Jensen, which consumed considerable time and forced him to rely more heavily on a newly enlisted assistant, Joe Crockett (a field organizer for the Utah Democratic Party).
According to Crockett, a power struggle soon ensued over whom he should report to - the board or Burridge. Party bosses also complained that Crockett wasn't responding promptly enough to their issues, which he attributes to his dual duties with the county and state parties.
In a Wednesday night meeting, party leaders threatened to resign if Burridge didn't meet several demands - including dismissing his assistant - or step down as chairman.
Burridge chose the latter.
While Burridge hasn't decided whether he will attend the county convention next weekend, he said he has no plans to leave the party.
"I am a committed Democrat," he said. "I have total loyalty to [state party Chairman] Wayne Holland."
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