Dems seek truce with deal

Their complaint accused Voller of breaking party rules by firing the executive director and appointing himself interim director, "stacking" the voting Executive Council with 12 appointed friends and paying large sums of money for contracts with consultants Jim Neal and Michael Carmichael without the approval or oversight of the Executive Council. 

The petitioners agree that Voller is the "duly elected chairman" and say they will support him. "All Democrats should focus their attention and efforts not on internecine disputes within the party structure but rather on re-electing Senator Kay Hagan and electing Democrats across the board to elected offices." 

Voller agrees to terminate the party's contracts with Neal and Carmichael by the end of the month and to limit his voting appointees to the Executive Council to no more than three. One of his council appointees, William Franklin, will step down.

Voller also agrees to call an emergency Executive Council meeting if there's another vacancy in the executive director position and agrees to seek "advice and input from a broad cross-section" of the party. 

The agreement still has to be approved by the party's Council of Review chair, but that's largely a formality. 

Burns said he and the other petitioners consider the outcome a success.

"This settlement should put to rest the thought that the petitioners were out to get Randy Voller personally," he said. "We were out to correct errors in leadership and followed the party's procedures, as we said we would."