Andrew Biviano steps down as chairman of Spokane County Democratic Party

Andrew Biviano is stepping down as chairman of the Spokane County Democratic Party.

In a Facebook video announcing the decision this week, Biviano, 42, said he needs more time to focus on his job as a plaintiff’s attorney at Spokane firm Paukert & Troppmann.

“I’m not leaving politics by any means,” he said in the video. “I needed to leave the chair position because I need to focus more on my day job as a civil rights lawyer. The party needs somebody who has more time to give in this really critical election.”

The party’s vice chair, Jac Archer, will serve as acting chair until a new leader is elected at the party’s quarterly meeting on Jan. 20.

Archer spoke positively about Biviano’s leadership, saying he “helped get the party through a really difficult year.” The two were elected to their leadership positions about a year ago.

In his video, Biviano said Donald Trump’s presidency left many progressives feeling “angry,” “frightened” and “adrift.”

And during his time as chairman, the Spokane County Democrats continued to face scrutiny over financial disclosures as they were targeted by a conservative activist from Western Washington.

Biviano ran unsuccessfully to become a Spokane County commissioner in 2016. He claims among his legal victories a 2014 class-action settlement on behalf of Spokane County Jail inmates who had been held because they couldn’t pay court-ordered fines.

He urged people to vote – or run – this year in elections at all levels of government.

“There’s people already running that you could support,” he said. “Or if there isn’t someone already in that spot, why not you?”