Ethics hearing for Memphis City Councilwoman bumped to next month
An ethics debate related to a sitting Memphis City Council member, which has been simmering for months, has been kicked down the road by an oversight board.
The ethics hearing regarding Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-thomas’s employment by the Memphis River Parks Partnership will be continued until May 29. Both the Memphis Board of Ethics and Easter-thomas have retained counsel for the upcoming hearing.
During the board’s previous meetings, members of the board determined that a full hearing would be necessary regarding the complaint. According to agenda documents, there are currently two ethics complaints filed against Easter-thomas regarding her employment with MRPP.
This is the first time the board has ever held a hearing of this sort and are feeling their way along, chairwoman Karen Williams said.
The complaint was filed against Easter-thomas in regard to her employment with the MRPP in early February. The complaint alleged that her employment and position on the council constitute a conflict of interest in violation of Article 5, Section 20 of the City Charter.
Easter-thomas has recused herself from multiple agenda items relating to MRPP, including a budget item in December to reallocate $3 million for Mud Island Park. Most recently, Easterthomas recused herself from the reappointment vote for Memphis Parks Director Nick Walker on Jan. 23.
Back in May, former Memphis City Council Chairman Martavius Jones said that Easter-thomas’s official role, including voting, after taking on the job with the parks partnership was “TBD, to be determined.” Jones had also said after an April 2023 meeting that he would have to seek clarification on the matter with Allan Wade, the council attorney.
Carol Coletta, president and CEO of MRPP, said both Easter-thomas’ position and the program she oversees are grant-funded, not funded with money from the City of Memphis.