Councilwoman Easter-Thomas' ability to vote 'TBD' after taking job with Memphis River Parks Partnership

Whether Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas can continue to act in her official role, including voting, after taking on a new job with the Memphis River Parks Partnership is "TBD, to be determined," said Chairman Martavius Jones after the council's meeting Tuesday.

The MRPP is a nonprofit that manages city-owned parks along the riverfront. It receives millions in funding from the city of Memphis, funding that is approved by the City Council.

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.

Easter-Thomas posted on Facebook last week that she had accepted a job as the first director of education initiatives and strategic partnerships at MRPP and would start Monday May 1, a day before City Council met with items on the agenda ranging from zoning ordinances to contracts for street improvement. There were no items related to the Memphis River Parks Partnership on the agenda. Easter-Thomas left the meeting early.

After the council meeting, Jones said he needed to seek clarification on the matter with Allan Wade, the council attorney.

Asked whether he would seek an ethics opinion on the matter, Jones again said he would confer with Wade.

Wade told The Commercial Appeal that any discussions about Easter-Thomas' job were in a attorney-client session and could not be disclosed.

“Starting with the renovation of Tom Lee Park, the program will connect Memphis youth to our beloved green spaces and then will engage them in future career choices!” Easter-Thomas wrote on Facebook about her new job, which follows her completion of an education specialist degree in 2019.

The Memphis City Charter says, “No Commissioner shall be connected with or interested in, directly or indirectly, any contract with the City.”

It also says, “Nor shall any member take any interest whatever in any form, manner, or shape, whether directly or indirectly, in any contract with the City of Memphis, or be the beneficiary of any contract, either in labor or work, or for goods or supplies of any kind.”

Currently, it is unclear whether Easter-Thomas will merely have to disclose the connection and recuse while voting on items related to MRPP, or if the new job has wider implications for her role as a council member.

Easter-Thomas represents District 7 in North Memphis, a seat to which she was elected in November 2019. She recently led the way on the passage of a driving equality ordinance, intended to decrease the number of interactions between police and citizens over things like broken brake lights or improperly placed license plates.

Coletta told The Commercial Appeal that MRPP and Easter-Thomas explored the idea of any conflicts and were under the impression that they were in the clear since her position was grant funded.

She and Easter-Thomas were clear “she would not vote on anything related to the riverfront and city funds would not be used to fund her position or her portfolio of work,” Coletta said.

Easter-Thomas was hired by MRPP because “she’s deeply skilled around education and creating opportunity for young people in Memphis and Shelby County on education and green careers.”

She also has the background to bring “much needed funds” from outside Memphis to benefit Memphians, Coletta said.

“Her background I felt was uniquely qualified to combine that with the education and the green career opportunities,” Coletta said. “We plan to forge ahead and we hope this all works out with Michalyn, but again we all want to be mindful of any official or council-related legal advice that would pose a problem.”

Reached late Tuesday, Easter-Thomas did not comment on the specifics of the issue.

Katherine Burgess covers government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Councilwoman Easter-Thomas' ability to vote 'TBD' after taking job with MRPP