Councilwoman leaves Memphis River Parks job amid ethics hearing; censure recommended

Memphis City Councilwoman Michalyn Easter-Thomas has resigned from her position with the Memphis River Parks Partnership, ending what the City of Memphis Board of Ethics called a conflict of interest for the councilwoman.

Easter-Thomas and her attorney Andre Wharton have been battling an ethics complaint for months. That complaint process ended Wednesday after Rodrick Holmes, the attorney representing the board, said the councilwoman had submitted the resignation.

In addition to recommending the board accept Easter-Thomas' resignation as "ending the continuing conflict of interest with MRPP," Holmes said the board should recommend to the city council that she be censured.

The board will now issue a written opinion to the city council, and councilmembers will vote on whether to censure Easter-Thomas or not.

The hearing was initially set to meet in a small back room at the Benjamin Hooks Public Library, on Poplar Avenue, but was moved to a different, larger room due to the number of people who showed up to support Easter-Thomas.

Among the crowd were Councilmembers Yolanda Cooper-Sutton and Rhonda Logan, State Rep. Antonio Parkinson, Shelby County Commissioner Charlie Caswell, Memphis-Shelby County School Board Chair Althea Greene and school board member Stephanie Love.

A few local activists were also in attendance, alongside community members who held signs reading "Dismiss this case!" and "Vote no!"

Wharton, after the hearing, told reporters that Easter-Thomas' decision to resign from her role with MRPP was "the ultimate example of sacrifice through service."

"Councilwoman Easter-Thomas has decided it is more important to bring an end to this ethical claim that would have continued to be a distraction from doing the important, and urgent, work our city so desperately needs," Wharton said.

What is the ethics complaint against Easter-Thomas?

The complaint was filed against Easter-Thomas in regard to her employment with the MRPP in early February. The complaint alleged that the councilwoman's employment and position on the council were 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. She also recused herself from the reappointment vote for Memphis Parks Director Nick Walker on Jan. 23.

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During Wednesday's hearing, Holmes said that the ethics violation came when Easter-Thomas did not disclose the reason for recusing herself from a vote. Afterward, Holmes told media he could not say exactly how many times Easter-Thomas did not disclose her employment with MRPP.

"As noted during the hearing, the violations that we recommended were the job itself, and accepting it, then the ongoing conflict," Holmes said after the hearing. "That conflict subsequently not being disclosed in the record pursuant to the code [was also a violation]."

Former Memphis City Council Chairman Martavius Jones, in May 2023, said that Easter-Thomas's official role on the council after taking 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.

Brooke Muckerman contributed to this report.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. HPe can be reached at [email protected], or (901)208-3922, and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Michalyn Easter-Thomas resigns from Memphis River Parks Partnership