Metro Council Ensures the Chaos at the Arts Commision Continues.

by Rod Williams, May 13, 2024- Anyone who is paying attention knows things are a mess at Metro Arts Commission. We have a director who has been on sick leave due to being a victim of racism and has not worked in months and a Commision that won't fire him without hearing from him, but to hear from him would constitute "work" and he can't work while on sick leave. We had a respected wealthy patron of the arts and a good liberal who is a donor to the Democratic Party and Democrat candidates, who was serving on the Commission, who due to receiving death threats because he was deemed insufficiently woke, resign. We had frivolous ethics charges brought against a member of the Commission for simply doing her due diligence. There have been lawsuits and inability to finalize grants. The Commission unconstitutionally made race-based grant awards that had to be rescinded. The chaos has been going on for years and does not get better. 

What does the Council do? They endorse the chaos and ensure things will not get better. The Metro Council at its last meeting amended the purpose of the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission by adding language specifying that its purpose is to also "promote equity in the arts community." 

The purposes of the Arts Commission were the following: 

A. To promote the study, participation in and appreciation of the visual, performing and literary arts;

B. To support and participate in the presentation of displays, exhibits, recitals, concerts, lectures and symposia;

C. To cooperate with and assist public and private educational institutions, the media, and other private and governmental entities involved in artistic and cultural promotion;

D. To provide information and recommendations to the metropolitan county council and the metropolitan county mayor with respect to the architectural design and aesthetics of public places and property.

Now added to that is:

To promote equity in the arts community 

The ordinance does not define "equity," but equity usually means equal outcomes. It means there should not be a greater percentage of the Black population in prison than the White population nor a greater percentage of White homeowner than the percentage of Black homeowners. It means there should not be a greater percentage of White brain surgeons that Black brain surgeons.  It assumes than any unequal outcome is the result of racism. An equity policy works to correct the imbalance, often without regard to factors such as effort or merit or ability that may contribute to the imbalance. 

Already the Commission had an Equity Statement. Now, equity is one of the legislated official purposes of the Arts Commission. This will give more power to the disrupters who want to fund murals and progressive political art rather than the Symphony. 

The bill had twelve co-sponsors and passed the Council in an unrecorded voice vote. If I had been on the Council, I would have had myself recorded as voting "no." I am disappointed that none of the more conservative members of the body did not do so.

To read the bill and the analysis follow this link. For more on the Metro Arts Commission visit this link and link. To view arts commission funded art, follow this link. For more on the chaos and disfunction at the Metro Arts Commission, see the following:

• More Weird stuff at the Arts Commission. New Interim Director job offered while Director is still Sick from Racism and cannot Defend himself Because that would be Work.
• Ethics Complaint filed against Carol McCoy by Arts Commission Employee, dismissed.
• When will Metro Arts 2023 grant recipients be paid? We don't know. 2024 Grant Reviews put on Hold.
• Metro Finance steps in to take over agency’s finances as embattled director Daniel Singh looks for new job out of state
• How Did Metro Arts Get Here?
• Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could Imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.
• Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.
• Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.
• Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

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Continuing Choas at the Metro Arts Commission

 Metro Arts Commission Interim Director Resigns After Brief Tenure

The Nashville Scene, Jan. 15, 2025- Interim Metro Arts executive director Paulette Coleman tendered her resignation on Saturday after less than a year leading the department.

Coleman was named interim director in April following a botched fiscal year 2024 grants cycle that left artists and arts organizations with little faith in the department’s ability to distribute funds in a timely manner. The situation resulted in a conciliation agreement between the Metro Arts Commission, Nashville artists and other Metro departments to improve the grants process for future years. Coleman was tasked with overseeing the department through that rebuilding phase.

However, according to emails and letters obtained by the Nashville Banner, Coleman was failing to hold up Metro Arts’ end of the agreement, leading artists to question if Metro Arts was about to have a repeat of the FY24 grant cycle. ... second time in less than a year that the department responsible for distributing grants to artists and arts organizations is left without leadership at an essential time.

Former Metro Arts Director Daniel Singh resigned in May with a $200,000 settlement agreement. Before that, he had been on FMLA leave followed by administrative leave since February, leaving the department rudderless. (read more)

For more on the years of chaos at the dysfunctional Metro Arts Commission see the following.

• Audit finds array of problems at Metro Arts: improperly used temporary employees; did not correctly document their scope of work; paid them exorbitant salaries.
• Metro Arts director Daniel Singh agrees to Resign. Gets Paid $200,000.
• Metro Arts Commission Drama Update: Metro HR Concludes Councilmember, Commission Director Intimidated City Employees
• Walk-our Denies Quorum for Dysfunctional Arts Commission Meeting
• How Did Metro Arts Get Here?
• Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could Imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.

• Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.
• Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.
• Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

 

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Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could Imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.

by Rod Williams, Feb. 28, 2024- Will things ever settle down at the Metro Arts Commission? It is embarrassing that such dysfunction can exist in an agency of Metro Government. If the agency does not get its act together what meager funding they do get is in jeopardy. 

The mess at the Arts Commission has been going on since at least 2016. Back in 2016 the agency underwent a change to promote equity and to engage in more "micro-funding opportunities, education programs and neighborhood-specific initiatives." Prior the agency had focused on funding a handful of high profile established organization such as Children's Theater, Frist, the symphony, ballet and a few others. These were too white for modern liberal sensibilities. Turmoil followed the change in focus.  Conflicts between funding large organizations versus small independent artists continues at the commission. 

There have been scandals, lawsuits, charges of racism and sexism, resignations, oustings, and changes in leadership at the Commission. Commission employees have described the agency’s leadership style as “rely[ing] heavily on intimidation, fear and punishment” and fostering a “culture of individualism, competition and secrecy." Outside organizations have been hired to help the Commission "overcome their racist past and transition to an anti-racist future." Still yet, things do not seem to improve.

This brings us up to now and things are not getting better and the funding for Metro Arts is now in jeopardy. Metro does not spend a lot on the arts. At last year's budget hearings, Metro Arts Commission Chair Matia Powell said peer cities like Austin, Dallas and San Francisco fund their arts communities at around 1% of their overall budget, while Nashville devotes about 0.017% of its budget to Metro Arts (2). 

I am not sure that Metro should spend more on arts. I think arts funding should primarily rely on art patrons. Of course, I feel the same about sports and think sports stadiums should be funded by sports fans. I also am not a big fan of public golf courses. However, we do not spend a lot of public money on arts. If the Arts Commission does not get their act together, they cannot expect more money; they may get less. Here is the latest. 

New Mismanagement Claims Imperil Metro Arts Budget

By Connor Daryani, Nashville Banner, February 27, 2024 - As artists and art organizations continue to plead for an increase to funding for the arts in Nashville, alleged overspending and financial malpractice at Metro Arts could put the meager financial support the arts do get at risk. 

Metro Finance Director Kevin Crumbo revealed on Monday that $2 million earmarked for Nashville arts organizations are in jeopardy due to the mismanagement of the department budget.

“The simple truth is the commission will not be in a position to make additional grant awards if its financial position is already headed to a deficit,” Crumbo at a meeting of the newly formed Arts Commission Oversight Committee said. “Surplus monies may be needed as part of a corrective action plan to avoid a deficit, and if so, less money will be available for grants.”

... “One of the root causes of the Internal Audit review, the Law Department investigation and the additional oversight of our Finance Department are the reports of multiple [Metro Arts] employees who have alleged excess spending over budget, possible violations of procurement and other established financial processes and behaviors at the highest level of management that may violate Metro’s policies governing workplace conduct,” said Crumbo. ... unclear if consultants and contractors were paid in a way that adheres to Metro’s rules ... Not only is the second half of operational grant funding at risk, Crumbo also indicated that the future of Metro Arts funding could be in trouble should the issues not get resolved. 

.... “My understanding of what happened is that at the July meeting, there were some decisions made where race was taken as an express factor, which we believed is unconstitutional,” Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz said at the Monday night Metro Council arts committee meeting. (read much more about this here)

Also see: Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

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Ethics Complaint filed against Carol McCoy by Arts Commission Employee, dismissed.

Carol McCoy

by Rod Williams, April 18, 2024- Things just seem to not improve at the Metro Arts Commission. I don't see how they could get much worse, but they are not getting better.

The last thing to occur is that an ethics complaint was filed against Carol McCoy, a member of the Metropolitan Arts Commission. The way it looks to me is that she was doing nothing but doing her job as a conscientious member of the Arts Commission. 

Carol McCoy is the former Davidson County Chancellor, who served two decades on the bench. She was first elected Chancellor of the Chancery Court, Part II, Davidson County Tennessee in August 1996 and re-elected Chancellor in 1998, 2006 and 2014. She has an impressive resume and has served on various boards for nonprofit organizations in Nashville.  She was the first female President of the Tennessee Judicial Conference and a founding member of the Lawyers Association for Women. 

Carol has served as a Commissioner on the Tennessee Arts Commission as well as Trustee for Watkins School of Art, Film, and Design. She was appointed to the Metro Arts Commission by Mayor Freddie O'Connell in April 2023, along with three other new commissioners. 

The ethics complaint is that McCoy discussed and voted on matters not on the agenda of Arts Commission meetings thus violating open meetings rules, publicly humiliated a Black female Arts Commission employee by questioning her qualifications and made racist and classist remarks concerning certain members of the arts community.

As to humiliating a Black employee, the employee was the new Director of Finance for the Arts Commission introduced to the Commission during the meetings of November 16, 2023.  The complaint says McCoy "aggressively" asked, "You’re the director of Finance? What qualifications do you have?”. The Complaint says she challenged the qualifications of the Black female employee but not the qualifications of the two White female employees, and this caused the Black employee to become visibly upset and exit the room in tears.

As far as making racist and classist remarks, one of the examples to support that charge is that during a meeting she said the following:

I have been a member of many nonprofits. I don't think I've ever been on a micro agency that has a budget of $25,000. That is not even enough to pay one staff person, so it occurred to me that if you give money to a micro agency or to an individual, how do you do it in such a way it can be accounted for and properly used.

The other evidence to support the charge of racist and classist remarks is that she said this:

People who come in who just want to start a new venture. Their application is woefully poor, you wouldn't award anyone that money until you thought it would be handled properly... The one I remember was the Chinese New Year's festival, it was a little group of people getting together and I think they asked for $5,000 but the grant was just so poorly written, maybe if they'd gone to the center for nonprofits they might have gotten some help.

I can't believe it. In the above examples it sounds like someone simply doing their job. Those are the kinds of questions and comments I would expect from a responsible board member. 

The Metro legal department concluded the complaint, if true, did not violate ethical standards and should be dismissed. On April 5th, the Board of Ethical Conduct unanimously voted to dismiss the complaint (1). 

This is just the latest in the drama that has been going on at the Arts Commission for years. For more on the topic, see the following:

• When will Metro Arts 2023 grant recipients be paid? We don't know. 2024 Grant Reviews put on Hold.
•  Metro Finance steps in to take over agency’s finances as embattled director Daniel Singh looks for new job out of state
• How Did Metro Arts Get Here?

• Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could Imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.
• Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.
• Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.
• Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

 

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Henry Walker Appointed to the Arts Commission. Congratulations!

Henry Walker

by Rod Williams, July 22, 2026 - Henry Walker has been appointed to the Arts Commission for a term expiring January 1, 2028. 

Henry M. Walker is a Nashville-based partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, focusing on state utility regulation and energy law, with a career that includes 13 years as General Counsel for the Tennessee Public Utility Commission. He is also an art collector, an art connoisseur, and patron of the arts. 

Before joining Bradley in 2013, Walker served 13 years as General Counsel for the Tennessee Public Utility Commission. He also worked for the U.S. Department of Justice and as Assistant District Attorney General in Nashville. He was named “Lawyer of the Year” for Energy Law in Nashville by Best Lawyers in 2012 and 2015.

He is vice president of his neighborhood association, Senior Warden at St. Ann’s Episcopal Church, and serves on boards including Tennessee History for Kids, Tennessee State Museum Foundation, and East Nashville Hope Exchange. 

If you remember the old Teddy Barts Roundtable, you may know Henry as a regular on that program, and he has also been a journalist with The Nashville Scene.

For many years, the Arts Commission has been plagued with controversy. I don't know why anyone would want to serve on the dysfunctional Arts Commission, but I am glad good people are willing to do so. You may recall that other prominent people, including philanthropist Will Cheek and former Judge Carol McCoy served on the Arts Commission and either resigned or were forced out. 

I wish Henry all the best as he navigates the challenges of the Arts Commission. Thank you for your willingness to serve in this challenging position.

For more on the Arts Commission, see the following:

Metro Council Ensures the Chaos at the Arts Commision Continues

Ethics Complaint filed against Carol McCoy by Arts Commission Employee, dismissed.

 More Weird stuff at the Arts Commission. New Interim Director job offered while Director is still Sick from Racism and cannot Defend himself Because that would be Work.

Ethics Complaint filed against Carol McCoy by Arts Commission Employee, dismissed.When will Metro Arts 2023 grant recipients be paid? We don't know. 2024 Grant Reviews put on Hold.

Metro Finance steps in to take over agency’s finances as embattled director Daniel Singh looks for new job out of state

How Did Metro Arts Get Here?

Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.

Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.

Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.

Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

•  

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How Did Metro Arts Get Here?

"Ghost Machine for the East Bank Machineworks" designed by
Alice Aycockis a project by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission.
Credit: Banner Photo/Martin Cherry

A detailed timeline of the issues surrounding Metro Arts, disputes over funding and more

By Connor Daryani, Nashville Banner, March 22, 2024 - What’s controversial about funding the arts? In Nashville, it turns out, a lot.

Metro Arts, the body responsible for distributing grants from Metro to local artists, has been embroiled in controversy over how funding is distributed. The issue has grown to include multiple legs of Metro government, multiple investigations and multiple layers. To better understand the issues, the Banner has created a timeline of key events that brought us to this moment. This timeline will be updated as the situation evolves. 

In 2021 Metro Arts began an overhaul when allegations of racism and mistreatment by leadership were revealed by the Nashville Scene. Those allegations led to the executive director’s departure and, in August 2022, Daniel Singh was hired with the task of bringing increased equity to the arts. 

A report from the Metro Human Relations Commission found that since 1987, the Arts Commission has awarded approximately $61,572,329 to arts organizations in Nashville, and 71 percent of it has gone to organizations with an annual budget of $1 million or more. Singh set out to change this, with the goal of increasing Thrive grant funding, which goes towards independent artists and small arts organizations, but the situation quickly devolved. Over the course of 2023, nearly half of the Metro Arts Commission resigned and multiple investigations were spawned out of events surrounding the grant distribution process, which ended with Thrive artists losing out on funding and operational grants being delayed by months. 

There are at least three ongoing reviews:

• The Metro Human Relations Commission found probable cause of discriminatory action by the Arts Commission and Metro Legal. They plan to hold a public hearing on the matter, but a date has not yet been set. 
• An audit of Metro Arts is expected to be completed “soon,” according to Metro Finance. 
• On April 4, the Board of Ethical Conduct will consider a complaint made by an artist who was supposed to receive Thrive funding. 

How we got here:

December 2022

With Singh at the helm, the Metro Arts Commission adopted a grant funding formula that would fund independent artists and small art organizations at historic levels. Created with community input, this formula aimed to push funding towards independent and BIPOC (Black, indigenous and other people of color) artists and organizations, while still maintaining some level of funding for larger organizations that have historically received funding. 

June 2023 (Continue reading)

Also see: 

• Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could Imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.
• Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.
• Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.
• Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

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More Weird stuff at the Arts Commission. New Interim Director job offered while Director is still Sick from Racism and cannot Defend himself Because that would be Work.

by Rod Williams, May 6, 2024- The Metro Arts Commission should be a case study in the folly of wokeness and government ineptitude. You would think that after years of chaos, they would have to bend the curve and things would have to start to get better as some point, but they don't. Mayor Freddie O'Connell tried to turn the corner by appointing new high-profile commissioners in April 2023, including patron of the arts and wealthy Democrat donor Will Cheek, and former Davidson County Chancelor Carol McCoy and others. It hasn't helped. Will Cheek resigned after getting death threats and intimidations and before a resolution calling for his removal could be acting upon in the Metro Council. Carol McCoy is still there but recently had to defend herself against an unfounded ethics charge. Who would want to serve on the Commission in that environment? 

The most recent development at the Metro Arts Commission is that last week the Commission offered the position of interim director to Paulette Coleman, a former chair of the Arts Commission. Usually, an organization does not have and interim director while having a director but if Coleman accepts the job that will be the case.

The current director, Daniel Singh, is on sick leave. At last week's meeting he was also placed on administrative leave. He is obviously on his way out. Singh has been on sick leave since February 23rd. No, he doesn't have cancer or a heart condition or some other serious injury or illness. He is sick from racism. He says, “The racist behavior of the Metro Government has affected my health." 

The position of Executive Director pays $165,000 dollars a year and the Director has been on sick leave for 14 weeks. That is a lot of money. That is about $25,000 for not working.  Also, I wonder how one knows when they are no longer sick from racism. He has no plans to return to work or resign.  As reported in The Nashville Banner last week, the Commission is considering termination of Singh but is moving cautiously. At last week's meeting a motion to terminate Singh was made but failed.  “I am uncomfortable making a decision about someone’s livelihood without hearing from them,” said Commission Chair Leah Love.

There is a problem in hearing from Singh, however. To hear from him would be considered "work."  Metro legal says he cannot work while on sick leave. 

For more on chaos at the Arts Commission see the following: 

• Ethics Complaint filed against Carol McCoy by Arts Commission Employee, dismissed.
• When will Metro Arts 2023 grant recipients be paid? We don't know. 2024 Grant Reviews put on Hold.
• Metro Finance steps in to take over agency’s finances as embattled director Daniel Singh looks for new job out of state
• How Did Metro Arts Get Here?
• Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could Imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.
• Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.
• Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.
• Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

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Metro Arts: Grant Panelist Applications Now Open

by Rod Williams, April 21, 2026- Metro Arts Commission is a mess. While it has not been in the news lately, it is my understanding from people knowledgeable of the local art community that things have not substantially improved at Metro Arts. 

For a recap of some of the troubles at Metro Arts, you may recall that a couple years ago, the Director of Metro Arts took months of sick leave, ill from the effects of racism and then he was paid a lot of money to resign. You may recall that Will Cheek was appointed to the Arts Commission and then resigned after receiving death threats. Will Cheek is a liberal from a civic-minded wealthy family.  He has been a big supporter of liberal causes. Yet, he was not woke enough for the activist who held sway and influence at Metro Arts. 

You may recall that former judge Carrol McCoy, who in addition to being a respected judge, has arts credentials, was appointed to the Commission and then resigned after trumped up ethic complaint charges were filed against her. 

The above is only part of the drama that has dominated Metro Arts for years. I have posted about Metro Arts about a dozen or more times over the past years. To read some of those posts, follow this link. 

Some of my conservative friends may think that the government should not even support the arts. That is not my position. I want to live in a city that is aesthetically pleasing and where there is public art and a rich culture. Public funds can help move a city in that direction. My problem is not with public funding of the arts, but with the Metro Arts Commission.

I am posting this notice because we need a broader spectrum of points of view and artistic tastes than those currently dominant at Metro Arts. We need sane, normal people at all levels of the Commission and involved in the arts community.  If you are a lover of the arts, you may want to apply to be one of the people who determine which art projects get funded by Metro. It would be nice to have some institutionalists and traditionalists around the table when decisions are being made. 

 
 

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When will Metro Arts 2023 grant recipients be paid? We don't know. 2024 Grant Reviews put on Hold.

by CHAR DASTON, WPLN, MARCH 29, 2024 - It’s been a week since Nashville’s Finance Director, Kevin Crumbo, announced that he’ll take charge of paying the arts community the grant money promised them by Metro Arts in 2023. This plan is meant to resolve months of delays and disputes over the amounts each artist and arts organization will receive. But Crumbo has not given a timeline for the payments, or explained how Metro Arts will be involved in the process. 

Until the 2023 grants are paid, Metro Arts staff and commissioners say they’re putting the upcoming grant review cycle on hold. That affects a record number of artists and organizations who applied for funding back in January. 

Moreover, Crumbo is hesitant to fund the next round of grants, saying he lacks confidence in Metro Arts leadership. And Mayor Freddie O’Connell has said there may not be additional money to accommodate the higher number of applicants. 

“(Fiscal year) ’25 is not going to be a year where we look to increase investments in ... (read more)

Also see:

•  Metro Finance steps in to take over agency’s finances as embattled director Daniel Singh looks for new job out of state
• How Did Metro Arts Get Here?
• Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could Imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.
• Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.
• Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.
• Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

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Walk-our Denies Quorum for Dysfunctional Arts Commission Meeting

by Rod Williams, May 16, 2024- I attended the Metro Arts Commission meeting today and the big newsis that a walk-out of one of the members of the commission led to the Commission unable to conduct business. The Commission is supposed to be a 15-member body but has four vacancies. Eight members constitute a quorum and there were exactly eight members in attendance.

Durning the Commission meeting, one member was discussing Director Daniel Singh and praised him for his work on diversity but listed other areas of disappointment, saying when Singh was hired there was an understanding that he had other things he was supposed to accomplish that he had not. While that commission member was speaking, another member, I assume displeased by the criticism of Singh, got up and walked away from the table where members were seated and went and stood with the audience. Commissioners looked perplexed and the speaker stopped speaking. The member who had left the table, then left the room and then someone said we do not have a quorum. 

Discussion then ensued as to whether or not in fact the Commission did or did not have a quorum. Metro Legal made it clear that the Commission did not have a quorum. It was determined the Commision could continue discussion but could not "take action," meaning the Commission could not take any action requiring a vote. One member expressed her displeasure about what had occurred and said, she attends the meeting to work and if there was not going to be a quorum, she may not show up at the next meeting. 

Arriving late, I missed the part of the meeting where it was announced that Paulette Coleman, a former chair of the Arts Commission, agreed to accept the position of interim director and where the Commission voted to affirm giving her the position. I assume it was at today's meeting, with an interim director in place, that the Commission was going to decide what to do about Singh. At the last meeting he was placed on administrative leave. Singh has been on paid sick leave due to being a victim of racism since February 23rd. He comes off of paid administrative leave on May 30th. I am not sure where that will leave the Commision. They will have a director on sick leave and an interim director. Surely, there is a limit to how long one can get paid sick leave. I assume it is still paid sick leave, at least it was until recently. To read about the discussion about Singh's status as of last meeting and the complexity or timidity of dismissing him, follow this link. 

Ms Coleman spoke to the Commission about the hard work ahead and the challenges facing the Commission and urges everyone to treat each other respectfully and with kindness. She said the next big challenge is the upcoming May 23rd Metro Council departmental budget hearing. 

Either Coleman or someone else said the Commission continues to be under audit and cannot spend any money without specific authorization of the Metro Finance Director. The Commission is in a real bind. To go before the Metro Council for a budget hearing with its finances controlled by the Metro Finance Director and paying both a director and an interim director, and unable to conduct business would not inspire confidence even among the most progressive of Council members fully supportive of the Commission's diversity agenda. The Commission needs to meet again soon because they were unable to take up the agenda today due to the walkout and it would be better if something has been resolved about Singh before the Council budget hearings. They did not set that next special called meeting today. Members will be polled to see which date would work for the members. They would not want to again meet and fail to have a quorum. 

 Unfortunately, I am unfamiliar with who is who on the commission and was unable to identify the commission members in the above report. If I learn their identity, I will update this post. Another development I find interesting is that the regularly scheduled Arts Commission Committee for Anti-Racism and Equity Meeting scheduled for May 17, 2024 has been cancelled. 

For a list of other post detailing the drama at the Arts Commission, follow this link. 

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Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

 By Rod Williams, Jan. 23, 2024- Things have been a mess at the Metro Arts Commission for years now. To say the Metro Arts Commission is dysfunctional is an understatement. Back in 2016 the agency underwent a change to promote equity and to engage in more "micro-funding opportunities, education programs and neighborhood-specific initiatives." Prior the agency had focused on funding a handful of high profile established organization such as Children's Theater, Frist, the symphony, ballet and a few others. These were too white for modern liberal sensibilities. Turmoil followed the change in focus.

While the agency has this public face as engaging in social justice work, there were internal divisions and lawsuits and allegations of racism and sexism. The agency established an Antiracism Transformation Team to hold “the agency accountable in becoming fully antiracist in its identity and working for equity in all policies and practices with the goal of dismantling all systems of oppression within the arts ecosystem.” The agency also hired an outside organization, "Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training group," to help them overcome their racist past and transition to an anti-racist future.  This September 2021 article in the Scene tells the background and status of the Commission as of that time. Of course, reading anything in the Scene one has to filter out the snarky, woke, elitist tone of the Scene to get to the meat of the story. 

Bringing things forward and they are still a mess, and the organization continues to hire consultants to tell them how to be anti-racist. Grants are not being distributed and about half the seats on the Commission are vacant. The Pamphleteer breaks it all down and explains what's going on.  Read the full article at this link. 

Decolonizing the Arts

The Pamphleteer, Jan. 23, 2024 - ..... Since Daniel Singh was appointed Executive Director of Metro Arts two summers ago, controversy and dysfunction have reigned supreme. Not only is the organization’s fifteen-member commission short seven members after a spate of resignations, but the city is also conducting an audit of its financial management after it failed to fully pay out the operating grants it was designed to administer. Much of the chaos has arisen from Singh’s efforts to introduce a “more equitable funding model.”

A presentation circulated internally to staff and members of the Metro Arts Commission reveals that a radical agenda has taken hold at the beleaguered office. Authored in collaboration with Justin Laing of Hillombo Consulting and titled “What Could An Anti Racist Cultural Planning Process Look Like,” the presentation outlines a vision advocating the organization’s adoption of “antiracist planning” to create “antiracist outcomes.” (continue reading)

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The Phony Moral Exhibitionism on Display at the Metro Arts Commission

by Rod Williams, April 22, 2026- Wokeism really galls me. Sometimes, I think that is the point. It is intended to trigger normal people. It is an in-your-face, ostentatious display of virtue signaling and holier-than-thou phony piety. As an example of what I am talking about, for years, I would get fundraising emails from Dakota Galban, Chair of the Davidson County Democratic Party. He would always follow his name with a "he/him" tag.  He stopped that about a year ago or more. Maybe some consultant told him it alienated some people and the Democratic Party should attempt to appear more normal, or maybe attaching a preferred pronoun to your name simply fell out of fashion. I don't know.

An example much more offensive than attaching a preferred pronoun tag to your name is the Land Acknowledgement ceremonies that some woke organizations engage in before conducting business. To see what I am talking about, watch the first minute and a half of the video of the last meeting of the Metro Arts Commission. They start every meeting with this recitation that says they are occupying stolen land.  As far as I know, the Metro Arts Commission is the only metro commission that engages in this little ritual.

If you look at the history of the world and want to think of it that way, aren't all, or almost all, people everywhere, living on "stolen land?" The country known as England has been inhabited for 800,000 years. Prior to the arrival of the Germanic tribes from the continent, it was inhabited by hunter-gatherers. The Germanic tribes settled there, followed by the Romans; after they departed, the Anglo-Saxon migrations began. That is kind of the way things work. 

So, if the Metro Arts Commission is going to acknowledge that they are occupying stolen land, who was it stolen from? Surely answering "the native inhabitants" does not answer the question. That is kind of vague. Which native inhabitants? I turn to my friendly Google AI looking for an answer:

Indigenous people have inhabited the Nashville area for at least 14,000 years, beginning with Paleo-Indians, followed by Archaic and Woodland peoples. The area was most notably dominated by the Mississippian culture (c. 1000–1450 AD), who built large mound cities. Later, the Shawnee, Cherokee, and Chickasaw hunted and settled in the region before European settlement.  

The Middle Cumberland area was heavily populated, with roughly 130 towns and villages existing within a day's walk of Nashville. These people were agricultural mound builders (e.g., Mound Bottom) who built significant, now-buried cities beneath modern downtown Nashville. Mississippian sites were largely abandoned by the late 15th century due to unknown reasons.

Durning the 1700s–1800s the region became a heavily used hunting ground, often contested by the Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choctaw. The Shawnee were believed to have been pushed out of the area shortly before white settlement in 1779. The Cherokee remained in the region, with notable figures like Chief Black Fox maintaining camps nearby, until they were forcibly removed on the Trail of Tears in 1838. 

Throughout the centuries, this area was often a crossroads, and many tribes used the rich Cumberland River valley for hunting and trade rather than permanent habitation during the late 17th and 18th centuries. 

So, this area was not really occupied when "we" "stole" it. It was a vast contested unoccupied hunting ground. So, who did we steal it from?  The Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, or Choctaw? And who did they steal it from?

I question who the "we" is that stole it. I didn't steal it. I don't carry around with me the sins of my ancestors. I don't have any settler's guilt or White guilt or occupier's guilt. I am only responsible for the things I do. Even if I did carry around the burden of my ancestors' sins, they did not live in Nashville, so I still would not be guilty. 

I like the story of Stuart Reges, a professor at the University of Washington who taught an introductory computer science course at that school. The school had a land acknowledgement statement and Regis wrote a statement mocking the concept. The University tried to discipline him, but he fought back and won on First Amendment grounds. (link). This is what he wrote that got him in trouble:

"I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property, the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington." 

The Metro Arts Commission has been a dysfunctional mess for years. I wish there was at least one sensible person on the Commission who would speak up and ask to be recorded as not participating in the Land Acknowledgement ritual. That wouldn't solve what is wrong with the Arts Commission, but it would be something. 

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Metro Adds $3 Million to Cover All Grants Promised by Metro Arts

 Metro Finance steps in to take over agency’s finances as embattled director Daniel Singh looks for new job out of state

Also see:

• How Did Metro Arts Get Here?
• Things are still, still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Mismanagement could Imperil Metro Arts Budget. Race-based funding could be Unconstitutional.
• Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.
• Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.
• Things are still a mess at the Metro Arts Commission. Metro Arts launches initiative to 'return land, money, and resources' to 'Indigenous, African, and Asian peoples'

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Metro Arts Commision still Crazy after all These Years. Racism causes Director to take Sick Leave.

 by Rod Williams, March 7, 2024- Things just keep getting more embarrassing and nuttier at the Metro
Arts Commission. Things have been weird at Metro Ars since at least 2016. Back in 2016 the agency underwent a change to promote equity and to engage in more "micro-funding opportunities, education programs and neighborhood-specific initiatives." Prior the agency had focused on funding a handful of high profile established organization such as Children's Theater, The Frist, the symphony, ballet and a few others. These were too white for modern liberal sensibilities. Turmoil followed the change in focus.  Conflicts between funding large organizations versus small independent artists continues at the commission. 

There have been scandals, lawsuits, charges of racism and sexism, resignations, oustings, and changes in leadership at the Commission. Commission employees have described the agency’s leadership style as “rely[ing] heavily on intimidation, fear and punishment” and fostering a “culture of individualism, competition and secrecy." Outside organizations have been hired to help the Commission "overcome their racist past and transition to an anti-racist future." Still yet, things do not seem to improve.

Since Daniel Singh was appointed the Executive Director of Metro Arts a couple years ago and controversy and dysfunction have remained the norm. Now there are 13 filled seats on the 15-seat commission but at one time the Commission was down to seven. I won't be surprised to see some resignations soon. An audit of the Commission revealed problems. I have not read the audit, and don't know how bad it is, but I understand it revealed problems with financial management at the agency. 

Now it really gets weird. Ex. Dir. Daniel Singh is on sick leave. He has been on sick leave since Feb. 23rd. No, he doesn't have cancer or a heart condition or some injury, nor is he out with the flu.  He is sick from racism. He says, “The racist behavior of the Metro Government has affected my health." Below is his press release:

I am entitled to and am on sick leave. CDC says Racism has a direct impact on the health of BIPOC Communities. The racist behavior of the Metro Government has affected my health.  Your privilege is what lets you ask me about my sick leave use.  At the 3-4-24 MHRC meeting, Rev Tucker talked about how metro arts staff have been weaponized. I am protecting my health from this toxic behavior.

• I attended the Council and MHRC meetings under great duress because I want to show up for the antiracist artists who are fighting for their rights to be funded equitably.

• Notified staff and all appropriate entities about my sick leave.

• Fully committed to an antiracist vision for metro arts. The real question here is will the Mayor and Council fund Metro Arts at the requested 1% of Nashville’s budget as they promised during their campaign?

• My management of staff is repeatedly being undermined by several racist Metro Agencies. Understandably that has a toll on my health.

 For source material and more see link, link, and link. 

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Metro Arts Commission, sicker by the day. Will Cheek to Resign amid Death Threats.

From The Pamphleteer, March 15, 2024- This morning, Arts Commission member Will Cheek announced that he would be resigning his post. In an email to Mayor O'Connell and the other arts commissioners, Cheek cites "death threats" and "intimidation" stemming from his opposition to Daniel Singh's initiative to "increase equity" in the funding process. Back in January, we reported on Singh's initiative to remake Metro Arts into a vessel for antiracism.

The resignation comes as a resolution put forward by CM Joy Styles and sponsored by CMs Jacob Kupin, Erin Evans, Ginny Welsch, Terry Vo, Jordan Huffman, Rollin Horton, and Russ Bradford sought to remove Cheek from the art's commission. The resolution cites Cheek's unwillingness to play ball in expanding equity in the department as the grounds for his removal, referring to the Metro Arts Cultural Equity Statement to make the case.

I could make some jokes here, but all I'm going to do is point you to a public statement made during the Metro Arts Oversight Committee meeting earlier this week in which much blame was placed on Cheek for failures that, by other accounts, arise from director Daniel Singh's poor leadership. Drink every time you hear "white supremacy."

As Metro Finance carries out its financial audit of Metro Arts, it will be interesting to see if this uneasy coalition that has emerged to deflect blame from Singh will persist. I'm feeling bearish about the whole thing and am taking up a short position on this mutiny.

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Metro Arts director Daniel Singh agrees to Resign. Gets Paid $200,000.

by CHAR DASTON, WPLN News,  MAY 24, 2024 - Metro Arts director Daniel Singh has agreed to resign after less than two years on the job. Singh presided over a chaotic grant funding cycle where artists and arts nonprofits waited months to receive the money they were promised.

Singh’s resignation was approved by the Metro Arts Commission at a specially-called meeting on Friday. In return, he’ll receive a $200,000 settlement payment from the city government.

That settlement will prevent Singh from suing Nashville, Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz said during the meeting. link

#

The Tennessean: Metro Arts board votes to approve director's resignation settlement; new lawsuit filed link

Rod's Comment: This is good news, but it is a shame that we had to pay someone $200,00 to resign when he deserves to be fired. I am betting that this will not end the drama. For more on the drama, death threats, lawsuits, ethics complaints, resignations, controversies, disfunction, and chaos occurring at the Metro Arts Commission, follow this link. 

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What's on the Council Agenda Tuesday Feb. 19.

You can get your own copy of the Metro council meeting agenda at  Metro Council Agenda and you can get your copy of the staff analysis at Metro Council Agenda Analysis. Council meetings can be really, really boring if you don't know what the Council is voting on. With an agenda and analysis, they are just really boring.

There are no bills on public hearing.

There are nine resolutions all of which are on the consent agenda and there is one memorializing resolution which will likely become part of the consent agenda. A resolution is on the consent agenda if it passed the committees to which it was assigned unanimously. Since the committees have not met yet, some resolutions which are listed as on the consent agenda may not be on the consent agenda when the council meets. Bills on the consent agenda are usually not controversial and tend to be routine matters, such as accepting grants from the Federal or State Government or authorizing the Department of Law to settle claims against the city or appropriating money from the 4% fund. However, some atrocious memorializing resolutions that were on the consent agenda have been approved from time to time. Resolutions on the consent agenda are passed by a single vote of the Council rather than being considered individually. Any member of the body may have a bill pulled off of the consent agenda. None on this agenda appear controversial.

RESOLUTION NO. RS2013-584 sets the date for the Mayor's State of Metro address. This resolution sets it for May 20, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. at the Music City Center. I think I will attend. This will be a chance to see the new facility. 

Bills on First reading almost always pass. There are nine bills on first reading. They are considered as a group and are seldom discussed. First reading is a formality that allows the bill to be considered. Bills are not assigned to committee or analyzed by council staff until after they have passed first reading.

Bills on Second Reading: It is on Second reading, after bills have been to committee, that discussion usually takes place. There are thirteen bills on second reading and the ones below are worth watching.

ORDINANCE NO. BL2013-358 approves an agreement between Metro, through Nashville Arts Commission, and the Americans for the Arts in relation to the Americans for the Arts 2014 Annual Convention and Pre-Conference which will take place in Nashville, Tennessee. The arts commission is supposed to raise the money for Metro's share of the expense for this project. If they do not, Metro could be subsidizing this convention to the tune of a quarter million dollars. If the representatives of the Arts commission are confident they can raise the money, then the Council should approve this agreement. However, the Council needs some strong assurance that this will not cost the taxpayers.

ORDINANCE NO. BL2013-359 modifies an agreement with the Renaissance Hotel. Since Metro has built the new Music City Center it is necessary to modify the terms of an arrangement the city has with the Renaissance. I would have to assume this is a fair deal to both Metro and Renaissance, however I hope someone on budget and finance has looked at this agreement carefully. 

Bills on Third Reading: There are eight bills on third reading. Third Reading is the final reading. If a bill passes third reading it becomes law unless it is vetoed by the Mayor, which has only rarely happened.

All of the bills on third reading are zoning bill and should interest no one except close neighbors. All of them, except one, have been approved by the planning commission. The disapproved bill is BILL NO. BL2013-353 which would rezone a piece of property on Tanksley Ave to benefit Tire Recappers. This bill has been controversial. 

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In Nashville, taxpayers pay for ‘art’ few people want to look at

By Chris Butler, Tennessee Watchdog, NASHVILLE — Let’s try making sense of this, shall we? Nashville officials offer subsidized housing to local artists on the pretense it’s the only way to keep artisans in the city. They live in the Ryman Lofts, in one of Nashville’s most expensive areas downtown. These same city officials have given away nearly $1.5 million in taxpayer money so out-of-state artists can create abstract art that only hard-core art connoisseurs may appreciate.

Attention Nashville City Hall: We have local resources for this kind of thing.

And why is it the taxpayers’ job to fund any of this, especially art?

Photo by Chris Butler

GHOST BALLET: This structure, in front of Nashville’s LP Field,

 reportedly cost taxpayers $340,600.

Never mind government officials only fund this art because, when regular people have a choice, they would never in their right minds pay to look at such things.

As Tennessee Watchdog reported, Nashville’s Metro Art Commission has forced taxpayers to pay all this money for the following abstract sculptures:

•  “River Concept,” meant to symbolize the meandering nature of the Cumberland River.
• “Tool Fire,” a collection of shovels, rakes and pickaxes welded together to somehow symbolize relief efforts following the 2010 floods that devastated Nashville.
• Large colored sticks placed partially upright on display near the Music City Center downtown to pay homage to the Native Americans who originally settled Middle Tennessee.
• “Ghost Ballet” in front of LP Field to symbolize, possibly, a Six Flags ride from Hell.

Let’s face it, folks, only a few consider this “art.” While the rest of us go to Titans games, Comic Con and the latest blockbuster movies, these “connoisseurs” hold their noses, sneer at the rest of us and believe it’s their job to force their art down our throats.

They do this because they think they know what’s best for us common folk. And the only way they can make that happen is with taxpayer money.

Let’s address another problem. You’re on vacation in Savannah, Ga., or perhaps New Orleans.
You want to sample the local culture and absorb it before you head home. Obviously, local culture includes art. Wouldn’t you rather take in art that came from a local as opposed to someone on the other end of the continent?

Photo courtesy Nashville Metro Arts Commission

STUCK WITH THE STICKS?: An artists’ rendering of the sticks that will be placed in downtown Nashville, at taxpayer expense, at a cost of $750,000. While it doesn’t address the problem of government paying for art in the first place, here’s a pragmatic approach Nashville officials probably never considered. The only public art Nashville officials pay for would come from the residents of the Ryman Lofts. They only live there as long as they create that art for free.
Granted, from the free market point of view it’s still an undesirable option — Government has no place whatsoever subsidizing art.  Why does the city of Nashville even have a Metro Arts Commission?  But this option would save Nashville taxpayers some money and at least give them, as well as tourists, locally produced art.  We’re taxpayers, and our views merit respect. It’s nothing personal, we just want to save some money.

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FY17 Council Budget Hearing, (update 2)

The mayor has had her hearings conversations with each department of Metro Government and after the mayor prepares her budget she will present it to the Council and then the Council will have their hearings.

In May of each year, the Metro Council Budget & Finance Committee holds a series of afternoon and evening sessions at which Metro department heads present their department’s proposed budget. This is an opportunity for Council Members to ask questions of department heads regarding budgetary matters. These hearings are open to the public, but are not “public hearings” where members of the public can speak. The public will have the opportunity to address the Council regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2016-2017 budget at the June 7, 2016 Council Meeting.

The mayor has already stated that she will not request a tax increase this year, nevertheless, the budget hearings and process are important. Department heads never say they have all the funding they need. They always want more.  If one is going to be well grounded in opposing the next tax increase, they should have a good understanding of the funding level of current departments and know what they do and know where cuts could be made.  Watching the budget hearings also gives you a good idea which Council member are working hard and which are just filling a seat.

I have highlighted those session that I think should be of most interest and provide the most insight of how Metro spends your money. I really do not expect the Council to ask hard questions of these departments, but they should.

Here is the FY2017 Metro Council Budget hearings schedule:

Day 1, May 9, 2016, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

• 4:00 p.m. Trustee
• 4:15 p.m. Assessor of Property
• 4:30 p.m. Register of Deeds
• 4:45 p.m. County Clerk
• 5:00 p.m. Metro Water Services (Since metro water operates off their own funds, they get very little oversight and scrutiny.)
  
• 5:15 p.m. Human Resources and Benefit Board
• 5:30 p.m. ITS & Metro 3
• 5:45 p.m. Election Commission

Day 2, May 10, 2016, 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM

• 4:00 p.m. Mayor's Office
• 4:15 p.m. Finance
• 4:30 p.m. Internal Audit
• 4:45 p.m. Metro Legal
• 5:00 p.m. Health
• 5:15 p.m. Social Services
• 5:30 p.m. Metro Action Commission
• 5:45 p.m. Human Relations Commission (This department serves no purpose except to enforce political correctness, normalize homosexuality among youth, and advance a liberal agenda.)
  
• 6:00 p.m. Hospital Authority (There is no need or requirement that Metro have charity hospital. We should get out of the hospital business.)
  

Day 3  May ll, 2016. 4:00 PM - 6:15 PM

• 4:00 p.m. Municipal Auditorium (If Municipal Auditorium cannot break even, we need to sell this valuable piece of downtown property.)
  
• 4:15 p.m. Sports Authority
• 4:30 p.m. Chamber of Commerce
• 4:45 p.m. Convention Center
• 5:00 p.m. Planning Commission
• 5:15 p.m. Historical Commission
• 5:30 p.m. Codes Administration
• 5:45 p.m. Fairgrounds (It will be interesting to see if Mayor Barry continues the effort of Mayor Dean to abolish the Fair Grounds and dispose of the property. There is also the issue of gun shows at the Fair Grounds.)
  
• 6:00 p.m. Farmers Market (Farmers Market continues to be money pit and cannot cover their operating cost. Unless they can do so soon, I think it is time for major changes at the Farmers Market, including perhaps moving it to the Fair Grounds and making it a real farmers market. )

 Day 5 May 18, 2016, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 

• 4:00 p.m. Emergency Management
• 4:15 p.m. Fire & EMS
• 4:30 p.m. Emergency Communications
• 4:45 p.m. Sheriff's Office
• 5:15 p.m. Police
• 5:30 p.m. Beer Board
• 5:45 p.m. Office of Family Safety

Day 6  May 19.2016, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM 

• 4:00 p.m. Library
• 4:15 p.m. Parks and Recreation
• 4:30 p.m. Arts Commission
• 4:45 p.m. Public Works
• 5:15 p.m. Metro Transit Authority

Day 7 May 25, 2016,  3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

•  3:30 p.m. Community Education
• 3:45 p.m. Board of Education

 

You can watch this event live on Comcast Channel 3, Uverse 99, or streaming on nashville.gov
or you can attend the hearings in person at  Metropolitan Courthouse, 1 Public Square, Council Chambers, Nashville, TN. 

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You can't make this stuff up. White supremacist supervisors at the Metro Arts Commission committed "microaggression", "tokenized" people of color, applied "disproportional scrutiny" of minorities.

by Rod Williams, Feb. 20, 2022- What is a "microaggression?" It is a subtle form of unintentional slight, according to some definitions.  So, I guess if I say "good morning," to one person and not to another as I enter my place of work, I have committed a "microaggression."  If I hold open a door for a female colleague and not for a male colleague, then I have committed two offenses: sexual harassment against the female and microaggression against the male. Wow, life is complicated!

Microaggression is only one of the offenses the white supremacists at the Metro Arts Commission have been committing. They have also been guilty of tokenism, exclusion, false accusations, cultural insensitivity, and undue skepticism.  Do you think maybe some people just have a chip on their shoulder and maybe are a little too sensitive?

A lengthy fact-finding report by Metro HR staffers found “no violation by leadership of any rules, policies, or laws.” This has not ended the controversy, however. Councilmember Sharon Hunt continues to stir the pot and some members of the Art's Commission wanted to bring in a third-party diversity, equity and inclusion professional to fix the problems at the organization and at a Feb. 4th meeting of the Commission, they voted to do so.

You can read more about this controversy at this link, and this link. 

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