The Metro Arts Commission voted Thursday to offer Paulette Coleman the role of interim executive director.
The move came during a specially called meeting to discuss the search for an interim director and the employment of Metro Arts Director Daniel Singh, who has been out on FMLA leave since Feb. 23 following a tumultuous grant distribution process over the past year. During a meeting on April 18, Singh was placed on paid administrative leave.
On Thursday, multiple arts commissioners expressed Singh’s ultimate termination as a foregone conclusion, citing reports of poor leadership and an irreparable relationship with staff. Meanwhile, some advocates in the arts community have painted the move to fire Singh as a rejection of equity, with one Metro Arts staffer on Thursday speaking up to call Singh a “scapegoat.”
“I just wanted to clarify there’s been a lot of comments, one of them being that the relationship with Director Singh and staff is irreparable,” Jesse Ross, the public art project coordinator at Metro Arts, said. “And I just want to say that it is irresponsible to say that. That does not represent my view and maybe many others.”
Ross argued that Singh led the Metro Arts team through good equity work up until July, when the Metro Arts Commission voted on a grants funding scenario deemed the most equitable of the options provided. Following this vote, Metro Legal advised the commission to rescind the vote, citing concerns over its constitutionality. This move —and a subsequent revote in August on a formula that was considered less equitable — kicked off a spree of chaos that has yet to resolve.
“After July and after a huge conflict of interest and calls to the top … chaos ensued, and the harm started happening,” Ross said. “The threats, this and that, all these things and a lot of the new staff that has come on I feel for them. They did not get to experience Director Singh before, and if they had, I personally believe that they [would] have a different view.”
During the April 18 meeting, multiple Metro Arts staffers asked the commission to quickly find an interim, saying they were “hanging on by a thread,” and that they had been in a leadership vacuum since long before Singh went on leave. One person in attendance on Thursday testified that Singh has caused harm that is inexcusable.
“Please tell the truth,” said community activist and artist Simone Boyd during public comment. “And do not be afraid. If you all do not tell the truth, Director Singh will rewrite the narrative that this city was not committed to equity. So we need you to tell the truth about why Director Singh needs to go.”
The Tennessee Arts Commission bypassed Metro Arts for this year’s Arts Build Communities grants, and Boyd said this loss of grant funding along with a loss of funding for murals was caused by Singh’s ineptitude.
“If we don’t tell the truth, he will write the narrative he will be on to do his DEI work in the next city and harm more staff and more people,” said Boyd.
Outside of clarifying its motion from last week to make Singh’s paid administrative leave concurrent with his FMLA leave, the commission did not take any action on his employment. Despite this, throughout over an hour of discussion, it was made clear that multiple commissioners are ready to move on from Singh.
“My recommendation is we all know where this is going,” Commissioner John Nefflen said. “And I think we need to just go ahead and make the decision that we’re going to terminate him.”
At least one other commissioner, Tim Jester, shared that sentiment. During the April 18 meeting, Jester made a failed motion to terminate Singh and repeatedly has called other options “kicking the can down the road.” Commissioner Dawana Wade expressed that she didn’t understand the point of putting Singh on administrative leave if they were just going to terminate him anyway. But others were not so ready to pull the trigger.
“I am uncomfortable making a decision about someone’s livelihood without hearing from them,” said Commission Chair Leah Love. “That’s just me. And I still may come down to the same decision. But procedurally I would just like to give someone that opportunity to do that.”
Metro Legal and outside counsel specializing in FMLA cases both advised that Singh could not respond to the complaints and reports about him while on FMLA because that would be considered work. This is the third Metro Arts Commission meeting where Singh’s employment has been discussed but substantive action has not been taken due to some commissioners wanting to hear from him.
In the meantime, the commission has moved forward with appointing an interim director. The commission had three options on Thursday: Mary Beth Harding, James Threalkill and Coleman. But as it turns out, one of the candidates did not even know she was a candidate.
“Unbeknownst to me, I am a third-choice candidate,” Harding told the Banner.
Harding was the executive director of the Community Education Commission. Without her knowledge, one of her former commission members emailed Arts Commissioners saying they thought Harding would be a great candidate for the interim position. That person was unaware that Harding’s name would automatically be put in the hat, and Harding made one thing very clear to the Banner:
“I don’t want that job,” Harding said.
Most of Thursday’s conversation centered around Threalkill and Coleman, who clearly did know they were candidates. The commission ultimately chose Coleman, citing her past as chair of the Arts Commission who was instrumental in creating the Thrive program, which provides grants to independent artists. But the vote did not come without some parliamentary chaos.
Following a motion from Commissioner Beverly Watts to offer Coleman the job, four commissioners voted in favor of the motion, three commissioners voted against and two abstained. Love asked Metro Legal for clarification on what that meant due to the abstentions and they said the motion had failed.
The conversation continued on how to proceed, with commissioners who voted no or abstained suggesting that a more in-depth vetting process be conducted with the three candidates. But 10 minutes later, Metro Legal’s Macy Amos returned to the podium to clarify that the motion had, in fact, passed because of the two abstentions.
Metro HR will proceed with contacting Coleman to offer her the job. It is unclear how long she will hold that position due to the uncertainties surrounding Singh’s employment.
The next Commission meeting is scheduled for May 16.