Metro Councilmember and Commission Director Implicated in HR Investigation
In a recent developement, Metro Councilmember Joy Styles and Metro Human Relations Commission Director Davie Tucker were named in a Human Resources (HR) report concluding they had intimidated city employees. This gain in notoriety follows an investigation prompted by complaints from Metro Nashville employees.
Report Insights
The HR investigation was initiated after a Metropolitan Council Public Facilities, Arts and Culture Committee meeting, chaired by Councilmember Styles, on February 26th. The meeting was convened to discuss ongoing issues at the Metro Arts Commission. The report establishes that following the meeting, Styles approached two Metro Arts employees, who subsequently filed a formal complaint with the Metro HR the next day.
The metro HR investigation ruled Styles’ behavior as “inappropriate”. It elaborated, “Touching, leaning in, isolating the person from others, while discussing sensitive topics like supervisor complaints or financial matters would all lead to more feelings of intimidation, especially coming from an elected official who has inherently more power.”
Alleged Impropriety by the Commission Director
Commission executive director Davie Tucker was also named in the report for his public statements the following week. Tucker had suggested Metro Legal had “weaponized” Metro Arts staffers and demanded the withdrawal of the complaints, statements which the report described as potentially “intimidating and coercive”, a violation of the Workplace Conduct Policy.
During the February meeting, a Metro Arts finance official challenged Metro Arts executive director Daniel Singh’s claim that the department could use salary savings to offset consulting costs. The HR report concluded that the finance official “did not attack or disparage Director Singh, nor did she complain about Director Singh during her statement.”
However, following the meeting, Councilmember Styles told the finance official she had curtailed her statement during the public portion of the meeting to prevent her from attacking her superior in public. Styles and the finance official have conflicting accounts regarding the nature and context of physical contact between them during the conversation.
Reactions from the Subjects
Responding to the report, Councilmember Styles termed the HR report a “pack of lies.” On the other hand, Davie Tucker, through his legal counsel, suggested the complaints were acts of retaliation since the Human Relations Commission he leads was set to present results of its own investigation into Metro Arts the next week.
Both Styles and Tucker have been recommended by the HR report to adhere to Metro’s Workplace Conduct Policy going forward. The two complainants expressed their wish not to seek specific punitive actions against Styles and Tucker but desired their vindication and freedom to perform their duties.