A former Metro employee with ties to several civic projects is facing criminal charges after a state comptroller investigation.
Investigators say that while Mark Eatherly was deputy executive director at the Metro Human Relations Commission he misappropriated more than $62,000 and directed some of those funds to organizations that he operated.
The probe also found problems with a high-profile campaign to preserve a historic building downtown. For years, advocates have worried that the Morris Memorial Building — the last trace of a once-thriving Black business district and designed by a prominent Black architect — would be redeveloped.
In 2023, investigators say Eatherly was part of the “Save the Morris” campaign and authorized nearly $200,000 in payments for the preservation effort when those dollars should have been subject to votes by the Metro Council. The building was sold later that year and is being turned into a hotel.
Eatherly resigned in July and was indicted on three counts in November. WPLN News interviewed him several times in the past decade, on topics including benefit concerts, community gardens and a phone line designed to help people with language translations.
In a statement by MHRC, the agency says it became aware of concerns in June 2024 and cooperated with the city’s law and finance departments to put controls in place. MHRC also notes that it was restricted from sharing information, but plans to address the issue at its public Executive Committee meeting on Dec. 12 and full commission meeting on Jan. 5.
Public comments can also be submitted online.
Update: This story was updated Wednesday to include the MHRC response.
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