In keeping with his campaign commitment to an accountable and transparent government, Mayor John Cooper has announced the creation of a Public Integrity Task Force to review current practices related to ethics and government transparency.
The Public Integrity Task Force, chaired by Bill Harbison of the law firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, has been given the responsibility of reviewing current Metro practices relating to ethics, conflicts of interest, contracting and procurement practices, political contributions, and permitted political activities by Metro employees, vendors, contractors, and members of boards and commissions. The group will also review Metro government’s current open meeting and public records policies.
Mayor Cooper has further directed the task force to examine the need for an independent Inspector General to work with Metro as well as the Office of Internal Audit in identifying and preventing potential fraud and waste in Metro government. The Public Integrity Task Force is expected to make its recommendations within 90 business days.
The complete list of the Public Integrity Task Force members follows:
- William L. Harbison (chair) – member, Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison
- Audrey J. Anderson – counsel, Bass, Berry & Sims; former Vice Chancellor, General Counsel and University Secretary, Vanderbilt University
- Martha Boyd – attorney, Baker Donelson
- Alex Coure – businessman; co-chair, Nashville NAACP Economic Development Committee
- Forrest Harris – president, American Baptist College; professor, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
- William C. Koch, Jr. – former Justice, Tennessee Supreme Court; president and dean, Nashville School of Law
- Don Majors – former Metro Council member; co-chair, Nashville NAACP Economic Development Committee
- Ron C. Snitker – executive director of Financial Services, Waller Lansden
