Memphis council chair warned her behavior could violate city charter
Councilwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington sits in on her first official meeting Dec. 6, 2022. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Memphis City Council Chairwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington sought to change the city’s information technology department earlier this year — a move that has raised questions about her behavior.
Legislation that would have enacted those changes appeared on City Council agendas in February and March but was never actually introduced. Two resolutions quickly disappeared from the council’s website, as agenda items often do. At the time, it was not clear why.
The items were pulled from the agenda after Memphis Mayor Paul Young’s administration warned Swearengen-Washington her behavior could violate the city charter, according to emails and other documents obtained by The Daily Memphian. The legislation could have benefited the councilwoman’s niece Ebony Howard, who worked as a business analyst in the city’s IT department.
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Samuel Hardiman
Samuel Hardiman is an enterprise reporter who focuses on government and politics. He began his career at the Tulsa World where he covered business and K-12 education. Hardiman came to Memphis in 2018 to join the Memphis Business Journal, covering government and economic development. He then served as the Commercial Appeal’s city hall reporter and later joined The Daily Memphian in 2023. His current work focuses on the intersection of government, public policy, influence and how public dollars are spent.
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