NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Ten members of the Metro Council are calling for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate allegations surrounding Nashville DA Glenn Funk.
That request was made a letter sent today to Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Attorney General Herbert Slatery.
The Council letter argued that an independent investigation "should clarify and define wrongdoing -- or the lack thereof."
"We feel this course of action to be in the best interest of Mr. Funk, the State of Tennessee, the Metro Council (who funds 75% of the DA's $7.6 million operating budget), and the voters who elected him to serve as the chief prosecutor of Metro Nashville-Davidson County," the letter added.
Controversy has swirled around Funk for more than a month following revelations by NewsChannel 5 Investigates that the former defense attorney arranged to have a part-time state job created for him two months before he took office to boost his pension.
Funk also appears to have improperly secured heath insurance for himself and his family.
Our NewsChannel 5 investigation also revealed that Funk appears to have done little work in that job, for which he got paid $2,000 a month. Those findings have been confirmed by state officials.
The job was created inside the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference by longtime executive director Wally Kirby, who has since resigned over the controversy.
Funk's fellow prosecutors inside the DA's Conference voted to report the matter to state auditors as a possible "abuse of public money."
The Council letter was signed by the following Council members: Phil Claiborne, Charlie Tygard, Anthony Davis, Steve Glover, Josh Stites, James Bruce Stanley, Tony Tenpenny, Sheila Weiner, Davette Blalock and Robert Duvall.
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