Brentwood commissioners discuss disposing ethics complaint against Mayor Mark Gorman as 'moot'

At the Brentwood Board of Commissioners meeting on May 12, commissioners discussed an ethics complaint filed by the Governor's Club Property Owners Association alleging code violations by Mayor Mark Gorman.

City Attorney Kristen explained the options under the municipal code: the commission may find a violation, find no violation, or direct further investigation. She noted the complaint concerns actions taken while Gorman was in office and said the commission must decide how to proceed given that he may no longer hold a seat subject to the code’s enforcement mechanisms.

Several commissioners raised the likely time and cost of a full investigation. One commissioner said the complaint is lengthy, would require reviewing tapes and many emails, and that any sanction available to the commission would be limited; she recommended that the homeowners association pursue the matter privately rather than spend city funds on an extensive probe.

Kristen advised that the item is on the published agenda and therefore before the commission for disposition. Commissioners discussed making a motion at the next meeting to “dispose of it with no finding” on grounds of mootness and limited city remedies. The city attorney confirmed such a motion would be in order and would require a vote.

No formal vote on disposition is recorded in the meeting transcript. Commissioners agreed to place the item on the agenda for the next meeting, where a motion to dispose with no finding is expected to be offered and voted on.