Brentwood commission hires outside counsel to review ethics complaint against Commissioner Ray Little

The Brentwood Board of Commissioners voted 4-2 Monday to hire outside counsel to review an ethics complaint filed against Commissioner Ray Little, after residents urged the commission to either dismiss the complaint or seek an independent review.

The complaint, read into the public record by Melissa Gino, cites a citizen’s October 26, 2024 email chain and alleges that Commissioner Little improperly asked city staff to rescind a reply-all email and therefore violated Brentwood municipal code section 2-2-33, “Use of position or authority.” The complaint also cites state statutes, which commissioners said fall outside the city’s adjudicative scope.

Commissioner McMillan urged the commission to remove politics from the matter and to get an impartial determination. “We need a qualified, independent, unbiased, apolitical review of these facts and we need the outside counsel to present their findings and recommendations so we know…