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 how to move forward,” Commissioner McMillan said.

Ray Little, who did not participate in the commission’s discussion or vote because an ethics complaint is pending against him, read a written statement to the commission and denied violating state law. “To be clear, I have not violated any state statute concerning open meetings,” Little said in his statement to the commission. He said he mistakenly hit “reply all” on the citizen email and then attempted to recall the message.

Interim City Manager Jay Evans described the packet of materials provided to commissioners and noted the city code gives commissioners three procedural options: find a violation, find no violation, or determine the complaint warrants further investigation. City Attorney Kristin Corn told the commission the review should be limited to whether a city ethics-code violation occurred; state-law questions would be handled by state authorities.

Public comment during the meeting included speakers who defended Little’s character and urged dismissal of the complaint as politically motivated, and others who said the city should respond transparently. Graham Matherns, George Buck, Paige Thompson, Raja Johnson O’Brien and John Eaton spoke from the audience in support of Commissioner Little during public comment.

After debate about timing and the limits of the city code, the commission voted to hire outside counsel to work with the city attorney to examine the ethics complaint and report findings back to the commission for consideration. The motion, moved by Commissioner McMillan and seconded by Commissioner Dunn, passed 4-2.

The commission also directed that the outside counsel present findings at a future briefing so the commission can determine next steps. Commissioners said the outside review would focus on whether Commissioner Little used his authority to secure a privilege or exemption in a way that violates the municipal code; questions alleging violations of state law were explicitly noted as outside the commission’s investigatory authority.

The commission did not set a public timeline for the outside review. The ethics complaint was filed in March 2025 and references an October 26, 2024 email chain and the May 6 election timetable discussed during the meeting.

The commission’s vote followed a lengthy public-comment period and internal debate about whether the complaint was politically timed. Commissioners who opposed the motion said the complaint appeared politically motivated and should be dismissed; those in favor said an independent review would preserve public confidence in the city’s records and processes.

The commission’s appointment of outside counsel does not itself determine whether a violation occurred; the outside counsel’s report will be presented to the commission for a final determination.