City attorney reads ethics complaint alleging mayor misused surveillance footage; council votes to research oversight options

At the July 28 committee meeting the city attorney read in full an ethics complaint alleging Mayor Paige Brown improperly obtained municipal surveillance footage, released it externally without authorization, and used unrelated footage in a sworn court filing. The complaint cites sections of the Gallatin code of ethics and Tennessee statutes and requests a formal review by the ethics officer or investigative authority.

The complaint text included: “I respectfully submit this formal ethics complaint regarding Mayor Paige Brown's obtaining use and external dissemination of municipal surveillance footage…,” and identifies concerns about selective release, deference of public-records requests, and possible misuse in a Chancery Court affidavit. The city attorney explained that under current city code the city attorney serves as the ethics officer and that the complaint must be presented to the governing body for initial determination.

No member moved to rescind last week’s finding and the committee instead voted to ask the city attorney to research alternatives for handling such complaints, including creating an independent ethics commission or hiring outside counsel for investigations. Mayor Paige Brown responded to the reading, acknowledging the gravity of the discussion and saying she was “happy to have a policy, happy to follow a policy,” while defending actions she said were intended to assist a concerned colleague.

Council directed staff to return with options and cost estimates for either an ethics commission or a process that uses outside counsel; the committee approved that research task and asked for a report at a future meeting.