Commission to Appoint New Commissioner; Dismisses Ethics Complaint

Published on June 11, 2025

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The City of Brentwood is seeking a resident who is actively engaged in the community and committed to public service to fill a vacant seat on the 7-person City Commission. The Commission plans to appoint a new commissioner during its July 14 meeting.

On May 13, Brentwood Commissioner Susannah Macmillan resigned from the board, leaving almost two years remaining in her term. Her resignation reduced the number of commissioners serving the city to six.

On Monday, the Commission voted to appoint a resident to fill Macmillan’s vacant seat. Commissioner Janet Donahue made the motion, stating, “Anyone wishing to be considered must complete the online application available on the city’s website by 11:59 p.m., June 27, 2025.

“The appointment will be scheduled for the July 14, 2025, Board of Commissioners Meeting,” she continued. “Commissioners will vote by ballot with each commissioner’s vote to be announced upon collection of the ballots.”

The application is available at https://onboard.brentwoodtn.gov/application/. Under the section “Boards and Seats,” applicants must select “Board of Commissioners.”

The Commission has expanded the application for this seat. Interested individuals must provide a detailed description of their community involvement and write a summary of why they would like to serve as a City Commissioner.

Whoever the Commission appoints during the July 14 meeting will serve until May 2027, when that seat will be up for general election. The appointed member may choose to seek reelection or relinquish their seat.

Ethics Complaint Against Little Dismissed

The Commission also voted to dismiss an ethics complaint against Vice Mayor Rhea Little, following the recommendation of an outside investigation. On March 31, Rebecca Martinez issued a complaint against Little, alleging he violated a city ordinance when he responded to an email in October 2024. In April, the Commission voted to appoint an outside ethics officer to investigate the complaint.

The city hired attorney Gail Vaughn Ashworth on May 8, and her final report was sent to the Commission. In that report, she found that Little did not violate any ordinances, and “he did not ‘use or attempt to use his position to secure any privilege or exemption for himself or others that is not authorized in this article or by the Charter, general law, or ordinance or policy of the city.’”

The report concluded with Ashworth recommending “no action be taken against Commissioner Rhea Little in this matter. The complaint investigation should be closed and the Ethics Complaint dismissed, as there was no violation of Article VI, Sec. 2-233(b).”

For more information on the City of Brentwood, including videos of all City Commission Meetings, visit www.brentwoodtn.gov.