Residents, Chime In: Is Brentwood's Reputation Tarnished?

The recent string of bad news articles brought several residents to Monday night's Brentwood Board of Aldermen meeting, where each resident used strong language to describe his or her feelings.

And while some residents said the city "dropped the ball" and was "nonchalant" about taxpayer dollars, the most colorful response came from John Geppert, chairman of the Brentwood Planning and Zoning Commission:

I'm embarrassed. I don't see action coming from this group of people to end that embarrassment. I really don't know what you're doing to try to get confidence back in the citizens of Brentwood, that there's going to be actual management that they can be confident that their tax dollars are well managed. I'm embarrassed.

Residents are unhappy about 's use of public funds to pay for and the hundreds of thousands of dollars used to pay for in the Brentwood Fire Department.

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We asked readers on our Facebook page to share how they felt about the recent news and Ryan Schmuke offered his response:

I haven't really had my views swayed a ton, there is corruption in every form of government honestly. It is just more pronounced in different cities based on media or size of population. Brentwood isn't the largest of cities by far and when something like this happens the magnitude is a whole lot greater. I'm not going to defend those that have purposely caused strain or participated in illegal acts but I still care about the town that I have grown up in all my life.

While this financial aspect is great there are many other issues to be checking out in addition to these. Such as the recent events regarding the school board, the ice rink, and deteriorating road conditions among a few.

Bottom line: I still love Brentwood.

So how has the recent news affected your view of Brentwood government? Do you feel embarrassed or surprised? Or confident about the city's recovery?

Please share your thoughts in the comments or to be featured on the front page of Patch.