Brentwood Hires Another Labor Attorney

Brentwood hired a second labor attorney during a special Brentwood Board of Aldermen meeting at the on Monday night.

James Foster, a partner of Town and Country's McMahon Berger, entered an executive closed session with the aldermen a few minutes after he was hired by the board. The city will pay $285 per hour for Foster's services.

The city has another labor attorney, , who from Brentwood this year. During the open meeting, Mayor Pat Kelly said the city wanted a second opinion on how to proceed with ongoing personnel matters.

Both attorneys have professional agreements with the city and are paid hourly for their services.

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The St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported that a Brentwood attorney negotiated a settlement with the 's union representative after the city discovered in undeserved overtime pay. The details of the settlement were never released.

When asked if Foster would replace Hesse during the ongoing personnel discussions—all of which have been closed to the public—Kelly said he had no comment.

Following the closed session, Ward 4 Alderman Tom Kramer said he was very impressed by Foster's abilities and looked forward to more input.

The decision to hire a second labor attorney was a prudent one, he said, given the gravity of the current personnel situation.

In a 5-2 vote, the board previously approved hiring a second labor attorney . During that meeting, Ward 1 Alderman Anthony Harper and Ward 3 Alderman Andrew Leahy both voted against the measure.

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During Monday night's vote, Harper again voted against hiring a second labor attorney. Following the meeting, Harper said he disagreed with the course of action and didn't want to spend more money on labor attorney fees.