Where does London Mayor Weddle live? Outside city limits, 2 latest lawsuits claim
A group of Laurel County voters has asked a court to remove London Mayor Randall Weddle from the ballot in this year’s mayoral election because he allegedly doesn’t reside within city limits.
Meanwhile, the embattled mayor, who is fighting state felony excessive campaign contribution charges and is reportedly under investigation by the FBI, has defaulted on more than $145,000 in credit card debt. American Express has sued him for the entire remaining balance.
Both lawsuits filed in Laurel Circuit Court this month claim Weddle and his family live at 1256 E. Highway 552 in Keavy, about 10 miles south of downtown London, outside the city limits. They add to a growing list of litigation against or in which London’s highest elected official is named. The suits also come as a political tug-of-war for control of city hall wages between the London City Council and Weddle’s administration.
Since Weddle first ran for mayor in 2022, he has maintained his full-time residence is 305 E. Fifth St. in London, a 3,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bath home he and his wife purchased in October 2020, just more than two years before he was elected, according to county property records.
Weddle and his wife are named on the deeds for both properties.
Paperwork Weddle filed with the Laurel County Clerk’s Office in January declaring his candidacy for reelection this year also lists the Fifth Street address, according to records obtained by the Herald-Leader under the Kentucky Open Records Act. Weddle signed his name to a form declaring he possesses all the constitutional and statutory requirements for office.
But a Covington attorney who represents the 13 plaintiffs suing Weddle and Laurel County Clerk Tony Brown has produced three East Fifth Street residents in London who say they have evidence the mayor doesn’t live within city limits and hasn’t since his first bid for office four years ago.
“It’s the law,” said Brandon Voelkner, the attorney representing the London residents. “What’s the point of having laws and statutes if we’re not going to enforce them, and, I think that’s what most people are upset about is, you know, if you don’t want people to have to reside in the place they run for office, then just take that out of the statute.”
Mayoral candidates must reside in the city they’re running in for at least a year prior to the election and continue living there throughout their term under state law. Elsewhere in the statute where voters’ residency is determined, the term is defined as “the place where his or her habitation is, and to which, when absent, he or she has the intention of returning.”
High-profile efforts to unseat candidates
A candidate running to unseat U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in 2024, sought to remove him from the ballot because one of the witnesses to Massie’s candidate filing gave an allegedly falsified residential address. A circuit judge almost immediately threw out the challenge because the witness lost his home to a fire and intended to return to Massie’s congressional district.
The Kentucky Court of Appeals affirmed that decision in an unpublished opinion that went on to add, “a citizen cannot select for himself a voting place other than the place the law constitutes his legal home and habitation.”
That ruling upheld a 1966 appeals court decision that disqualified a candidate for office who had moved to an apartment outside the voting boundaries three years before the election. There, the court further defined “habitation” under the Webster’s New International Dictionary as a “place of abode; settled dwelling; residence; house.”
By those definitions, Voelkner told the Herald-Leader, Weddle doesn’t live in London.
“If we get to where we don’t apply laws, and we just apply a litmus test to everything, where does it stop?” he asked. “The courts have been clear on this.”
The residency complaint seeks an expedited timeline to resolve the mayor’s permanent residency before the May 19 primary election. The race is nonpartisan, but the primary advances the top two vote-getters to face off in the general election in November. There are three candidates running for London mayor in 2026.
Weddle didn’t immediately respond to a Herald-Leader request for comment Tuesday. Counsel to Weddle, Carmine G. Iaccarino, said the lawsuit “is yet another attempt to silence the voters in the City of London.”
“But the voters deserve better than that, and Mayor Weddle will fight to give voice to the many citizens of London who are tired of petty and divisive politics, and to ensure they have a choice on the May 19 primary ballot,” he said.
Weddle’s permanent residency came under scrutiny early on in the effort by the city council to impeach him last year. An attorney for the council later dropped that charge after discussing it with Weddle’s attorney. At the time, the mayor’s supporters insisted “residency” is a loosely defined term and the former business owner has multiple properties in the county for a variety of purposes.
Weddle was impeached, removed from office and later reinstated by a Laurel Circuit judge. The city council has appealed that ruling.
The mayor and his wife own five residential properties in Laurel County, including the Keavy and East Fifth Street properties, according to Laurel County Property Valuation Administrator data obtained by the Herald-Leader. Only the East Fifth Street property lies within city limits. He is registered to vote as a Republican at that address in London, according to information obtained by the Secretary of State’s online Voter Information Center.
No records could be found listed under his name or addresses with the Kentucky Department of Professional Licensing.
Weddle’s apparent financial troubles
The latest lawsuits are not the only ones to list Weddle’s residence as outside city limits.
The special-called grand jury indictment on the four felony campaign finance charges lists Weddle’s address in Keavy, as do records of the more than $93,000 he allegedly gave Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Democratic Party in 2023, prompting the charges.
Prosecutors say Weddle knowingly made the donations, $200,000 of which were refunded by Beshear and the KDP, on behalf of his family members and business associates. But the mayor insisted the was unaware it is illegal to make campaign contributions in excess of individual limits in the names of other people. He alerted the campaign committees for Beshear and the KDP once he was made aware.
Weddle entered a not guilty plea in Laurel Circuit Court April 15. His attorney has asked the court to move the case to Frankfort.
Campaign finance reports indicate people Weddle was associated with gave upward of $300,000 to Democrats in 2023, and the nearly $100,000 in illegal contributions were put on his personal American Express credit card.
Now, American Express is after Weddle for repayment of $145,584.54 the company says he owes. The lender filed suit in Laurel Circuit Court Monday claiming Weddle hasn’t made required payments when due, violating the agreement terms for his platinum card.
Court records indicate the last minimum payment of $136,321.60 was due April 5, and he allegedly didn’t pay. The company voided the contract and has asked the court to force Weddle to pay the balance.
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 3:02 PM.
