Acting mayor of London wants to do best job possible for hometown
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- Tracie Handley became acting mayor after London council impeached Randall Weddle.
- Handley aims to rebuild community trust, attract business and review past actions.
- City hall remains under review as officials assess what Weddle removed from office.
It was about a week ago when Tracie Handley was first approached about the possibility of becoming mayor of London. Now she is the acting leader for her hometown.
On Friday, Handley was sworn in as acting mayor of London, shortly after Randall Weddle was impeached and removed from office. The London City Council unanimously voted to impeach Weddle on three counts of misconduct or willful neglect and quickly approved a motion to appoint Handley as the acting mayor.
Handley told the Herald-Leader she was first contacted by everyone on the council only days before Friday’s removal hearing to inquire about her interest on the potential mayoral vacancy. She made up her mind only a day or two before the hearing, and she’s now the first female mayor in London’s history.
“I’ve taken on this role with a servant’s heart, and I look forward to restoring London to more like what I grew up with,” Handley said.
Handley was born and raised in London and graduated from Laurel County High School. She’s a retired trial science consultant, where she performed a number of trial services for civil, criminal and federal cases for decades.
This is Handley’s first time holding a public office. Her main priorities during the remainder of her term, she said, are to build up the trust between law enforcement and the community, bring new business to downtown and resolve the Doug Harless investigation.
“It was a wonderful place to grow up. It’s been wonderful for years, but just the last few years have been very difficult because it’s been a very divisive time in London, and I want to see those divisions healed up,” Handley said.
Handley wasn’t able to gain access to London City Hall until Sunday. She wanted to see what was left behind after Weddle cleared his belongings out Thursday in anticipation of the council’s impeachment vote.
While testifying during Friday’s hearing, Weddle said he brought in his own items to city hall, including furniture, when he first took office. Weddle told the council in January 2023 that the belongings he brought would go back with him when he left office.
“I’m not leaving the items there,” Weddle said on the stand Friday. “There is documentation. We had an officer there last night that had body camera footage on. It was being documented through picture-taking as well, matching what we owned.”
Handley said Weddle packed up a large, about 18- to 20-foot trailer of items, and they weren’t sure exactly what Weddle took. A few community members were at city hall recording Weddle pack up his belongings and were asked to leave by London police.
“It’s very empty, and we’re still trying to figure out if everything was done appropriately,” Handley said.
Handley also plans to meet with city staff soon to discuss how things will operate for the remainder of her term. She hasn’t thought about her plans for the 2026 election, which is when the mayoral office will next be on the ballot.
“I’m very open-minded and very fair, so I’ll be talking with everyone and making a plan going forward,” she said.
This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM.
