London city employees claim council members created a hostile work environment
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- More than 50 city employees filed a petition alleging council bullied staff.
- Petition says intimidation and political loyalty threats harmed job performance.
- Kentucky League of Cities opened an investigation; council appealed judge ruling.
Several London city employees said they felt belittled and feared retaliation from the city council in recent weeks, as the council ousted the former mayor and appointed an acting mayor.
Tracie Handley was appointed acting mayor after the London City Council removed Mayor Randall Weddle from office on three charges of misconduct or willful neglect during a nine-hour hearing on Sept. 5. A petition was created by government employees 12 days later, saying there was a poor working environment, according to documents obtained by the Herald-Leader.
Handley served as the acting mayor until Monday, when the special judge presiding over the case, David Williams, ruled that the council failed to present sufficient grounds for impeaching Weddle, and reinstated him as mayor effective immediately. The city council appealed Williams’ ruling the following day.
The day after retaking office, Weddle told the Herald-Leader more than 50 employees signed the petition. It says council members belittled employees, pressured staff to align with their political views and implied their job security was uncertain if they did not comply.
The behavior took a mental and emotional toll on the employees, and interfered with them doing their jobs effectively, according to the petition.
“Such statements and actions create an atmosphere of intimidation and fear, and suggest that continued employment may depend on political loyalty rather than job performance,” the petition read.
The Kentucky League of Cities, a third party nonprofit association that provides services to member cities, is investigating the claims, Weddle said. A spokesperson for the association did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“They were miserable because of the way they were being treated by that acting mayor and the council,” Weddle said.
Several department leaders signed the petition, including an association representing the London Fire Department, Public Works Director Phillip Rawlings, London Police Acting Chief Bobby Day, Finance Director Sherry Jones, Administrative Assistant and Deputy Clerk Shelly Wyatt, Information Technology Director Eric Stallard and Human Resources Director Bryan Johnson.
Rawlings wrote in the petition that many employees in his department have expressed fear of retaliation from the council. The employees don’t attend council meetings because they are afraid of losing their jobs or getting a pay cut.
The public works employees said the council acted that way before Weddle took office in 2022, but it had never been this intense, Rawlings wrote.
Morale around city hall has improved since he was reinstated as mayor on Monday afternoon, Weddle said.
“We have built a team here, and this team is fantastic. Good, honest, hardworking people that love this city too,” Weddle said. “The morale is high, everybody is excited and we’re back to doing the business of the city.”
