Embattled London Mayor Weddle advances in reelection bid, critics are ousted
Laurel County voters, still reeling from the criminal indictment of London Mayor Randall Weddle and fallout from the December 2024 police shooting of a Lily man, shook up city and county politics Tuesday night, ousting Judge-Executive David Westerfield and several members of the London City Council.
Weddle, whose first term as mayor has carved out deep-rooted political divisions in the small city of 8,000, narrowly led local business owner Matt Orr by 11 votes, or less than 1% of ballots cast, in a tight race that will advance the pair to face off in the November general election.
Tracie Handley, who briefly served as mayor when Weddle was impeached and removed from office by the city council in the fall, finished third, according to unofficial election results Wednesday morning. She will not advance.
Weddle was reinstated by a Laurel Circuit Court judge after just 24 days out of office last year.
Both Orr and Handley cast themselves as fresh faces at city hall who would rise above political gamesmanship they say has been a feature in Weddle’s administration. Handley in particular has been an outspoken critic of the mayor, which could signal trouble for his reelection chances under a consolidated ballot later this year.
The mayor dismissed politics in a conciliatory victory message he put on Facebook Tuesday night in which he thanked his opponents for “putting themselves forward to serve our community.”
“This campaign has never been about politics for us, it has always been about the people of this city and continuing to move London forward,” he wrote. “Tonight’s results show that many people believe in the progress we have made together and the vision we have for the future.”
Yet, the embattled mayor serving in a nonpartisan role has had trouble shaking political divisiveness in his first four years in office. He has sparred with members of the city council since his early days over ethics board appointments and the annual budget. He has also been named in more than a dozen state and federal lawsuits and publicly attacked his political opponents, calling them pedophiles.
His administration is reportedly under investigation by federal authorities for allegedly misusing criminal background checks. He is also defending himself in court against felony campaign finance charges. Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman’s office has accused the controversial mayor of funnelling cash to Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Democratic Party by making donations on behalf of his family members and business associates.
“It’s not hard to do some pretty simple math and see that London is serious about change in the mayor’s office,” said Orr.
London voters who narrowly favored Weddle over his opponents in Tuesday’s mayoral primary also unseated three of his most outspoken critics on the city council. Kelly Smith Greene, Donna Gail Wilson House and Justin Young, each of whom voted to impeach and remove Weddle on all five charges in September, came under the threshold for advancing to the November election, meaning they will not serve beyond the end of the year.
The only two incumbents who will appear on November’s ballot are Jim Baker and John Brumer. Baker voted to impeach and remove Weddle from office, but Brumer joined the council in February to fill a vacancy left by former Councilman Anthony Ortega. Judd Weaver, who Weddle beat out to secure the mayoral seat in 2022, did not run for reelection on the city council this year.
There are only six seats on the council, and neither Baker nor Bruner were among the top six vote getters.
Hard to ignore in Tuesday night’s results was the role of police accountability in and around the Southeastern Kentucky city. London Police and Weddle’s oversight of the force were key factors in campaign messaging.
A grand jury in February declined to indict the London officer who shot and killed Douglas “Doug” Harless, 63, of Lily, in 2024. Evidence from that case reviewed by the Herald-Leader proves officers mistook Harless’ house for another while serving a search warrant for stolen lawn equipment.
That equipment was reportedly stolen from a home belonging to Laurel County Judge-Executive David Westerfield, who also lost his bid for reelection Tuesday night to Republican opponent Walter T. Hulett, a state supervisor for the Kentucky Department of Education and longtime Laurel County educator. There are no Democratic contenders in November.
“Our county’s best days are ahead of us, and I am committed to leading with integrity, transparency, hard work, and respect for every citizen,” Hulett said.
Several top EKY officials lost reelection bids Tuesday
Westerfield joins Breathitt, Estill, Knox, Lee, Madison and Morgan county judge-executives in Eastern Kentucky who were also ousted in Tuesday night’s primary.
Breathitt County Judge-Executive Jeff Noble lost to County Coroner Hargis Epperson by nearly 10% of the vote in the Democratic primary. Noble, who has served as the county’s chief executive since 2019, came under controversy in his latest term for his handling of free-roaming horses on abandoned surface mines in the county.
Noble downplayed concerns about shipping the horses to a “kill pen” in Tennessee, slaughter market claims that were disputed by animal welfare advocates.
In 2023, Noble was found not guilty of allegations that he abused the public trust and stole county funds. He was indicted in 2019 after he reportedly bought lumber with county money.
Noble said the primary was “a hard race” and wished Epperson the best as he takes on Republican financial adviser and former educator Tim Spencer in the general election.
Estill County Judge-Executive Donnie Watson came last in a three-person GOP primary race, with just 16% of the vote and less than a third of the votes Irvine barbershop owner Kelby Browning received, propelling him to an automatic victory in November.
Watson made headlines in November when camera footage showed him storming into a local tattoo shop and threatening the owner for tattooing his 16-year-old grandson. Still, economic development and continuing population decline were key factors discussed in the race.
Lee County Judge-Executive Steve Mays narrowly lost to business owner Remington Capps by a little over 100 votes in the Republican primary Tuesday. Mays oversaw a new 8% insurance premium tax to keep the county’s ambulance service operational in 2024, a move that may have alienated voters in one of Kentucky’s poorest counties.
Mays has said he knew the tax would be unpopular but necessary. Capps faces former educator and Democratic nominee John Fike in the general.
Richmond healthcare professional Donna Agee will become Madison County’s first female Judge-Executive next year. She defeated four-term incumbent Judge-Executive Reagan Taylor with a 9% margin in the GOP primary and is unopposed in the general.
In a statement, Agee promised “to serve with integrity, humility, and a commitment to every citizen of this county.” Taylor committed his administration to government efficiency, but he faced pushback for diminishing federal chemical weapons cleanup funding at the former Blue Grass Army Depot that the county used to fund emergency management.
Morgan County voters unseated Judge-Executive Jimmie Gazay by a little over 100 votes. Former Kentucky State Police Commander Kenneth Kelly Bowman won the Republican primary with 38% of the vote, besting Gazay and retired Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex Warden James David Green. Bowman will face Deputy Elliott County Sheriff Walker Crase in the November general election.
Two-term Knox County Judge-Executive Mike Mitchell was unseated by Fourth District Magistrate Jeff Ketcham by more than half the electorate Tuesday. Mitchell declined to comment when reached by the Herald-Leader Wednesday morning. Ketcham could not be reached.
Other judge-executive primary wins
Business owner Justin Charles secured the Republican Clark County judge-executive nomination to face off against Democrat Vache King in the November election. Former Judge-Executive Les Yates resigned suddenly early last month for a run to reclaim his seat in Kentucky House of Representatives. The sudden departure stunned the fiscal court, which he didn’t inform in advance. Yates lost the House primary on Tuesday.
Former Harlan County Deputy Judge-Executive Colby Goss won the GOP primary for judge-executive to replace Dan Mosely, who was once Kentucky’s youngest serving chief executive. Mosely said he would not run for reelection because he wanted to ensure it didn’t become a lifelong post.
Jackson County Sheriff Paul Hays won the Republican nomination for judge-executive to replace Shane Gabbard who resigned suddenly last month, citing his health. Hays is unopposed in the general election.
Magoffin County Republican voters nominated former Judge-Executive Charles “Doc” Hardin to take on former Judge-Executive Matt Wireman in November. Wireman retired in December to prevent voiding his pension benefits but is running to reclaim his seat. Hardin’s former administration was embroiled in controversy, highlighted by his decision to hire an assistant with a felony vote-buying conviction and evidence of fraud in the 2014 primary.
Republican newcomer Suzy Gibson Shearer earned the Republican nod to replace Pike County Democrat Judge-Executive Ray Jones, who opted not to run for reelection. Shearer defeated Pike County Jailer Brian Morris.
