Former London Mayor Randall Weddle: I will appeal city council’s impeachment vote
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- London City Council unanimously removed Mayor Randall Weddle for misconduct.
- Weddle plans to appeal removal, citing political motives and voter support.
- Council appointed retired consultant Tracie Handley as acting mayor post-hearing.
Randall Weddle plans to appeal the London City Council’s impeachment vote against him, the former mayor of London said in a statement Monday.
Weddle was impeached after the council unanimously voted to remove the former mayor from office on charges of misconduct or willful neglect during a hearing at the Laurel County Judicial Center on Friday. The council appointed Tracie Handley, a London resident and retired trial science consultant, to serve as acting mayor, and she was sworn in shortly after the hearing.
Weddle released a statement Monday, saying he plans to appeal the council’s vote.
“The London City Council ignored the evidence and testimony we presented on Friday, and it took a political vote that went against the will of the people of London in the last election,” Weddle said in the statement. “The Council has wanted to remove me for months, and it drafted its charges and took a vote to do just that.”
The misconduct claims against Weddle included misusing the city’s police department and its funds for personal protection detail; intimidating others with the protection detail; leaving an ethics commission seat vacant; failing to host meetings and publish enacted ordinances online; and illegally signing a $5 million mortgage for a property on behalf of the city without council approval.
After hours of testimony, the council unanimously agreed Weddle had committed misconduct or willful neglect on five of the 11 charges he faced. Of those, the council voted unanimously that three of the counts warranted removing him from office.
Weddle was not convicted of any criminal activity. Weddle’s attorney, Carmine Iaccarino, said none of the charges were a basis for removal.
“With these removal proceedings, the council is the judge, jury and executioner,” Iaccarino said. “They brought the charges, and as the evidence came in, they had made up their minds long ago. It didn’t matter what the charges were.”
Before casting votes, council member Kelly Greene said she had already determined her vote based on personal interactions with Weddle and not any of the testimony heard during the hearing. Council member Anthony Ortega cast the only vote against removing Weddle from office on the other two counts.
“The admission by council member Greene on the record, at an open meeting, that she hadn’t listened to the evidence was unfortunate and sad,” Iaccarino said.
Weddle was elected mayor in 2022 after defeating Judd Weaver, a current council member. The resolution to seek impeachment was brought to Weddle during a city council meeting in early August, and every council member except Stacy Benge voted for the resolution.
Benge resigned from the council one week before the hearing and was replaced by Donna Gail Wilson-House, meaning half of the council are elected officials and the other half were appointed by the council. The appointment of Handley as acting mayor means a majority of the leaders in London City Hall are appointed, not elected.
“That is just not right,” Weddle said in his statement. “The people of London deserve better, and my appeal is meant to vindicate their voices as much as it is meant to overturn the Council’s unjust vote on Friday.”
Weddle and Iaccarino highlighted the community’s support for Weddle in their arguments during Friday’s hearing, specifically citing a petition of people who were against his impeachment. More than 1,200 city residents and 900 county residents signed the petition.
“Over 2,000 voters said no to this,” Weddle said after Friday’s hearing. “They don’t care. They have an agenda. When you have three (council members) that’s appointed by council and three elected by the people, they don’t have to listen to the people.”
All members of the London City Council were contacted for comment, and none responded other than Greene, who said to contact the council’s attorney, Conrad Cessna.
Cessna also did not respond to a request for comment.
