LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A controversy brewing for months in London finally came to a head Friday night. At a hearing that lasted for hours that included outbursts from council members and locals, former Mayor Randall Weddle was impeached.
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Council members accused him of misconduct and negligence, like violating proper procedure in dismissing members of the London Housing Authority, and signing a $5 million mortgage without council approval.
One local, who wished to remain anonymous, said she's thrilled with the council's decision to remove Weddle. Her feelings stem from Doug Harless, the man killed by London Police during a search warrant "mix-up" in December.
"Horrendous, I don't even stay in my home anymore," she said. "I stay out of town, (because) I'm scared, I could be the next Doug Harless."
Angela Stidham, another resident, feels that Doug Harless should be left out of it.
"I feel like what happened with Doug Harless, they took that and ran with it in a negative way, and so it's really just snowballed from there," she said.
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Stidham supports the former mayor, and has paid close attention to the controversy.
She said it is the council that's left locals in the dark, not Weddle. From road improvements to tornado recovery, Stidham said that the former mayor has been a leader.
On the other side of the argument, the other local said Weddle has dropped the ball, time after time.
"He made the council and the people that want justice enemies instead of working with them for change," she said.
A community divided, and spectacle still unfolding as Weddle plans to appeal his impeachment.
He released a statement to LEX 18 in response to Friday's proceedings:
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. The Council has wanted to remove me for months, and it drafted its charges and took a vote to do just that. State law provides a right to appeal the City Council’s vote, and I intend to do just that. Right now, four of the seven people who lead the City of London the majority have never earned a single vote of the People of London to hold the seats they do, and half the Council members who voted against me were appointed to their positions. That is just not right. 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.
Officials have named Tracy Handley as acting mayor of London.
