London mayor-elect wants to move city government past controversy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — LONDON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — London Mayor-elect Matt Orr says he wants to move the city government away from controversy and refocus attention on city business when he takes office in January.

London City Council meetings have drawn significant attention over the past year, with residents and others watching in person and online as city leaders dealt with a series of disputes and controversies.

Those included former Mayor Randall Weddle's court battles and residency disputes, lawsuits involving allegations of doxxing and a December 2025 council meeting that was halted because the room was over capacity.

"We will have to cancel this meeting and move it upstairs," Weddle said during the meeting.

The turmoil continued on Wednesday when interim Mayor Tracie Handley fired the London Fire Department's chief and assistant chief. Handley cited policy and training failures, along with an incident involving a fire alarm during a city meeting, as reasons for the decision.

Orr, a local Realtor and businessman who is new to elected office, said the recent state of city government helped motivate him to run for mayor.

"It was never like it is now," Orr said. "That's kind of what spurred me to run, was when my kids started mentioning it to me."

Orr said he hopes to move London away from what he described as the "entertainment" surrounding local government.

"That stuff shouldn't be entertainment," Orr said. "That's supposed to be business of the city and what's best for the people that live in the city, and that's what I hope to turn it back into."

Orr will take office alongside an entirely new City Council lineup in January.

When asked whether he would reinstate the fire chief and assistant chief following their firings, Orr said he was not ready to make that decision.

"I need time to reassess that," Orr said.

Orr said he believes the election results reflected frustration among London voters and a desire for new leadership.

"I think that people are looking for people that aren't just the normal politicians," Orr said. "I think they feel like they haven't, a lot of the people out there feel like they haven't been heard."