LONDON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Former London Mayor Randall Weddle has filed a lawsuit against the city council, calling his removal from office an "unprecedented and unlawful power grab."
According to the lawsuit, three council members were appointed and not elected, raising the question of how appointed members could remove an elected official.
The lawsuit further states that the removal was based on ordinary policy disagreements rather than actual misconduct.
According to the lawsuit, multiple violations of Kentucky's Open Meetings Act occurred, including holding the removal hearing in a courthouse that limited public access and conducting private discussions about appointing a replacement mayor.
The lawsuit details that one removal charge involves the mayor signing loan documents for a multimillion-dollar fairgrounds project using city-owned Levi Jackson Park as collateral.
According to the lawsuit, the removal of Weddle challenges the constitutionality of Kentucky's mayoral removal statute, claiming it's too vague and violates the separation of powers.
The lawsuit mentions a petition with "thousands of signatures" supporting the mayor and opposing his removal.
According to the lawsuit, the appointment of London's first female mayor should be challenged on the grounds of its legitimacy.
The lawsuit seeks to have the mayor reinstated and to declare the removal invalid.
Weddle released the following statement to LEX 18:
Today, I appealed the City Council’s unlawful attempt to remove of me from office. I look forward to this going before an impartial judge, who will examine the evidence and facts without prejudice or personal bias. This matter is now in the hands of the courts, where the Council should have turned to address their disagreements instead of seeking to remove me in a highly political process.
I want to sincerely thank all the individuals who have poured out their support to me and my family during this time, as well as everyone who attended the hearing and stayed for all those long hours. Your support means more than I can put into words.
