Ousted London Mayor Randall Weddle has been reinstated to his post following a brief court battle.
He wasted no time returning to office and led a special-called city council meeting shortly after the ruling.
Circuit Judge David Williams ruled in favor of Weddle returning to the office in a Monday decision. The order said “the London City Council failed to present sufficient grounds” for removing Weddle from office.
Weddle had appealed an early September decision of the city council to remove him from office. After an hours-long hearing, the council members voted to remove Weddle based on three charges of misconduct and willful neglect, including that the mayor signed a $5 million mortgage for the city without council approval.
According to court documents, Weddle’s attorney, Carmine Iaccarino, argued that city council members had engaged “in politics and score-settling” when removing Weddle from office “without legally sufficient basis or substantial evidence to support that drastic action.” Iaccarino had previously represented Weddle during the September city council meeting.
Chris Wiest, who presented the city council’s arguments, wrote in a brief that Weddle’s appeal should be denied and defended the process. Wiest said Weddle “was given notice of the charges against him, several of which were the basis of the removals of other public officers that were upheld by the Kentucky appellate courts, he was given a full public hearing, evidence was adduced under oath, he was permitted to introduce evidence in his behalf, he was permitted to cross-examine witnesses, and where all necessary votes for unanimity” and state law was followed.
At the end of the September council meeting, Tracie Handley was appointed acting mayor.
Williams, a judge for the 40th Judicial Circuit, was assigned as a special judge in the case filed in Laurel County following a motion from Weddle’s attorneys. Williams is the former Republican state Senate president.
Weddle and the city council have had a months-long brawl leading up to the courtroom drama. City Council meetings became public spectacles as the former mayor and the council members argued back and forth about the allegations. Plus, citizens packed meeting rooms to show their support for or opposition to the mayor.
Special city council meetings were set for Monday evening and Tuesday afternoon to discuss local tax rates, with a vote scheduled for Tuesday.
Weddle led the Monday meeting, seated next to council members. A livestream on the city’s Facebook page had more than 1,000 viewers at the start of the meeting.
Weddle told city council members he held “no grudges in what you’ve done.
“Now that you’ve done what you’ve done, and the courts have overturned your ruling, I’m just asking now that you guys start working with me, and I with you, and let’s move the city of London forward,” Weddle said.
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Written by McKenna Horsley. Cross-posted from the Kentucky Lantern.
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