LONDON, Ky. (WYMT) – A routine item on the agenda for Monday night’s London City Council meeting turned into a tense exchange that is now drawing attention, after body camera footage of the incident began circulating on Facebook.
The video, captured by a London City Police Department body camera, shows a heated argument between Councilwoman Kelly Smith Greene and London Fire Chief Donnie Hale. A portion of the footage was posted to the “I Support Mayor Randall Weddle” Facebook page, where it has now been viewed nearly 90,000 times. WYMT obtained the full hour and 45-minute recording through an open records request.
Chief Hale told WYMT he noticed the “Fire Department Discussion” listed on the meeting agenda early Monday morning and emailed all council members at 8:15 a.m. to find out what the item referred to.
“I got two responses, one from Councilman Ortega, and he stated that he knew nothing about it,” Hale said. “And the other one from Councilman Benge, who stated that he had replied through our city clerk.”
Councilwoman Greene, who later led the questioning during the meeting, did not respond to Hale’s email.
Following the meeting, the argument continued and escalated, captured clearly on the body camera footage. In one exchange, Greene accuses Hale of being politically motivated, while Hale defends his department’s role and questions Greene’s accusations. The following is a small portion of their interaction, beginning with Hale speaking and ending with Greene speaking:
“You’re just a bald-faced liar.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not. You’ve gotten involved with politics when you should’ve done your job.”
“Are you saying I’m not doing my job?”
”Well, I wonder about it.”
Mayor Randall Weddle, who was repeatedly referenced in the confrontation, said he believes the conflict reflects a broader issue.
“When the department heads are asking council members to engage with them via email and they wait to get on camera to start to try to break that department or act as if that department’s doing something wrong instead of talking things out or looking for facts, that’s where the irritation comes from,” Weddle said on a phone call with WYMT.
The mayor also said that a proposed ordinance aimed at increasing accountability among council members was tabled earlier this year until July. He acknowledged that the city’s current ethics ordinance does not address this type of behavior.
“I wish there was accountability,” Weddle said. “I wish there would be a lot more that could be done.”
Despite the back-and-forth, Chief Hale said his department’s priorities remain unchanged.
“We are 100% for the citizens of London,” Hale said. “We’re going to make sure that they are taken care of one way or the other. Their safety is number one to us.”
Mayor Weddle echoed that sentiment, saying the incident does not reflect the values of the broader community.
“I don’t want people outside of London to think that’s who we are as a community because that’s not who we are,” he said. “London is moving forward. We are building a strong city.”
WYMT made multiple attempts to contact Councilwoman Greene for comment but did not receive a response.
Mayor Weddle also confirmed that it is standard procedure for body camera footage from council meetings to be obtained after each meeting.
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