Altercation between council member, fire chief ensues following council meeting
London Police body camera footage of the conversation has been circulating, having been posted to the "I Support Randall Weddle" Facebook page. The video has quickly gained attention, with just over 100,000 views at this time. Mayor Weddle told The Sentinel-Echo that the footage was released through an open records request.
According to Councilperson Kelly Greene, the verbal altercation took place when London Fire Chief Donnie Hale approached her. She said she then asked him to step aside with her, away from others at the London Community Center to "get out of their way."
The footage initially posted begins with Greene telling Hale that Mayor Weddle will eventually "be gone" and "won't be here forever." She later clarified that this was not a threat, but rather, she was referring to his term as mayor.
"Well, I've got his back. He's my boss," Hale responded. "If somebody else was in the same situation, I'd have their back."
"Hey, I didn't tell you not to have his back. I told you to stay out of politics. Stay out of politics. Do your job and stay out of politics."
"I do my job."
"That doesn't mean you can't have the mayor's back; he is your boss."
"That's exactly right, he's my boss and I'm going to do it."
As the altercation continues, Greene reiterates that Hale became involved in politics when he "should've done his job."
"Are you saying I'm not doing my job?"
"Well, I wonder about it."
The altercation comes to an end once the unknown officer filming and London Tourism Chair Phil Smith step in to de-escalate the situation.
Among the items on the meeting's agenda was a "fire department discussion," during which Greene posed questions regarding the London City Fire Department's pursuit of a certificate of need (CON) for critical care services. Weddle said the CON request comes following uncertainty surrounding the city's mutual aid agreement.
According to Greene, her and Chief Hale's argument stemmed from Hale's concern that the majority of council members had not responded to his emails questioning the fire department agenda item.
"I did not know who the council person was that put me on the agenda until she was called upon to ask questions," Hale told The Sentinel-Echo.
Greene commented that she has been "pretty disappointed" in Hale since he participated in "rallies that the mayor held outside the council chambers, cheering him on before [last year's] election about not voting for some of the council members." She cited such involvement in politics as why she opted out of responding to Hale.
At Monday's meeting, Greene inquired about the $50,000 already spent on medical equipment, application fees, and legal counsel — noting that the expenses accrued without the council's approval. She also stated that the fire department had joined a union — the union number being 5534.
After Greene finished sharing her concerns, including how this CON could impact Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County, she asked Chief Hale: "Do you want to answer to any of this, or I can go on?"
Mayor Weddle agreed to answer, stating that it is not the city's intention to "put anybody out of business." He also said the city is not seeking to operate an ambulance service but rather to enhance responses by providing critical care support before ambulance crews arrive.
"If you're having a heart attack or stroke, I suggest that you look at the response times [of] the ambulance service and then our city fire department," Weddle stated. "These things matter."
Councilperson Anthony Ortega inquired if Saint Joseph London had made any reports indicating that "the ambulance service is lacking."
"I think that there is a spreadsheet of things between the two entities that has been given to us showing that there is a need," Weddle responded.
Chief Hale chimed in that Councilperson Stacy Benge had seen the department's "guys in work," recalling that they had saved a man's life at a restaurant.
"I don't want this to become political because it seems like it has," Weddle said after. "This is only about our guys who love this community trying to respond."
Councilperson Greene went on to ask how many people would need to be hired. Mayor Weddle clarified that no new hires are necessary.
As the discussion progressed, Councilperson Judd Weaver asked if prescription medication was being administered. Weddle and Hale both told him "no." Hale said there had been access to a medical director until the mutual aid agreement ceased.
"What did we administer before?" Weaver asked.
Chief Hale nodded his head, stating, "If you all had answered your emails today and let me prepare for this just a little bit more, I could've had some more answers."
"I answered," said Benge.
Chief Hale would later clarify that Ortega had responded directly, whereas Benge responded through the city clerk.
Mayor Weddle was not aware of the altercation between Greene and Hale until the following day.
When asked what he thought sparked the heated conversation, Weddle commented, "Frustrations that department heads have tried to engage via email with a few council members and they refuse to ask questions or address concerns they have except on the camera."
"Trying to embarrass department heads with false information is the biggest problem," Weddle continued. "Heads try to communicate with them but they try to spin everything to get at me. Some on this council will not stop until they have me out of office."
Greene issued an apology to London residents regarding the recent controversy.
"I'm sorry to the public that sometimes these meetings seem to get out of hand," Greene stated. "My actions are just because of my love for London and my years of experience."
In light of recent events, Mayor Weddle encourages residents to not allow the negativity to define London.
"Remember this is a beautiful city that is moving forward. Great things are happening in London and we need to stay focused on the positivity," Weddle stated. "We were elected to serve the people of London my hope as a government we can get back to that."
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