Wilmington council votes to hire outside legal counsel after public calls for independent review of mayoral allegations

Wilmington City Council voted unanimously Thursday to hire additional legal counsel after a night of public comments pressing the city to investigate alleged misconduct involving the mayor.

Residents used the public-comment period to demand a neutral review and more transparency. Elaine Silverstrom, a Wilmington resident, told the council, “I would hope in addition to legal counsel, is some form of independent review board, and if there is a mechanism that maybe, Mister Haley could take a leave of absence, administrative leave.” Jason Stoops, a local business owner, said the “claims warrant further review and possible investigation by a neutral outside agency.”

The vote followed a motion by Councilman Don Wells and a second by Councilman Osborne to pass Resolution 25-25, which authorizes city council to hire additional legal counsel and was presented “as an emergency.” The roll call recorded all council members voting yes. The resolution passed, and council leaders said they will report back at the next meeting in early June.

Mayor Patrick Haley addressed the chamber after public comment and denied operating improperly. “I ran simply to serve the community,” Mayor Haley said. “I've never operated that way... I'm willing to bring the documentation forward with full explanations and I think that we'll answer some questions or doubt people might have.” He said he would work with whatever forum council chooses while taking care not to violate confidentiality where applicable.

Several speakers tied their requests to broader concerns about city culture and employee rights. Kelsey Swindler, who said she had recently attended a community meeting at Sugar Tree Ministries, asked council to “take these allegations seriously and support further investigation into these claims.” Chuck Watts, a longtime resident, said he supports due process: “We're all innocent till proven guilty. We... support due process.”

Council President and members did not announce a specific investigator or firm at the meeting. Councilman Wells, who moved the resolution, said the council would keep members and the public updated. The council noted there is no additional regular meeting before early June and that any updates would be delivered then.

Public-comment speakers and several council members also raised procedural points during the meeting: questions about whether allegations had been reported through the city’s chain of command, references to collective bargaining agreement procedures, and requests that any inquiry avoid violating employee rights or confidential processes. Service Director Crow and other staff later addressed discrete operational questions raised during public comment, for example saying Warren County reissued a certificate of occupancy after its review of one shelter building.

The council’s immediate formal action is limited to authorizing legal counsel; it did not itself open a formal independent investigation during the meeting. Several residents explicitly requested that any investigation be independent of the city administration; others asked the mayor to consider administrative leave while inquiries proceed. No administrative leave was taken or ordered at the meeting.

Council members and the mayor said they would continue to pursue documentation and discussion in the coming weeks and will report back at the next scheduled meeting.