ELSMERE, Ky. — During a special meeting on Wednesday for what was supposed to be the removal hearing of Elsmere Councilwoman Serena Owen, the city accepted her resignation.
Owen submitted a resignation letter via email around 6 a.m. — making the removal process unnecessary and allowing the special meeting to take just a few minutes before the council adjourned.
The resignation and removal hearing that never happened
"I'm relieved for the citizens because they deserve somebody to be sitting in that seat to represent them," Elsmere Councilwoman Gloria Grubbs said. "We really tried to do a good job and was hoping that she would show up. It's just a shame that we had to spend any of the citizens' money on this. It's just a sad thing."
WCPO 9 News asked Councilwoman Joanne Barnett Smith how much money the city ultimately spent on the hearing that never got underway. The city originally set aside $10,000 for it.
"We don't know yet because once she resigned, it stopped everything," Barnett Smith said. "It's not going to be the full $12,000, like she says."
In the resignation letter, Owen, who hasn’t attended a public meeting since June 2024, said it wasn’t an easy decision to make, “but is necessitated by the escalating challenges that have profoundly impacted my ability to serve effectively and safely.”
“The Elsmere City Council’s repeated denial of my medical Americans (with) Disabilities Act accommodations, alongside the ongoing public defamation and retaliation I have endured from having to file police reports and human rights complaints, has left me unable to fulfill my duties while safeguarding my mental and physical health,” the resignation letter read.
Owen cited issues of ongoing harassment and unsafe working conditions as her reasons for resigning.
"Over the past year, I have faced consistent harassment, intimidation, and threats, including incidents involving firearms during council meetings, which have jeopardized my personal well-being and safety," she wrote. "As a survivor of violence, these circumstances have been deeply distressing."
"I was surprised, yet I was kind of sad," Elsmere resident Eric Bunzow said. "Only because of everything that we've had to go through to get where we're at, and now she wants to just not finish the process."
Owen's chronic absenteeism and how we got here
Wednesday marked the culmination of months of allegations and mounting frustrations that began to simmer around the fall of 2024. It was around then WCPO 9 News was the first to report that Owen missed 70% of public city council meetings in 2024.
For months, Owen claimed her lack of attendance was due to feeling threatened inside the council chambers.
"There are several men who have been attacking me," Owen told us back in November. "Attacking me on social media, defaming my character, spreading rumors and lies."
One of those men she was referring to is Elsmere resident Eric Bunzow. Owen previously said he legally carries a firearm with him at public meetings, which made her feel uncomfortable. Bunzow confirmed he open carries but said he has never made any threats toward Owen or anyone with his firearm.
"I think it's a sigh of relief to a lot of residents," Bunzow said on Wednesday. "Being afraid of an unloaded gun is kind of worrisome. I think her excuses have been nullified by her actions."
Owen previously requested ADA accommodations from the city to attend public meetings virtually. The city offered up several other solutions to Owen—a police escort to chambers and a bulletproof vest—but denied her virtual attendance request citing the cost of setting up a remote meeting mechanism.
The charges filed against her by fellow council members
Owen faced seven charges of woeful neglect and misconduct due to her lack of attendance at city meetings and participation in legislative functions throughout 2025.
One charge stemmed from an incident on April 10, where Owen allegedly directed city staff to delete pictures of her attending a public city event in April, per a charging document — two days after a city council meeting she failed to attend. The document stated this was "... a blatant attempt to disguise Owen's ability to attend city meetings."
In a May 6 email, Owen said she did not direct the picture to be deleted: "(We) asked if (the staffer) would please crop us out of the photo before posting it on social media or sharing it with others. Neither one of us directed her to delete the photo from anything."
Another misconduct charge centered on Owen's refusal to accept pay for her role on city council. She has long considered her council terms to be volunteer work, according to past statements Owen shared with us, but the charging document finds that to be "dishonest, if not fraudulent."
What's next for the vacant council seat?
Owen's husband, Larry, and mother, Erlanger Councilwoman Renee Wilson, attended the special meeting on Wednesday. Neither of them had a comment to share with WCPO 9 News, but several of Owen's former constituents did share theirs.
"I'm glad that we finally had some finality to it. There's been a lot of speculation back and forth," Andrew Myatt, who ran as a write-in candidate in November, said. "If she knew all along that the resignation was going to be the way she was going to go, she could have just saved the taxpayers that money."
We asked Myatt if he had any words for Owen. He said, "I would say keep doing what you're doing for the community. She's very active in the church, and she's active all around. Keep doing that for the city. It's great."
"There are other people who have attended more of the city council meetings than their own city council member Owen," Bunzow said. "So with her resignation today, I'm not surprised. So we just kind of go forward from here."
Elsmere city council members have 30 days to appoint her replacement, under Kentucky state law.
