Elsmere City Council called off its public hearing to remove Serena Owen on June 4 after she submitted her resignation earlier in the day. Owen, who hasn’t attended a city council meeting since last year, announced her resignation from her position as councilmember in an email Wednesday morning to the Elsmere City Council that includes […]
Author Archives: Mildred Nguyen
Posted inNews
Elsmere adds new charge against Serena Owen, reschedules hearing
The Elsmere City Council added a new misconduct charge against Councilmember Serena Owen at a special meeting on May 8. The council also rescheduled Owen’s removal hearing to June 4. Elsmere previously charged Owen with six counts of woeful neglect and misconduct at a special hearing on April 29. The updated resolution adds a seventh […]
Posted inNews
Elsmere charges absent councilmember Serena Owen with neglect, misconduct
The city of Elsmere charged Councilmember Serena Owen with six counts of woeful neglect and misconduct at a special meeting on April 29. Attorney Jeff Otis, of Covington-based law firm Otis, Braun & Johnson, who will conduct Owen’s removal hearing, read Resolution 6-2025 before the council. The document charges Owen with woeful neglect of council […]
Posted inNews
Elsmere sets public hearing date for ousted council member
The Elsmere City Council announced the public hearing date for Councilmember Serena Owen at their April 8 meeting. The council unanimously voted to schedule the public hearing for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27. Councilmember Gloria Grubbs, who proposed the date and time, noted that the scheduling is tentative and subject to change as Councilmember […]
Posted inNews
Owen family members petition Elsmere council for virtual meetings
Councilmember Serena Owen’s family members petitioned Elsmere City Council to grant her request for virtual meeting attendance at the city’s April 1 caucus meeting. The council unanimously voted to remove her from her duties in March after voting no in January in response to Owen’s request for virtual meetings. Serena Owen’s husband, Larry Owen, emphasized […]
Posted inNews
Elsmere City Council votes to remove absent member Serena Owen
Elsmere City Council passed a motion to remove Serena Owen from her council position at their March 11 meeting. Councilmember Gloria Grubbs made the motion to begin Owen’s removal due to unlawful neglect of council duties, citing concerns from other council members and Elsmere residents. She insisted the decision is her own and has no […]
Posted inBriefs
Elsmere hosts annual student council meeting
Elementary and high school students made motions, voted on resolutions, and read reports at the Elsmere City Building on Feb. 11 as the city hosted its annual student council meeting. Eleven students from local schools—spanning fifth, sixth and eighth grades—were invited to sit next to city council members, administrators, clerks, and department heads and to […]
Posted inBriefs
Elsmere may cooperate in ICE operations, police chief says
The police chief of Elsmere addressed the possibility of cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, officers in deportation cases at the city council caucus meeting Tuesday. In the wake of the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, councilmember Gloria Grubbs raised concerns about whether the Elsmere Police Department would aid federal […]
Posted inBriefs
Elsmere authorizes zoning for medical cannabis operations
The city of Elsmere officially approved zoning for the cultivation, processing and selling of medical cannabis within city limits at its Jan. 14 council meeting. The city council unanimously voted to adopt amendments to the city’s zoning ordinance, permitting medical cannabis businesses to operate cultivation and processing facilities within industrial zones, as well as dispensaries […]
Posted inNews
Elsmere votes no on councilmember’s request for virtual meetings
The Elsmere City Council voted to deny councilmember Serena Owen’s request for virtual attendance. Owen has been seeking to attend council meetings remotely since September 2024 as accommodation for her disability. Councilmember Gloria Grubbs prefaced, during the city’s first caucus meeting of 2025 on Jan. 7, by saying that various accommodations were offered to Owen […]