ELSMERE, Ky. — The Elsmere caucus meeting on Tuesday opened with words of support for ousted Councilwoman Serena Owen — they came from Owen's mother, Erlanger City Councilwoman Renee Wilson.
"To say Councilwoman Owen cares about this community is an understatement, as everything she has done to help this community is out of unconditional love," Wilson said. "She has not shown any signs of neglect at all."
Wilson said Owen is active in the community, and her work includes helping provide hundreds of families living in food deserts with food each month.
The sentiment seemed to have little effect on Owen's fellow council members, who appeared poised to take the next steps in her removal process during the meeting.
We now know Owen will exercise her right to a public hearing in an attempt to keep her position, which is afforded to her under state. In early March, the council unanimously voted to remove Owen, citing negligence.
Hear more about the public hearing in the video below:
A previous analysis of public records, corroborated by the City of Elsmere, shows Owen missed 16 of 23 (69.6%) public meetings in 2024. The last meeting she attended took place in June 2024. Owen has also not attended any meetings this year.
On Tuesday, council members held discussions in an executive session over Owen's upcoming public hearing. Afterward, they approved setting aside $10,000 from the city's reserve funds to hire attorney Jeff Otis to represent them in the matter.
Otis is now tasked with investigating the situation, according to city officials. A date for the hearing will be set at next week's city council meeting.
"I would hope that if you're elected to a position, you would be present to do that job," Councilwoman Gloria Grubbs said. "There's many things we've offered to do to make her feel comfortable."
The council previously put together a “package of options” for Owen, who claims her nonattendance is due to feeling unsafe inside council chambers. It included a police escort to meetings and a bullet proof vest.
Since September 2024, Owen has asked the city to grant her ADA accommodations, including the option to attend meetings virtually. Earlier this year, the council voted down her request, citing the cost of setting up a virtual attendance mechanism.
During Tuesday's meeting, Wilson again petitioned the council to consider a virtual option for her daughter.
"Helping our fellow council members, city teammates and constituents is what we should do, as Councilwoman Owen is also your constituent," she said. "You gave other council members accommodations. How is (Owen) willfully neglecting her duties if she's been trying to serve since September 2024?"
The council declined to take up the matter again.
We have reached out to Owen for comment. As of now, she has not returned our messages.
