“I have been requested to advise you that your recent posts on Facebook and/or other social media is in violation of the village of New Miami’s Social Media policy,” Village Solicitor Jonathan Fox wrote. “In addition, you are hereby notified that the Village of New Miami is in receipt of your notice of resignation. Accordingly, your resignation has been accepted effective Oct. 31, 2025.”
The Journal-News requested a copy of the Social Media policy and it was not produced.
Prior to this official action, Hensley wrote an email to Fox at 2:24 a.m. Oct. 17 saying, “I just can’t take it anymore, I really can’t. It’s not worth my time energy, or effort,” she wrote and added she planned to take a “mental health” leave from Oct. 18 through Nov. 5 after which she planned to submit her resignation at the village council meeting. “It is clear you all do not want me there, you voted to give the water board a raise for meetings they aren’t even having. I go out and bring in outside resources to help us and because the employees do not want to participate you side with them. I am done fighting alone. Tonight’s meeting was the last straw.”
She also sent a lengthy letter to this newspaper that starts out “Dear Residents of the Village of New Miami” and goes on to complain about a number of ways she believes she has been wronged by her fellow council members and staff and asks people to vote for newcomers on the November ballot Donna Henley and Christine Reichert.
She said she would step down if they were not elected and they both lost.
She sent Fox another lengthy email on Oct. 25 stating “after hearing from the residents and them asking me to stay, I am not sure I want to resign,” and later accused others of violating the social media rules as well.
Hensley’s mayoral term was to end in December 2027.
She noted that while she continues to have a difficult time doing her job, “I am not resigning.”
Fox responded to her reiterating the council accepted her resignation. Former Vice Mayor Victoria Hall is now the mayor. Hall did not respond to requests for comment.
This isn’t the first time Hensley — who was elected with 56% of the vote in 2023 — has been asked to leave. Council members and staff were outraged last winter after Hensley unilaterally decided to open up village hall to the homeless and called them out in the media for being heartless when they objected to the move.
At that time Hall wrote in a letter it was not an isolated incident, “I just don’t see us being able to continue to run the village the way we currently are.”
“Her demanding ways, requests and how she talks to employees is unacceptable,” Hall wrote. “She has a ‘easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission’ mentality and that is not the way government officials or business leaders act or should act.”
Council member Lorna Mooney echoed that sentiment, “since day one of her being mayor has been nothing but chaos and she should resign.”
She didn’t.
Neither Hensley nor any of the village council members responded to requests for comment.
About the Author