The community manager of Level 27, a student housing apartment, filed a complaint with the county after an encounter with Carpenter. The complainant alleges intimidation, racism and belligerent behavior, and the Gmoser report includes a surveillance video screen shot of Carpenter flipping off an empty front counter.
Carpenter told the Journal-News that gesture “was out of frustration” with “their business practices,” and she did that when she was alone and unaware she was being recorded.
Her granddaughter is a resident at the apartment complex on Southpointe Parkway.
Gmoser wrote that the matter is now closed, without finding any legal wrong-doing.
“The vulgar expressions of Commissioner Carpenter as shown in the attachment provide verification of the anger she brought to the business she had disagreement with,” the prosecutor wrote. “Although unseemly for a person in her governmental capacity, they only serve to evidence that emotion instead of reason governed her conduct.”
The commissioner was told on Nov. 7 she had an hour to settle her granddaughter’s back rent “or they were going to start putting her furniture on the street.”
Carpenter said she “knew it was improper and not a correct eviction proceeding,” but she wanted to make the payment up to date. She also claimed she was “blocked” from being able to pay online and couldn’t pay with a credit card over the phone.
Carpenter doesn’t deny she was upset with the management of complex, but said she did not go with any intent other than to pay the back rent and express her displeasure.
She admits using the phrase “you people,” referring to the management — more akin to using the phrase “y’all” — not because they are Black. The partial phrase cited in the complaint of “this is not a repo in the hood” was, according to Carpenter, telling the management they “don’t have to have demands like, ‘Come in right now or we’ll move you out,’ (in Oxford) because you literally have parents (or grandparents) who want to pay.”
According to the complaint, she wrote Carpenter’s comments “reflect a pattern of bias, arrogance, and abuse of power that cannot be ignored.”
“This behavior was blatantly racist, hostile and threatening, and it has created a fearful environment for my team — all of whom are employees of color," according to the complaint. “Cindy Carpenter’s position as a commissioner and her clear belief that her political and professional connections make her ‘untouchable’ only amplify the seriousness of this incident.”
Carpenter denies using her position, and only revealing her elected role when handing over a business card. She also denied saying, “Do you know who I am?” and reference a lunch with Miami University’s president and others as a statement of fact, not a boast.
The management of Level 27 has barred Carpenter from the premises, but the commissioner said she hopes she is able to, if necessary, make payments for her granddaughter online or over the phone in the future.
On Tuesday, Commissioner Don Dixon read Gmoser’s report into the record.
Carpenter has been a Butler County commissioner since 2011, and is up for re-election in May 2026 seeking her fourth term in office. She will face two challengers in the upcoming spring primary, Hamilton City Council member Mike Ryan and former Butler County auditor Roger Reynolds.
Ryan issued a statement Tuesday evening for Carpenter’s “immediate resignation.”
“This is not an isolated lapse in judgment,” said Ryan. “No elected leader should behave this way.”
Reynolds said on Wednesday he’s unfamiliar with the investigation at this point.
“I believe it’s best to withhold comment until I see the report or learn more,” he said.
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