Springfield City Councilwoman Kristi Fulnecky has resigned, effective Thursday.

Fulnecky said her family has found a new home in Nixa and will soon be moving. The City Charter requires that council members are residents inside the Springfield city limits.

Fulnecky was elected to City Council as a general seat member in 2015 and soon became embroiled in a series of controversies, including a protracted conflict with a group of other council members who she unflatteringly called the "Gang of Five" over whether her unpaid business licenses made her ineligible to take office.

"I can say there was a lot of drama in the beginning," Fulnecky told the News-Leader Thursday, after she announced her resignation. "...To be honest, it will be nice to take a little break from politics."

She said, however, she is disappointed she won't be finishing out her term, which was to expire in April.

"I'm a person, when I make a commitment, I stick with it. I am disappointed I am having to leave," Fulnecky said.

She said her large family — with "six kids and four huge dogs" — needed more room. They found a 22-acre property in Christian County and could not wait until the end of her term to close on the sale.

"I had to make a decision (based) on my family's happiness," she said.

City Council will likely appoint someone to fill the vacancy until April, when the seat will be up for election.

With Fulnecky's departure, council will be losing a persistent contrarian. Oftentimes, she was the lone voice of opposition when voting on bills.

"I think it's important to have different points of view," Fulnecky said. "I think sometimes there can be groupthink. The disappointing thing for me resigning is (losing) the voice of the outsider. I hope whoever runs for my seat will be as independent as I was."

Fulnecky said there's nothing she would have done differently on council.

"I don't regret anything because I don't think I've ever made a decision that conflicted with my beliefs," she said. "....I've really enjoyed being on council and representing the people of Springfield."

Fulnecky doesn't plan on staying out of the public spotlight for long.

"I will definitely run for future office, after I get settled into my house," she said. "When my kids are younger, I'll probably stick with local or county office. Eventually I'd like to run for (U.S.) Congress."

Mayor Ken McClure, who defeated Fulnecky in a contentious mayor's race in 2017, made a statement in a city news release.

“I thank Kristi for her service to our community and her commitment to public service,” McClure said. “As we have frequently said, both as a Council and individually, Springfield is a community of volunteers and the community’s success is based upon the willingness of its citizens to be a part of the process and to commit their time and resources to making our home a better place to live. I am grateful for her service.”

In her interview with the News-Leader, Fulnecky credited McClure's leadership for quelling infighting between council members.

Fulnecky described former Mayor Bob Stephens as the source of council drama.

"I feel like he had it out for me from the very beginning for whatever reason," Fulnecky said. "...I think he was the primary person who was pushing to get me off council. I was just different from everyone else. I made decisions independently of any group or any other council members."

Reached by the News-Leader, Stephens denied that he was the instigator. He said he was obligated by City Charter to look into Fulnecky's business license issue after he received a letter signed by five council members, alleging that Fulnecky had illegally operated a business in Springfield for seven years.

The city spent a total of $96,389.66 on the matter, including hiring an attorney to represent some council members and paying a retired judge to oversee two administrative hearings. Fulnecky called it a "witch hunt."

City Council eventually voted to accept a report prepared by the city-hired attorney which found Fulnecky was ineligible to take office due to her unpaid business licenses. They declined to take any action against her.

Stephens, who had publicly criticized Fulnecky on multiple occasions in the past, focused on what he saw as a "small positive."

"I think having someone like Kristi Fulnecky on council simply forces everyone else to have their thinking lined up and ready for any of the objections she might throw at what you're trying to do. So in that respect, it was probably a help," Stephens said.

Some of the controversial causes Fulnecky championed failed.

In her first year in office, she had unsuccessfully pushed for the motto "In God We Trust" to be displayed in Council Chambers and to ban publicly exposed breasts and buttocks.

Other times, Fulnecky served as the most vocal opponent of unpopular decisions.

She opposed a controversial pit bull ban before it was defeated in a popular vote in August. She spoke out against a city decision to consider regulations on the trash and recycling system before council dropped the matter due to public criticism.

"I looked into the concerns of citizens that came in. I think I listened to them and responded to their concerns. I voice(ed) the opinions of the people, even when it's not popular. I've not been concerned, so much, with being liked, but with making the right decisions," Fulnecky said.