Florence voters reelected four council members, returned former councilmember Duane Froelicher and elected Shari Kilmer on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Diane E. Whalen, a former 24-year Florence mayor now serving as vice mayor, led all candidates with 3,219 votes, according to election-night results from the Kentucky Secretary of State's tracker, as reported by LINK nky. Councilmember Angie Cable followed with 3,053 votes.
Duane Froelicher, an investment adviser who previously served three consecutive council terms from 2015 through 2020, finished third with 2,780 votes. Gary Winn received 2,615 and Lesley Chambers earned 2,601.
Shari Kilmer, a retired teacher with 32 years in education, claimed the sixth and final seat with 2,475 votes.
These results are unofficial and have not yet been certified, the NKY Tribune reported.
Full results
Candidate | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|
Diane Whalen (incumbent) | 3,219 | Elected |
Angie Cable (incumbent) | 3,053 | Elected |
Duane Froelicher | 2,780 | Elected |
Gary Winn (incumbent) | 2,615 | Elected |
Lesley Chambers (incumbent) | 2,601 | Elected |
Shari Kilmer | 2,475 | Elected |
Jeffrey Whittaker | 2,337 | Not elected |
Jim Leach | 2,306 | Not elected |
David Schneider (incumbent) | 2,161 | Not elected |
Aaron Gillum | 1,900 | Not elected |
Joe Clinton Berkshire | 1,409 | Not elected |
Brian Kinross | 1,060 | Not elected |
Source: Kentucky Secretary of State election-night tracker, as reported by LINK nky on Nov. 3, 2026. Results are unofficial.
One incumbent falls
David Schneider, who was appointed to the council in early 2025 to fill a vacancy left by the death of council member David Osborne, finished ninth with 2,161 votes. He was the only sitting council member to lose. Patricia Wingo, the other outgoing member, did not seek another term.
New council takes shape
All six seats on the Florence City Council are elected at-large for two-year terms. The winners will begin serving in January 2027 and hold office through December 2028, according to LINK nky. They will serve alongside Mayor Julie Metzger Aubuchon, who won her own reelection race against David Rose, 3,882 votes to 3,235, according to LINK nky's mayoral results.
Development, FBI probe loom
The campaign centered on residential and commercial development, traffic congestion, infrastructure, taxation, public safety and privacy concerns over the city's use of automated license plate readers, LINK nky reported.
Financial oversight also shaped the race. Florence disclosed in January that it had discovered "revenue diversion activities within a specific revenue stream" and asked the FBI to open a criminal investigation, according to LINK nky's January reporting. The city later commissioned Fort Wright-based accounting firm Dean Dorton to conduct an independent risk assessment, which identified 30 preliminary findings related to governance and oversight, LINK nky reported in June.
Froelicher, who owns Walden Advisors, said during the campaign that his financial background would inform his oversight of city finances. Kilmer, who most recently taught at Longbranch Elementary School, told LINK nky that managing growth while preserving neighborhood character was among Florence's biggest challenges.
The Florence City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month for business meetings at 6 p.m. at the Florence Government Center, 8100 Ewing Blvd. The next scheduled business meeting is Nov. 10.
