FLORENCE Y'ALL: COUNCIL ELECTION BRINGS HEATED COMPETITION
Iconic landmark: "Florence Y'all" Water Tower
During a meeting of the Florence City Council, you would likely expect rows of the Chamber’s plush seating to be filled, with additional concerned residents lining the walls. You might be surprised to know that at the average meeting, you might only find two or three residents in the Chamber. While some on the Council are quick to point out that means residents feel their representatives are doing a good job, others fear the low attendance shows a lack of community involvement. The most significant way to measure success on Council will present itself November 5th, in the form of an Election.
On the Ballot; current Council Members Lesley Chambers, Patricia Wingo, Mel Carroll, Jenna Kemper, David Osborne and Gary Winn. Brian Kinross, Jonathon Trimble, Angie Cable, and former member J. Kelly Huff are also campaigning for one of the six available seats. The next Mayoral Election takes place in 2026, with speculation already buzzing about who might launch a bid to oust first-term Mayor, Dr. Julie Metzger-Aubuchon, former Vice-Mayor, Council Member & local Optometrist.
In what has been described as a shock to many voters, Retired Mayor Diane E. Whalen will also appear on the Ballot, this time, running for City Council. Though you’d be hard-pressed to find a building in the Commonwealth where Whalen isn’t immediately recognized and praised, the decision to attempt a comeback is viewed by many as a rejection of the current Administration.
Whalen’s time at the helm of Florence shaped the expansion of the city from her days on City Council in 1997, to her First Term as Mayor in 1999. Whalen says of her candidacy, “I truly care about the City of Florence. I care about the future of the city, and I care about the residents that call Florence home.” Whalen agrees that the divisive nature of the political scene, along with the ability for continuity of leadership at the time, played a role in her decision to retire. Now, less than two years into her time off, Whalen is ready to knock on doors once again.
Jonathon Trimble, entering the final stretch before the Election, says he has the utmost respect for Whalen, however, “Her previous position as Mayor gives her an unfair advantage over the other candidates. Government office should not be a lifetime entitlement. People should perform their service to the community, then gracefully step aside so that other citizens, who may have great ideas, have the opportunity to serve.” Outspoken resident-turned Council Candidate Angie Cable shares a similar perspective; “I honestly don't know how people will feel seeing her name on the ballot, because I have heard from people who like her, and from people who dislike her. While I appreciate the knowledge and experience of some of our current & seasoned council members, we need fresh perspectives.”
Asked how he feels about Whalen’s possible return to public service, Council Candidate J. Kelly Huff was vocal in his support. “I believe that Diane’s candidacy for Council is great news for the City of Florence. She will be a valuable asset to the city. She loves this city and the amount of knowledge she brings to the table is unmatched by any other candidate for the position (Yes, including me).” Though his support was strong, Huff insists his primary focus is attaining his own seat as a Council Member, promising to “Make sure the city of Florence remains a great place to live, work and raise a family.”
Cause For Concern: Daily Traffic Jams City Roadways
TURFWAY PARK GAMING & RACING VENUE
Though meetings are normally prefaced by well-known Council Member Mel Carroll (now in service to the city for three decades) greeting residents with a handshake and thanking them for showing an interest in city government with their presence – residents following Council meetings, or the social media pages that focus on city events, may have seen the recent back and forth between Cable and Council Member Gary Winn. At a city business meeting, Winn appeared to read from a prepared script, claiming Cable has spent “18 months” trying to find the members of Council “doing something wrong.”
Winn, bringing up the numerous Freedom of Information Act Requests filed by Cable, said he would put City Department Heads up against anyone in the State – inferring Cable’s requests are causing city staff extra work when it comes to retrieving the information needed to comply with each request. In what was viewed by some as a respectful rebuke of Cable’s many requests, Winn expressed his view that city staff could better focus their time, working on daily operations and focusing on the current needs of residents.
Resident Nancy Corman, speaking at the September 10th Council meeting, said Mayor Aubuchon and Council Member Winn should be “ashamed of themselves” for the direct and scripted attack on Cable. Corman agrees that neither side should attack each other personally, but felt compelled to defend Cable, saying Council should not openly attack residents while inside Council Chambers. Mayor Aubuchon thanked Corman for her respectful commentary, defending herself and Winn from Cable’s attacks, saying just because they serve in elected roles, doesn’t mean they should be fair game for “Personal Attacks.”
Resident since 2001, Council Candidate Brian Kinross feels “Council members could better serve Florence residents by connecting with, listening to and empathizing with the issues and concerns that are important to residents. Bringing issues to city council meetings should be a welcoming experience, not an intimidating one.”
On the general state of American politics and those interested more in personal notoriety than legislating, Whalen, fiercely criticizing the heated political environment, says, “The bully pulpit is not good. I always hope for conversation rather than accusation. There seems to be more accusation than conversation in the current environment.” In questioning whether citizens are concerned with the direction the current Administration has led the city, Huff explains, “I wish more individuals were aware of what is happening within the city. Unfortunately, that’s not the impression I get. I hope I’m wrong, though; I don’t think the average citizen understands we are only two votes away from defunding the police.”
Feeling the needs of Florence Citizens have taken a backseat to the personal political gain of elected leaders on Council, Cable believes “The current elected officials make decisions they feel will benefit only a small portion of our city, which includes them. Their mentality is, ‘You elected me to make all the decisions, so I do not need to seek out the counsel of the community when making those decisions.’ This mindset may have worked in the past, but we are ushering in a new era where we can speak with the public through social media or using the city's website to ask for public insight.”
Longtime resident and current Vice-Chair of the Florence Fire District, Tammy White-Burns feels the biggest challenge faced by the city is, “Growth, growth and growth – and that is bittersweet! While I love to see our city growing, we are running out of green space. The schools are running out of space and the class sizes are getting too large. Traffic has become a real challenge in the city and along the expressway – day and night.”
Burns has room to speak when it comes to the development of the city; her father was a Council Member for several years, also serving on the County Planning and Zoning Commission. Her father-in-law also served on Council and was the co-founder of the former Burns Brothers Truck Stop, now Travel Centers of America, in the heart of the city where Ewing Blvd, Kentucky 18 and Interstate 75 come together to create quite the morning, afternoon and evening traffic jams.
Burns says even though Florence has grown into a larger city, with valuable attractions such as World of Golf, the Aquatic Center and Thomas More Stadium (home to the Y’alls Baseball Team), “There are still parts of the city where you can enjoy the silence and beauty of farmland and the ability to see the stars during the evening hours – and, we still have neighborhoods where you can see children playing and having fun. I also love that despite any small-town drama or any emergency that presents itself, we always pull together as a community!”
financially plagued attraction: the florence aquatic center
Doubling down on her criticism of city leadership, Cable claims, “Not only are they building costly apartments (we need affordable housing instead), but they are not considering the infrastructure necessary to accommodate these developments.” Vocal in her objection to unnecessary expansion, Cable insists “The city continues to build with little regard to how this impacts the residents.”
Focusing on the ‘Changing of the Guard’ at City Hall, specifically the passing of longtime City Attorney and friend Hugh Skees, along with the retirements of CFO Linda Chapman and former Police Chief Tom Grau at the forefront – Whalen feels the city is slowly losing its Portal to History. “There will come a time when someone will question when an event took place, but, there will no longer be someone there to explain how or why it happened.” Whalen believes, “Knowledge and Experience is vital in those moments.” Huff says he believes the city is stable when it comes to staff turnover. “No city in Kentucky is more prepared for the challenges ahead. This is not a coincidence; it is thanks to the previous leadership of the City of Florence. Previous administrations (including mine) have addressed this issue. The city has implemented incentives that encourage employees to announce their retirement plans – in advance. This allows the city to better prepare for future needs.”
Trimble takes his stance on the turnover seriously, adamant that it is “Important to have a Changing of the Guard” – supporting Term and Age Limits for the positions; “More citizens can then have an opportunity to serve the community. It is also a way to prevent a few people from developing an impenetrable power base that ultimately leads to corruption. I am confident that a new generation of City Council members are up to the task.”
When it comes to the financially plagued Florence Aquatic Center, and how to fund the historically burdensome liability, first-term Council Member Lesley Chambers expects current-year revenues to exceed the operating costs. “I am proud to have advocated for the restructuring of membership fees, which was a financial boost. There are many revenue generating opportunities the city could be taking advantage of to decrease the cost to taxpayers. For example, hosting water aerobics classes and other pay-to-participate events.”
Kinross says he led “the effort to save the Florence Aquatic Center, that resulted in cancelling $9.6 million in spending to eliminate the only public aquatic center in NKY and replace it with an amphitheater. Mayor Whalen was promoting her kill the pool and build the amphitheater project. She misinformed the public (claiming) that eliminating the pool would save the city $300,000 annually – but, the pool was fully paid for.” Trimble admits the center may lose money but shows clear support for continuing to fund the attraction; “Not everything the city does is going to make money. Sometimes you need to look at the bigger picture and decide what is better for the community at large. I think the pool serves one of those needs at this time.”
Whalen is clear, “I have never shied away from the fact that I think the Aquatic Center is a money pit. While we never thought it would cover the capital costs to build it, we had planned on it raising revenue to pay for the operation costs year to year. I believe the majority of the people using the Aquatic Center are not residents of Florence – but it is the Florence taxpayer who is footing the bill.” Acknowledging the closing of Coney Island and other local pools, Whalen feels many utilizing the attraction are possibly residents of neighboring communities shut out by the closures. When asked if she would support selling the naming rights to the center, or advertising banners to display within the facility, Whalen says, “It would be difficult to do so without strict guidelines on the types of advertising that would be allowed. Not all businesses are something you would want advertising on city property that is geared toward children.” The Former Mayor reminds us, however, that a City Survey concluded 50% of citizens were in support of keeping the venue open.
Huff said he supports outside funding, “However, previous attempts along these lines have not been successful – but that does not mean you should stop trying.” Kinross is firm in his belief that the demolition of the aquatic center to create an amphitheater would have been a waste of taxpayer funds, costing the city millions. “Because Mayor Whalen wanted it (the amphitheater) and the city council always gave her what she wanted with no regard for public interest, the city plowed forward until Lesley Chambers, Jenna Kemper and I challenged them and won. Now the pool attendance is higher than ever, and the city’s general funds are not used to subsidize it.”
1996 Campaign Flyer for COUNCIL Candidate Diane E. Whalen
At the September 10th Council Meeting, Chambers requested Public Works expedite the requests of citizens to turn on the lights at the City Skate Park after dark – her second request. Mayor Aubuchon said the city has already started the process of reviewing the issue and would report back to Chambers once they were able to find a solution. When asked why lighting has been inoperable for so long, Whalen sheds light on the problem; “When the lights were installed, they were vandalized more than once. The lighting can be fixed, and probably should be, but there needs to be accountability. Trash is another issue. If those using the park consistently leave trash and litter in the bowl, they create a danger to those skating and boarding while creating additional work for the Public Services department to clean up.” The direct cause of the inoperable lighting – electric boxes with damaged, cut or torn wiring – and the ensuing, costly repairs.
When asked about recent claims that city leaders cancel too many official meetings, Whalen insists that is a non-starter. “We canceled plenty of meetings in our time. When we wrote the ordinance (Regarding Meetings and Requirements to Schedule Them), we wrote it in a way that would make it easier to cancel a meeting than to call a special meeting, which, required additional notice to the media and staff, incurring an additional cost to the citizens.” The Former Mayor, along with her team and Council Members at the time, felt it would be easier to have multiple meetings on the schedule, to prevent delays required to Call them Spontaneously and forgo the additional funding required – pointing out that it costs zero dollars to cancel a meeting that is unneeded.
Though recent criticism of Council approving a near 70% pay increase for the Mayor (Beginning after the 2026 election) has been rampant throughout the city, Whalen, without criticizing her successor, reflected upon her own service, recalling only one pay raise outside of the State-Mandated Cost of Living Increases for Elected Officials – initially taking the job, knowing it was going to pay less than $15,000.00 annually. Whalen commented that in the early two-thousands, the city did approve her attaining health insurance, which was not a large expense for the self-insured city. Insisting her focus is on the “Citizens of Florence and their futures,” Whalen refrained from criticizing the current Mayor or any current Members of City Council.
Not holding back, Kinross speaks freely of a possible showdown between the current and former leaders; “If I were the current Mayor, I’m not sure I’d be excited about my predecessor taking a position on city council. Who knows, with the mayoral salary - increasing from today’s 69,000 to 93,000 in 2024 - maybe Diane will decide to run for Mayor during the next election cycle.” The Senior Project Manager for P&G said he appreciates Whalen’s service, however he believes “the residents of Florence are mixed in their reaction” to Whalen’s possible return to city government.
Cable, feeling that the city is lacking Unity, said her “Primary motivation for running for Council is to be a voice for our community, because I – and many others – are tired of the same council members making decisions for them without any consideration for anyone but themselves.”
CANDIDATE J. KELLY HUFF
COUNCIL MEMBER LESLEY CHAMBERS
Asked about overcrowding and the expansion seen within the city, Trimble admonished those who ignore increased traffic jams on roadways within the city, along with the increased number of industrial and corporate facilities. “Managing the growth of the City of Florence is especially important. We must be conscious of not driving development beyond the capacity of the current infrastructure to handle.” Trimble plans to spend his time focusing on “The basics of governing: Constituent Services – like taking care of our city’s infrastructure; repairing city streets, installing crosswalks, advocating for increased public safety, repairing faulty street lights, and assisting startup businesses – among other issues.”
Resident and Local Realtor Carl Stockwell loves living in the city. “The convenience of our location, the city and county’s support of small business & the cooperation between Florence Police and the Boone County Sheriff – consistently proves we’re fortunate to live in one of the safest communities in our state.” Noting a common cause for concern among residents, Stockwell does see areas where increased diligence is required. “As with anything, there is always room for improvement. I believe safely maintaining our roads with the growth of our city and the amount of traffic is paramount – yet, lacking at times.” Stockwell, notes the responsibility for correcting the issue doesn’t rest entirely on Council’s shoulders; “This is a combined issue for the City of Florence and the DOT.”
Continually focusing on community outreach, Chambers feels “The most difficult challenge we are facing as a community is housing affordability. As a city, we should be discussing ways city policy can support our residents through this crisis. I am looking forward to voting to decrease the real property tax rate.” Huff insists there is room to expand in the city; “Personally, I would like to see more restaurants that are not part of a chain. However, I am always open to suggestions.” Cautioning against further expansion, Trible suggests “The city is quickly losing the small town feel that it had in the past. This is one reason that I am running for city council.”
Though Council recently voted to reduce taxes within the city, a move supported by all Council Members and Mayor Aubuchon, there is no pressing matter that requires the city to spend large sums of the general fund reserves. Whalen said, “Just because there is money in the bank, doesn’t mean you have to spend it.” Reflecting on large surpluses in the General Fund during her tenure, she insists the reserves are necessary in cases of natural and/or economic disaster. “In order to keep Police, Fire, EMS, Public Works and City Staff on the ground during such a crisis, those reserves are necessary. Those services are vital to all citizens and those are the folks we rely on daily to ensure the safety of our city.” Whalen insists depleting General Fund Reserves would leave Citizens vulnerable during an unforeseen disaster.
When it comes to the city’s expenditures, Huff doesn’t shy away from making his feelings known; “I believe the two radical left members (Chambers & Kemper) of the current City Council, and a couple of other candidates are the biggest threat to the City of Florence. Should those 2 members get re-elected, and you add a couple more far-left members, it will fundamentally change the direction of this great City. You can look forward to things such as defunding the police and spending Taxpayer Money, like drunken sailors on shore leave.”
Chambers vehemently denied the accusation, saying she “Would Never – Never – vote to defund the Police.” Defending herself further, Chambers praised First Responders; “The Florence Police Department is a noble, effective, dedicated and multi-specialized group of individuals. I have fully supported every request in the budget for Police pay and equipment.”
florence government center - ewing blvd