After more than three decades in education, retired teacher Shari Kilmer is seeking a seat on Florence City Council.
Kilmer spent 32 years as an educator and most recently taught at Longbranch Elementary School. In 2025, she was among the Northern Kentucky educators recognized with a Golden Apple Award by the Northern Kentucky Education Council.
During her teaching career, Kilmer said she was repeatedly elected by her colleagues to serve on her school’s Site-Based Decision-Making Council, where teachers, administrators and community members meet to help establish school policies, goals and strategies.
Kilmer said her experience in education helped shape her decision to seek public office after retiring. In an April LINK nky guest column, she pointed to listening, collaboration, problem-solving, and working within limited budgets as classroom skills she believes translate to city government.
“The transition from teaching to local government may not be the most traditional path, but it is a natural one,” she wrote. “It is built on the same foundation of listening, problem-solving, collaboration, and putting people first.”
Public service also has roots in Kilmer’s family. She said her father previously served on Florence City Council, while her mother volunteered with local organizations and later at the Florence Senior Center.
If elected, some of the core issues Kilmer said she would focus on are infrastructure maintenance and development, prioritizing public safety, housing affordability and stability, and managing growth and development. Kilmer is a proponent of “responsible development,” balancing residents’ quality of life with growth management and the preservation of community character.
“In my opinion, one of Florence’s biggest challenges is managing growth and development while protecting the quality of life that makes our community a wonderful place to live,” she told LINK nky. “Responsible development must be balanced with infrastructure, traffic, and housing needs while preserving the character of existing neighborhoods.”
Update: Kilmer submitted answers to our questionnaire before the publication date. LINK nky regrets this error.