Florence Mayor Julie Metzger Aubuchon is seeking a second term after more than two decades in city government.
Metzger Aubuchon faces challenger David Rose, a retired U.S. Postal Service employee. She was elected mayor in 2022, defeating former Florence City Council member Duane Froelicher. Before becoming mayor, Metzger Aubuchon had served on the Florence City Council since 1999, including a stint as vice mayor.
An optometrist by trade, Metzger Aubuchon is the owner of Vision Consultants, an eye-care consulting company. She was the previous owner of Metzger Eyecare, her family’s optometry practice.
“After many years on city council, I ran for mayor because I believed my combination of government experience, business ownership, nonprofit leadership and community involvement prepared me to lead Florence through its next chapter,” Metzger Aubuchon told LINK nky. “Four years later, my reason for seeking another term is very straightforward: there is more work to do.”
As mayor, Aubuchon’s policy priorities have centered on public safety, infrastructure, economic development and maintaining relatively low tax rates.
Under Metzger Aubuchon’s leadership, the city has pursued projects including new sidewalks along Buffington and Weaver roads and adaptive ‘smart signal’ upgrades along U.S. 42. She also helped establish Florence’s Transportation Improvement District in 2025, a special-purpose governmental entity that pools together public and private funding for transportation projects.
On taxes, Metzger Aubuchon’s campaign highlights a 13% reduction in Florence’s real estate tax rate over the past three years, including cuts of 3% in 2024, 3% in 2025 and 8% in 2026. Financial transparency and oversight also became a focus of her administration after the city discovered past revenue diversions, prompting the request of an FBI investigation.