Fred Reese selected for City Council
History is repeating itself for Fred Reese, who was appointed Thursday by Butler City Council to fill the open seat left by Mike Walter, who died in late March.
In 2019 Reese was similarly appointed to council. In that instance, he was filling the seat of a councilman who resigned.
In a unanimous vote, councilmen and Mayor Bob Dandoy agreed Reese was the best person to fill the seat because of his prior experience.
Reese had served on council in the early 2010s before being appointed again in 2019. He also has run for city mayor as a Republican candidate in the past election cycle.
Council appointed Dan Herr earlier this year to fill the seat on council left open when Dandoy became mayor. At that time Dandoy said bringing in a new face was the focus, but this time council sought someone with more background knowledge.
"We went with new blood ... that was done with one thing in mind, that Mike Walter was going to be sitting in that seat and be the institutional memory," Dandoy said. “To have somebody here who has been around before and around the horn I think is good.”
Dandoy said the city received seven applications for the seat, and they were each spoken to by at least one member of council.
Councilman Dan Herr nominated Reese at the meeting and said he appreciated Reese’s experience as well as his demeanor.
"The thing that drew me to Mr. Reese was his experience and his general personality," Herr said. “I believe he is someone we can work with. He has done this before, so I believe he has the knowledge of the workings of council.”
Councilman Larry Christie, who was previously chief of the Butler Bureau of Fire, had worked with Reese when he was on council.
"We got along really well, and he understands the inner workings of the city," Christie said. “I think he would be a good asset to this board.”
Councilman Don Shearer concurred with the others on the nomination of Reese.
Reese was not present at the meeting, but Dandoy said he will be sworn in as soon as possible and be ready to start work at the next meeting.
Reese will take on the role of director of streets and public improvements, but Dandoy said Walter’s liaison assignments — which included the Bicycle Advisory Commission, the Butler Area Sewer Authority and the Butler County-City Connoquenessing Creek Flood Control Authority — may be shifted.
Dandoy also said at the meeting that other candidates interviewed for the seat expressed interest in filling seats on city boards and authorities. He said one of his goals for the coming years is to fill the boards and authorities in hopes they can then work on strategic planning.
“I want to get all that cleaned up, taken care of so these groups can function moving forward,” he said at the end of the meeting. “I would like these groups to enter into strategic planning, and to do that, they need a functioning board.”
