Three seek two seats on Butler City Council
One incumbent, a former mayor and a member of the Butler Redevelopment Authority board of directors are running for two open seats on Butler City Council in the election Nov. 7.
While he is the incumbent candidate for the seat, this is the first time Dan Herr is running for Butler City Council, having been appointed in January 2022 to fill the unexpired term of Bob Dandoy, who assumed the role of mayor that month. Herr is running for council as a Democratic Party candidate.
Former Butler Mayor Tom Donaldson is also running for a seat on council, after running for mayor in 2021. He served as mayor of Butler from 2014 to 2018 after previously being on city council, and is running as a Republican.
Troy Douthett is a member of the Butler Redevelopment Authority board of directors — a role he assumed after previously applying to be on council to fill Dandoy’s seat.
While each candidate has different goals for council, they all addressed the pending sale of Butler Area Sewer Authority to Pennsylvania American Water — an agreement that would potentially net the city more than $100 million — as well as opportunities to grow the city and its population.
In addition to being a former mayor and council member, Donaldson is a truck driver for DDA Enterprises, a job he has had for about six years. He said he has also been in management positions, as well as in law enforcement in the past.
Donaldson said he is running for election to council to address real estate and property taxes, which could be helped by the BASA sale.
“If they are investing it wisely, you hold it for a few years to see what it grows … Lower real estate property taxes and if possible business taxes, because that is the only way we’re going to grow the town,” he said of the BASA money. “It's important that we return money to the taxpayers to formulate a plan to lower real estate taxes.”
Donaldson also set his sights on streets and infrastructure in Butler. He said he would like the city to do more in-house paving projects, to save money on contracting and also get maintenance on a consistent schedule. Donaldson said his previous experience on council would be an asset to the streets department.
“I had a good rapport with utility companies, a good rapport with street department,” Donaldson said. “I’d like to go back to doing some in-house contract paving, and if possible repair some of the bricks. It takes constant upkeep, then they last a long time.”
In addition to street infrastructure, Donaldson said he would like to build up staff in the police and fire departments, and have a focus on transparency with the council.
“We’ve got to grow that and have manpower,” Donaldson said. “I have experience from being at that table, and I want to bring that. I tend to work with them and for the residents of Butler.”
Douthett has been a self-employed handyman for about 30 years, and said he is interested in running for council to have a say in how money is spent, especially when it comes to new equipment.
“They had to buy a new firetruck because the old one, internals went bad — I wanted to know specifically what was wrong with that,” Douthett said. “What exactly went wrong with that truck that we had to buy a new million dollar truck?”
Douthett also said the BASA sale is a decision he would like to be a part of. In particular, he is concerned about the change in rates Pennsylvania American might impose on customers, so he would like to find ways to wisely spend the sale money.
“I am not against the sale, but if we do sell it, I am really wanting to make sure we spend the money on ways we can enrich the whole community, trying to cover the costs of everyone's rates,” Douthett said. “At least I can get in there and push for some frugal spending on that money. That’s where my real value is going to be is during the pre-discussions.”
In addition to wanting to advocate for frugal spending, Douthett said he would like to improve the city’s communications with residents, so more people are empowered to voice their opinions to administrators.
“Where is everybody getting their information? Council had a meeting at the farmers market building about the sewer authority sale and only three people showed up,” he said. “That's something we need to get figured out is one resource where city residents can get information and know what positions are needed and things like that.”
Herr has been a school police officer at Mars Area Centennial School for five years, a job he said is one of the most rewarding he has ever had.
Herr said he is running for reelection in part to see the BASA sale through, since he has been part of the process of selling it, and finding a financial adviser to manage the expected money.
“I think we've got a good plan in place with investing and getting the outside pieces in to help us navigate so this money will be around for a long time,” he said. “My biggest goal is trying to be fiscally responsible, balancing the standard of living versus our costs. I want to be an advocate for the city, being fiscally responsible and addressing the needs that are critical.”
As councilman, Herr is director of parks, recreation and public property. He said he would like to not only continue applying for grant money to improve parks like Father Marinaro and Memorial parks, but get money consistently budgeted so the city can address park needs before they become emergencies.
“It seems like we have been in reactionary mode, but I would like to see a maintenance schedule, keeping an eye on the playgrounds we already have,” Herr said. “We’ve got a shelter at Memorial Park that needs a roof. I would rather see that be put in as a budget item, increase maintenance so we instead of fixing things we replace them ahead of time.”
In addition to parks, Herr also said the roads and infrastructure in the city need a lot of care, which could be a good use of some of the BASA money.
“I would love to say let’s take all the money the city collects and put it toward parks; the streets have to be improved, we have to start working on the streets,” Herr said. “I think with the grants that we're eligible for, even without BASA money we can start improving that.”
