Butler City Council no longer has a vacancy after a well-known local businessman was named to the open position.
Former Councilman and mayoral candidate Fred Reese was chosen by a unanimous vote of the four council members in attendance.
Mayor Bob Dandoy will administer the oath of office to Reese at some point in the future. Councilman Dan Herr explains why he nominated Reese.
“The thing that drew me to Mr. Reese was his experience and his personality. I believe he is somebody that we can work with. He’s served on council before so I believe he the knowledge of council and the city government in general. And again, he struck me as a very pleasurable individual,” Herr said.
After receiving seven letters of interest, Mayor Dandoy and other members of council interviewed multiple candidates before making the decision that he was joined in by the other members of council.
Reese currently serves as the Chairman of the City of Butler Redevelopment Authority. He also owns the Monroe Hotel.
Councilman Larry Christy has previously worked with Reese:
“I’ve had a chance to work with Mr. Reese in the past when he was on council. He was actually director of the fire department while I was chief,” Christy said. “We got along real well and he understands the workings of the city. I think he’ll be a good asset to this board and I think he’ll work well with us.”
Other interested candidates will likely be asked to join city boards or authorities. Reese will finish the term of former Councilman Mike Walter which runs through 2023. He will lead the Streets Department.
