BUTLER — Voters in the village of Butler will decide on four council seats Nov. 4.
Six candidates are in the running, including two current council members. Council members Jeremy Weikle and Kevin Hoffer are not running to retain their seats.
Council members are paid $65 per meeting. There are typically two meetings per month, according to council clerk Amanda Rimar.
Richland Source contacted all six candidates via phone and email with the same set of a questions. Summaries of their responses are listed below.
Richland Source also invited all six candidates to Candidate Conversations in the Valley. Three candidates — Alan Smith, David Secrist and Russell Watts — attended. A video of the event is available below.
David Secrist
David Secrist, 68, grew up in Butler and lived in Texas for about 30 years before moving back to the area to care for his parents. He worked as a construction equipment mechanic, then a service manager and parts manager at Ditch Witch of East Texas. He spent 10 years working for Clear Fork Valley Local Schools as a bus mechanic and substitute driver. He also earned an OBI (on board instructor) certification and helped train bus drivers. He’s now retired.
Secrist has never held elected office and decided to run for Butler Village Council at the encouragement of a friend, Alan Smith.
“I guess he thought I’d be a good one,” Secrist said. “It’ll be something new. I’m not against trying something new.”
Secrist said he doesn’t have any specific issues he’d like to tackle if elected.
“I don’t have an agenda. I’ll just have to see what’s going on,” he said. “I haven’t even been to a council meeting in ten years.”
Secrist described himself as an old school old man and said his strength lies in his directness.
“I’ll speak my mind. I’m pretty blunt,” he said. “If I think something’s a good deal, I’d push for it. If I think its a waste of money or it don’t need to be done — I have no filter — I’m not afraid to say screw that, we’re not doing this.”
Alan Smith
Alan Smith, 66, has been the owner and operator of Smith’s Body Shop in Butler for 40 years. He is a former village council member and served for four years.
“I think I have some ideas that would benefit the town,” he said. “We have a little piece of Heaven in Butler and a great place for families to live and I want the best for this community.”
If elected, Smith said one of his top goals is to make sure all public officials work together for the betterment of the village.
“I am open to ideas as to how council and officials can better serve the people of the village and welcome anybody who wants to talk with me about problems or complaints,” Smith said.
Smith also said law enforcement is priority.
“I am all for doing whatever it takes to see that we have police visible in the village and when somebody breaks the law, that they are taken to mayor’s court,” he said. “Breaking the law, such as running stop signs, puts lives in danger.”
Joy Mickley Stover
Joy Mickley Stover, 59, is hoping to return to village council. She is a lifelong resident of Butler and previously served eight and a half years on council.
She holds an associate’s degree in business. She is retired after working in human resources for more than 30 years.
“I want to serve the community,” she said. “I want to represent the community by helping people who have issues or problems.
Stover said one issue she’d like to address if elected is village beautification.
“An example would be to have volunteers do some much needed painting,” she said.
Another priority is attracting new businesses to Butler.
“The first step would be to find out what people want and need,” she said.
Mickley said one thing that sets her apart as a candidate is that she is retired, so she has time to devote to the concerns and needs of the residents.
Natasha Waltz
Natasha Waltz, 38, is running for re-election. Waltz was appointed to fill a vacant seat on council and later elected to her first full term in 2021.
Waltz is the manager of the Butler Branch of the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Ohio State University.
“I am running for Butler Village Council because this community is a wonderful place to live, and I have served this community for several years and have the drive to continue to do so,” she said.
Waltz outlined several ongoing goals she’d like to continue working on if re-elected.
“We are striving to bring new business to, and retain current business in, the Village, as well as continuing to pursue opportunities to receive grants for the Village in order to improve infrastructure and create a better place for our residents,” she said.
“We are also working to update technology to streamline workflow and create better services for our residents.”
Waltz said she is blessed to have the opportunity to serve Butler residents.
“I love living and working in Butler,” she said. “I am hardworking and dedicated to doing my best to make this Village the very best place to reside.”
Russell Watts
Russell Watts, 61, is seeking his second term on village council. He is a construction estimator and operator.
He said he’s running for re-election because he wants to continue working on projects that positively impact the village.
“We’ve got a new Elm Street bridge trying to go on, we’ve got a water line project we’re working on and we finally got our water system up to the 21st century where you can actually pay your water bill online,” he said.
“It takes time, but it takes people to help change that stuff. I like to help change that.”
If re-elected, Watts said he hopes to continue work to improve roadways.
“Right now we’ve got a lot of roadways in our village that need a lot of work. We had a survey done on that to help us address that, so we’re working on that,” he said.
Another goal is to continue working with the owners of the former ski lodge, who have expressed in interest in putting a housing development on the property.
Michael Palmer
Richland Source made multiple attempts to contact Michael Palmer via the email address and phone number on file with the board of elections, but did not receive a response.
