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New council member a unanimous pick

Accountant has business in city

Ken Bonus is the newest member of Butler City Council.

He was picked unanimously Tuesday night by city council to fill the vacant seat of Richard Schontz.

Bonus was one of six applicants who had their answers scored by the council. Bonus’ answers scored the highest.

“I have a lot of faith in Butler, and being able to help businesses and the economy thrive in Butler,” Bonus said. “We have a lot of plans, grassroots, already in motion through Butler Downtown and other organizations.”

Bonus is a lifelong Butler County resident. He was born in Lyndora, raised in Center Township, and moved to Butler in 2013. He graduated from Butler High School in 2006 and then graduated from Clarion University.

He has been a certified public accountant since 2013. He has his own firm, Bonus Accounting in Butler.

“I think that I can contribute when it comes to discussions of the city’s finances and also different budgets that are presented as well, just to give a little bit of insight from a certified public accountant’s standpoint,” Bonus said.

Bonus is involved with various groups. He is a cofounder of the Penn Theater Performance Company, treasurer of the United Way of Butler County, chairman of the Butler Young Professionals, a board member of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, and a board member of the Butler Art Center.

He said, “I think that my involvement with a lot of organizations has allowed me to bring a lot of groups together on a single purpose and goal, and helping everybody recognize what our true mission is.”

Bonus will follow Schontz, who was the director of streets and public improvements. Bonus said he will try to learn from Schontz and from others who came before him.

“It’s going to be really important for me to fully know my area and do the proper research,” he said.

“As a certified public accountant, if you don’t know something, you do the thorough research and be aware of what you don’t know. I’ll be consulting with (the) former councilman regularly just to make sure I’m on the right track. Not reinventing the wheel because we like to keep things as efficient as possible.”

Mayor Tom Donaldson is confident in Bonus.

“He’s a bright guy,” he said. “He’ll pick (the position) up.”

Councilwoman Kathy Kline said, “If you’ve seen his resume, he’s got a great financial background. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s involved in the community. He’s got a great personality.”

Councilman Michael Walter shared his colleagues’ sentiment.

“I liked his responses on the questionnaire,” he said. “I think he’ll do the city well.”

Councilman Corey Roche was absent.

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