Council candidates vie for nominations
Two incumbents and a newcomer will compete for two Democratic Party nominations for Butler City Council on primary day.
Council member Kathy Kline is seeking re-election; council member Kenny Bonus, who was appointed to fill a vacancy last year, will seek a full term; and Dane Winkler is hoping to join council for the first time.
Kathy KlineKline, 63, is seeking a fourth term on council. She has served since 2006 and is currently the director of public safety. A resident of the city since 1965, she is the director of the North Trails Public Library in Cherry Township.Everyone in the community should have a role in working to combat one of its biggest issues right now: the opioid epidemic, she said.“We need to get back to being a welcoming community, where we work hand-in-hand and we really need to build a Butler team where we work toward the overall good of our community,” she said.Kline said she would like to initiate an inspection program for homes and businesses to make the city's neighborhoods safer and cleaner. Six members of the city fire department are qualified to inspect buildings and have recently been working with the city's redevelopment authority on inspections, she said.
<b>Kenny Bonus</b>Bonus, 29, is a certified public accountant and owns his own business in the city. He has lived in the city for the past four years. He applied for a vacancy on the board last year and was unanimously selected by the four sitting members. He serves as the director of streets and public improvements.Bonus said being on council has given him a unique perspective on the city and community and he believes his financial expertise would be an asset to council in the future.While on council he worked on implementing a 1 percent earned income tax for people who live in other states, but work in the city, something other municipalities in the area already had in place.“One of my goals is working together with different organizations whether it be nonprofits, businesses or whether it be other government entities,” he said.Bonus said in talking with Butler Township officials he learned about the Sustainable Pennsylvania Community Certification program, to which the city is considering applying.The program helps municipalities achieve sustainability goals, save money, conserve resources and encourage innovation, according to the program's website.
<b>Dane Winkler</b>Winkler, 36, grew up in Butler Township and has lived in the city since 2013. He works at the Butler Eagle as an Internet technology specialist.This is his first time running for public office, though he is the cofounder of the Penn Theater Performance Company a nonprofit group working to restore the historic theater.Winkler said he would like to see policies put into place that will help attract businesses and families to relocate to the city.“I have an incentive package for people who build or renovate single-family homes in the city,” he said, giving ideas such as gifts from local businesses or memberships to the YMCA.Another idea he has for the city is to create a more specific set of guidelines for festivals and events downtown to ensure that the local businesses are able to benefit from them.“Business owners should have first crack at being vendors at the festivals,” he said.The top two vote-getters in the primary election will move on to the November ballot.James Kemple, a retired state corrections officer and licensed private investigator, is the lone Republican running for council this year.
