Dandoy pushes for frugal investments
The Rotary Club of Butler PM invited Butler City Councilman and mayoral candidate Bob Dandoy to speak at its meeting Monday.
The PM and the AM clubs are inviting the three mayoral candidates, Dandoy, Fred Reese and Tom Donaldson, to speak at meetings this month, so members can learn about the goals and qualifications of each.
In addition to serving on Butler City Council, Dandoy, who is running as a Democrat, is also past president of Butler Downtown, where he is currently committee chairman, and is volunteer manager of the Butler City Farmers' Market. He said he wants to make Butler a better place for everyone who lives in the city.
“I have always worked hard for this community,” Dandoy said. “I believe that augmenting the work of municipal government and cooperating with the work, energy and resources of devoted residents and civic groups, by doing that we can achieve much in making Butler a better place.”
Rotary Club PM president Tom Edwards said that while Rotary clubs typically remain apolitical, learning about each mayoral candidate could determine which areas the club focuses on.
“I think it's important that our clubs do a majority of the work in the City of Butler,” Edwards said. “I think it's very important for us to have an understanding of their vision and what it will be.”
Dandoy has been on city council since 2020, but said he is a lifelong resident of Butler, having grown up on the south side and raised his children on McKean Street.
One of his pet peeves, he said, is hearing people say that Butler was better in the past. Having basically never left himself, Dandoy said the qualities that made it a good city with a strong base also never left.
“Any time there has been a tragedy or a need somewhere in the community or a celebration, everyone has come together in support of each other,” Dandoy said. “It was a good community then. It was a great place to grow up — but there were challenges, there were problems.
“That's the strength of the community, it's the same Butler I grew up with, it's the same Butler we have now, and it's what we can build on as we move forward.”
Dandoy said his mother was a retailer and his father was an officer with the Butler City Police Department. The mayor heads up the Butler police and fire departments, and Dandoy said his experience volunteering and as a teacher will inform him of how to work with people.
“My family and my background bring a lot of what I feel about this community, and why I have worked very hard for the community over these years,” Dandoy said. “One of the things I hope to bring to the office of mayor is an ability to bring people together and have them successfully work toward a common goal.”
Dandoy also talked about improving downtown by bringing in businesses and more people. He said several small investments made by the city could impact the growth of business in the city, which would have ripple effects throughout the community.
“We have to manage these assets while we continue to make very smart and very frugal investments that are the seeds of growth,” Dandoy said. “We have to improve the quality of living for each and every resident of our community. We do that by providing constituent services ... adequate infrastructure maintenance, opportunities for recreation and an atmosphere that invites businesses and jobs to our community.”
Following Dandoy's time, during which he also answered questions from Rotary members in attendance, Edwards encouraged the members to take some kind of lesson away from each candidate meeting.
“I think what Bob talked about tonight was something as Rotarians we can pull from,” Edwards said. “Approaching challenges with optimism and a little bit of positivity.”
