Two people — a current councilman and former mayor — will be challenging the incumbent mayor, Bob Dandoy, in the upcoming November election.

On the ballot, voters will see Dandoy, who has served as mayor since 2022, as the Democratic candidate and Councilman Don Shearer as the Republican candidate. Additionally, Tom Donaldson, who was previously mayor, is running for another term as a write-in candidate.

Butler’s mayor position is a four-year term with an annual compensation of $10,000.

Bob Dandoy

Before beginning his term as mayor in 2022, Dandoy served on the council and is a past president of Butler Downtown — a nonprofit that aims to encourage cooperation between business and community leaders, strives to improve the appearance of the downtown and promotes downtown Butler.

Dandoy said his biggest accomplishment as mayor was helping to facilitate the $230 million sale of the Butler Area Sewer Authority. Proceeds were split between the city and Butler Township.

Outside of the sale, he said he’s helped the city receive funds through grants toward public works projects, such as parks and sidewalks.

He decided to run again because, he said, during his first term, he finished the work of stabilizing the city financially. Now, with the city poised to grow, he said he wants to spend a second term helping to realize those opportunities.

Dandoy said the city has divided its list of projects into needs and wants, and finally, those needs are starting to be fulfilled. Looking ahead, he said he’s beginning to expand his ideas for what might come after those needs have been taken care of completely.

Some ideas he mentioned include a comprehensive park plan to get an overview of the work the city wants to do. He also said he is working on establishing a vehicle replacement plan for first responders and city employees.

Donald Shearer

Councilman Don Shearer has been serving as director of accounts and finance for the city since 2022.

Shearer said his biggest accomplishment as councilman was spearheading the passage of a rental ordinance in the city.

Besides the ordinance, he said he worked behind the scenes to streamline processes that were flagged by an administrative audit.

He decided to run for mayor after he realized his plans for the city require more commitment than he can hold as just councilman.

He said he either needs to “step up or step out of the way” for the next generation.

Shearer said his first priority would be developing a coordinated response between police, fire, the city treasurer’s office and code enforcement to start tackling the blighted properties in the city.

He said he would also like to move the needle forward on some ideas he previously floated, such as community and business investment programs as well as establishing a land bank.

Tom Donaldson

Donaldson was mayor between 2014 and 2018.

He originally ran as an independent candidate, but his nomination petition was thrown out by a Common Pleas Court judge in August after 15 signatures were stricken for various reasons.

Donaldson said during his term he completed numerous projects he believes benefited the city, including the Centre City project, a policing contract and saving Pullman Park from foreclosure.

He said a lot of his ideas were left unfinished, and he hopes he gets the opportunity to complete them now.

He said he would explore retention ponds and a systematic overhaul of the city’s drainage system for stormwater management, and then would create a comprehensive paving plan.

He also highlighted ways to improve public safety in the city, such as expanding mutual aid and establishing “community policing,” where officers walk the streets and interact with residents. He also suggested better pay for police and more manpower toward code enforcement.

When asked about the top three issues they see for the city, Dandoy and Donaldson pointed to the high number of rental properties in the city.

While Dandoy said not all landlords are part of the problem, he said he feels it is important to try to give those interested in single-family homes an opportunity to live in the city.

Donaldson said he would look to increase resident-occupied single-family homes in the city by developing a plan with research and collaboration.

Shearer, who led the implementation of a rental ordinance in the city, said his top priority would be addressing blighted properties by putting together a coordinated response by the city.

After that, another priority of his is having a serious discussion with the county about the role as county seat, which leads to the city “being the dumping ground for countywide problems.” While Shearer clarified that he has nothing against low-income housing, he believes the inspection process has been lax.

Shearer also said he would focus on overall development and the management of the BASA funds. He said he firmly believes the city can be more aggressive with the funds which could lead to increased property value and business performance.

Dandoy said he is hoping to continue working on a new contract for the city’s police department. He said that negotiations so far are leaving the city optimistic for a deal that benefits both sides.

Dandoy also said he wants to continue the commitment toward maintaining and improving infrastructure in the city with a heightened focus on stormwater management.

Donaldson said he would aim to establish a citizens advisory committee that would allow everyday residents to serve and have a voice in city politics. He said the committee would focus on the needs of the city and bring those to council at meetings.

Additionally, Donaldson said he would work with business owners and land developers to give businesses more reason to operate in the city and to foster a business-friendly environment downtown.

Each of the candidates have a vision for Butler’s Main Street and the nearby Butler Cultural District.

Dandoy said during his time as mayor, he’s learned other cities that have rebuilt have a common denominator — they rebuilt from the center outward. He said he believes by taking necessary steps downtown, the entire city will benefit.

Some of the steps he wants to consider include lessening the tax burden on new businesses, looking into the city’s facade program and digging into the benefits of establishing a land bank.

On the cultural district, Dandoy said the city’s community is built off organizations each trying to improve the city’s well-being in their own ways. He said he will support the cultural district in any way he possibly can.

Shearer said that the city is now in a position to look at tax abatement and business investment programs for new and upstart businesses in the city. He said he would also look to “supercharge” the Main Street facade program.

Furthermore, he said he is also exploring providing low-interest loans for apartment renovations. He also mentioned upcoming infrastructure work as a sign that the city is already in a positive direction and just needs a bit more stimulation.

Shearer said he is a big proponent of the cultural district’s mission and wants to see how it develops further over time. He said he will support more advertising as he believes a fully realized cultural district will be a plus for the whole city.

Donaldson said many people his age have a vision to bring back the Main Street they remember, but that is impossible. Instead, he said he would support making it a better place than what it was before and give younger residents the opportunity to reflect on the present as their own good times.

Toward this, he said he would make downtown more business-friendly by encouraging collaboration and support from the county and giving voices to business owners through his proposed citizens advisory committee.

On the cultural district, Donaldson said he will be supportive of events in the city, but feels that the city is currently subsidizing a lot of costs, such as overtime. He said it is not the responsibility of the city to provide entertainment, but rather to support entities that bring entertainment to the area.

Additionally, all three expressed interest in improving the city’s parking situation.

Dandoy said the first impression for any community is the parking, so having up-to-date and well-maintained parking lots and garages has been a priority for him. He believes continuing to maintain and modernize the city’s parking will have a good economic impact for the city.

Shearer said that he would explore the current parking options the city provides on the streets, besides Main Street. He said he would consider making those last metered spots turn into limited-time free parking similar to what Main Street has.

Donaldson said parking in the city sorely needs the maintenance it is getting, but otherwise believes that the city has an excellent and cheap parking system.

Dandoy said a first-time homeowner incentive program; a program to provide money for property cleanup, repairs and improvements; and even just continuing to improve infrastructure are some of the ways he hopes to support city residents.

He said he would also communicate with organizations to see about hosting events in the neighborhoods, instead of exclusively on Main Street.

Shearer said he does not think the issue with blighted properties comes from a lack of laws, but rather a lack of enforcement. He said he would try to identify chronic problem areas and make sure to put additional pressure there.

With a coordinated response, he said he believes the city will be able to tackle the issue much more than it has been able to in previous years.

Donaldson said many residents get stuck with added responsibilities such as curb and retaining wall management that may create unaffordable problems. He would look to see about returning responsibility

He recognized while the area has numerous programs to support low-income residents, some will inevitably slip through the cracks. He said he will try to support those through collaboration with the city’s redevelopment authority and other organizations.

The No. 1 priority outside of the city’s plan for the money, in Dandoy’s mind, is to address stormwater needs. He said the city is currently working on a plan to address the issue as soon as possible.

Besides stormwater, Dandoy said another cost that has popped up was Pullman Park. However, he said he recognizes the need to be careful with spending to make sure any future, unexpected problems can be paid for.

Shearer said that despite all of the work done by the city this year, the BASA funds have grown from their original principal amount. He said that the work being taken on by the city, such as renovations to the farmers’ market or Pullman Park, are not prioritized, but rather came to the table quicker.

With this, he reaffirmed his belief that the funds could be used in a more aggressive manner. Beyond the community and business investment programs as well as a land bank, Shearer said he would look into expanding paving in the city to include curbs.

Donaldson said he would first review the plans in place for the money, but hopes that the plan is to only use the interest off the investments. He said he believes the interest alone should be enough to cover tax breaks and major projects.

He said he would put an emphasis on the city’s drainage and stormwater over paving, as any drainage work could possibly ruin or interfere with paving.