Meet the candidates for Butler City Council
Two new members of Butler’s city council will be sworn in next year, but it is up to voters to decide which two that is.
For the general election on Nov. 4, city voters will choose between two Democrats, Lisa Quebedeaux and Bill Painter, and one Republican, John Kramer, to fill the soon-to-be vacant seats.
The two winners will replace Larry Christy, whose term expires at the end of the year, and Don Shearer, who is instead running against current Mayor Bob Dandoy. Butler’s city council is a four-year term with an annual compensation of $5,000. Subscribers can read more.
Meet the candidates
Lisa Quebedeaux
Quebedeaux is a nonprofit administrator working for Neighborhood Housing Services, where she said she directs fundraising and housing policy initiatives that address urban blight, foreclosure prevention and affordable home-ownership. She is running for a council seat as a Democrat.
She is co-president of Butler’s PFLAG chapter, a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ county residents through public events, private support groups and policy advocacy.
She volunteers with local Scouting and the Butler County Democratic Party, and she is a regular attendee of city council meetings.
Quebedeaux said she became more civically active as her two children grow older. At first, she considered running for Butler Area School District’s board, but after canvassing during the 2024 election, she said she felt compelled to take a “broader approach” and run for council.
Quebedeaux said her primary focus would be on strengthening code enforcement and holding absentee landlords accountable while finding resources for residents to maintain their properties. She said she serves renters and homeowners over the interest of private property management companies.
She also highlighted the importance of empathy-based public safety through offering a better pay incentive and tightening geographic hiring to ensure police are community members themselves. She also promised that she would stand firm against ordinances that target the rights of LGBTQ+ residents.
Bill Painter
Painter is a corporate tax auditor working with the Tennessee Department of Revenue. He is running for a council seat as a Democrat.
Previously, Painter has served on the Evans City Borough Council for six years — three as president. He has also previously worked as an auditor with the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board and a special agent for the IRS.
Painter said his primary inspiration for running was the recent sale of the Butler Area Sewer Authority. He said he wants to ensure the funds the city received are managed well and are used for the benefit of the community.
Painter said his main priority is to improve the infrastructure of the city. He said he believes the city needs a repaving and maintenance schedule, an increase in owner-occupied housing and a plan to address blight.
“ (We need to) reverse the population decline in the city and market the city as a welcoming place for all families and businesses,” he said.
John Kramer
Kramer is a real estate agent with 27 years of experience in property management. He is running for a council seat as a Republican.
Previously, Kramer was a product manager for a Fortune 500 company for 15 years, where he managed a group of engineers to create a product to reduce clerical errors in hospital systems.
Kramer said he recognized a low interest in city government and wanted to use the opportunity to represent some of the voices he heard. He said he, alongside business owners and residents, has concerns over the city’s budget and spending habits he hopes to apply his skills toward resolving.
Kramer said he would work with council and the mayor to encourage new business, reduce crime, reduce expenditures and investigate reducing property taxes and the business privilege tax.
He said he is already working with Experience Butler County and would like to coordinate with Butler Downtown to provide more grants and promote more events to bring people into the city.
