Butler to step down from County Nov. 3

Jul 1, 2009 — Aiken Standard

Haley Hughes

Jul. 1, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Aiken County Councilman Eddie Butler will step down from his Council seat on Nov. 3.

He and his family are building a house that is located outside the boundaries of District 5 in North Augusta, the district he currently represents.

According to the South Carolina Election Commission, Butler will no longer be an elector of the district when he establishes the new residence, thus making him ineligible to continue his term.

In his resignation letter, which has been formally tendered to Council Chairman Ronnie Young, he writes that he anticipates moving into the new home in the next few months.

One of his greatest achievements in his tenure on Council, he said Tuesday, was his involvement in extending the Bobby Jones Expressway (I-520) from U.S. Highway 1 North to I-20 in North Augusta. The highway is known as the Palmetto Parkway once it crosses into South Carolina in Butler's North Augusta/Belvedere district.

Certain roadway improvements that were part of the original contract were cut several years ago as funding fell short, but money came through with help from the S.C. Transportation Infrastructure Bank and the Local Option Sales Tax, and the improvements were added back on to the contract.

The Local Option Sales Tax was born from the expressway and its need for funding.

"It came about as a direct result of planning for the expressway," Butler said. "We needed a funding mechanism."

So he said he sat down with Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, and Skip Gkorvic, North Augusta's director of economic and community development. The referendum for the tax came out of the discussion.

"Up to that point in the county, there was no money for capital projects," he said.

Butler left Council once before to launch a campaign for the S.C. House of Representatives and was gone for two years. He served District 4 before he left, but after losing the state House election, found he had been "gerrymandered" out of his former Council district so he ran for District 5.

Councilman Chuck Smith now serves District 4.

With Butler's "irrevocable resignation," the election schedule starts from the date of the letter, so filing to fill the post should begin at noon on the third Friday following the announcement -- in this case July 17. Any primaries would be held on the 11th Tuesday following the announcement, or Sept. 15, moving toward the Nov. 3 general election date.

"The body (Council) has matured," Butler said. "There are strong representatives there, and they do excellent work. I am proud to have been associated with them.

"(After I leave) I hope Council continues on a prudent financial path and that the $2 million taken from the capital fund to balance the budget will be added back," he added. "I would also like to see them with a new County Complex. My personal preference is to renovate the current complex."

Butler was first elected in 1989, and his current term expires in December 2010.

Gary Bunker

"He is going to be greatly missed. His institutional memory is fantastic. It is an uncanny ability and really brings a lot to any discussion. He is very opinionated, but, when he opens his mouth, there rarely isn't something there we can't learn from. Whoever replaces him has some awfully big shoes to fill."

Scott Singer

"He is a great Council member. Eddie is a big picture kind of guy. Sometimes you can get so bogged down in the minutia, you lose the forest for the trees. He is always cutting to the chase and viewing its impact in the proper context. He is always concerned for how to better life in Aiken County. I will miss his counsel."

LaWana McKenzie

"We will have a void. He has a lot of knowledge and experience on Council; he has seen a lot and experienced the purpose behind things. He is extremely intelligent and looks at all sides. He is very willing to listen to others, but he speaks out loud and clear, and I think that shows backbone. I consider him a dear, dear friend."

Chuck Smith

"This is a big loss for the County. He is both a friend and mentor. His concern for Aiken County was always the first priority in his decision making. He has a level head and thinks things through very deliberately. He has a great business mind, obviously. He is a mentor to all of us."

Kathy Rawls

"He is especially strong in financial matters. He has a knack for looking at the forest for the trees. I don't even want to think about him being gone. I never walked in (anywhere) that he didn't smile and speak to me."

Willar Hightower

"I have seen Councilman Eddie Butler mature as an effective Aiken County Councilman over the years. He has always been knowledgeable about financial and business matters and brings much to the table of decision making for Aiken County Council. He is known to do his homework and do it well. He is not afraid to state his opinion on any subject whether it is popular or not. His opinions have always been with good, honorable reasons."

Charles Barton

"He has been a voice of this Council. He very well states his opinion. I have really enjoyed serving with him and hate to see him go. He has worked on coming up with a workable budget and has helped with emergency services on the Judicial and Public Safety Committee."

Newstex ID: KRTB-0324-36146548