That summer he became a charter member of the Ney-A-Ti Lodge, the local chapter of the Order of the Arrow honor society in Scouting.
[3] His maternal grandfather J. H. Clarida served as mayor of the city in the 1920s during the Bloody Williamson era.
[4] He served for two years in the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps following World War II in Japan and Korea.
The following month the city council created the Marion Planning Commission and named Butler as one of seven members.
In July 1961, Butler outlined the commission's agenda as additional off-street parking, new water mains and extensions, shopping centers, the courthouse and fire protection.
Butler called the location of the county courthouse in the center of the square "a detriment to the business community.
I think the mayor of any town has got to stand on his own two feet and make up his mind without being dictated to by any individual or group.
"Marion voters will choose Tuesday between orderly, progressive city government or a continuation of the present slap-dash regime... Butler, in short, offers an excellent alternative...
[13] He served as mayor through many disasters, including the 1982 Marion Tornado that killed 10 and injured 200, and a disastrous fire in 1997 that burned down the town civic center.
During the convention, he proposed an amendment to elect the Illinois State Board of Education by region.