[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 11 (Thursday, January 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                         TRIBUTE TO BOB BUTLER

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I would like to take a few moments to 
acknowledge my friend, Mayor Bob Butler of Marion, IL. Since April 16, 
1963, the people of Marion have known Bob Butler as mayor. Think about 
this. During Bob Butler's span as mayor, there have been 11 U.S. 
Presidents and 10 Illinois Governors. Mayor Butler is the second 
longest serving active mayor in the country and is believed to be the 
longest serving mayor of Illinois. That is quite an accomplishment.
  Prior to becoming mayor, Bob Butler served in the U.S. Army Counter 
Intelligence Corps after the wars in Japan and Korea. Service was in 
his blood, so it came as no surprise when Bob decided to run for mayor. 
Known for his straight-shooting, old-school style, Bob outlined his 
simple approach to governance during his first campaign: ``It's up to 
the mayor to study each problem as it arises, determine in his own mind 
what is best to do for all the people. 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. I think also when a man is 
elected mayor, the people are entitled to know where he stands. He 
ought to be able to tell the people. If a matter requires a `yes' or 
`no' answer, he should say `yes' or `no.'''
  Southern Illinois' newspaper of record, the Southern Illinoisan, 
endorsed Butler's candidacy, saying: ``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 . . . He has our wholehearted support.'' Bob 
Butler won by 687 votes and never looked back. He won the next 13 
mayoral elections in Marion.
  During Mayor Butler's first council meeting, an entire block on the 
city square caught fire. The new council took office and shortly 
thereafter adjourned to help fight the fire. The fire shined a light on 
many of Marion's problems, inadequate firefighting resources and water 
supply, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Mayor Butler 
inherited a city in financial crisis. Marion needed more people. Why? 
Because more people meant more money from the State. Mayor Butler got 
to work and, due to his leadership, turned Marion around.
  Mayor Butler transformed Marion and southern Illinois through good 
old-fashioned hard work. Over the years, Mayor Butler's agenda helped 
turn Marion into a regional powerhouse along Interstate 57. During his 
tenure, Marion's population has grown nearly 92 percent. According to 
Mayor Butler, the secret to Marion's success was simply ``A strong 
business community and a strong city working together [that] produced 
great results.'' He is absolutely right.
  Anyone who knows Mayor Butler knows that he is an avid reader. He is 
on record saying that his favorite political book is a three-part novel 
by Rafael Sabatini, ``Scaramouche.'' It opens with this line: ``He was 
born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.''
  With his 91st birthday approaching next week, I want to thank Mayor 
Butler for his extraordinary commitment to the people of Marion and his 
work to help his community and the world be just a little less mad. I 
wish him and his family all the best in their next chapter.

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