Senator Tom Butler marks retirement with Madison city coin

Senator Tom Butler was honored at the November 9 city council meeting with a city coin and proclamation to mark his retirement from elected office.

“I cannot thank you enough on behalf of the city of Madison for your years of service,” said Mayor Ranae Bartlett.

She shared that Butler encouraged her to first run for public office for the Madison city council.

“Senator Butler has been so wise and has provided me counsel throughout the years,” said Bartlett.

“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work [with] previous council and mayors, and when I first started representing Madison, we had 4,000 people in the city of Madison. We now have about 70,000 people, and it’s been sort of fun to watch the growth. It’s been sort of hectic trying to keep up with the growth, but one of the things that has made Madison grow is the fine school system that we have here,” said Butler.

Butler’s achievements over the years include legislation that allowed Madison to establish its own school system and that placed automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in schools, government buildings, and volunteer fire departments, serving on the Madison Governance Committee, and supporting the expansion of Highway 72 in 2022.

He distributed many grants to the city of Madison over the years and most recently donated to the senior center, police department, and fire department.

Senator Butler represented the 2nd District in the Alabama State Senate from 1994 to 2010 and then again in 2018. Prior to serving in the Senate, Butler represented the 17th and 6th Districts in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1982 to 1994.

He announced in July that he would not seek re-election and would retire at the end of his current term.