Kelly Butler, the former state finance director who spent decades advising state leaders on fiscal matters and decisions, died Tuesday.
Great with numbers and people, Butler spent nearly forty years in state fiscal offices. He resigned as finance director in 2021, disclosing he had symptoms of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“Kelly was the epitome of a public servant and a good man,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a written statement. “For those who knew Kelly, you know this about him. For those Alabamians who did not have a chance to personally know Kelly, you can be assured he likely touched your life in some way. Even after his ALS diagnosis and following his retirement, he worked and gave back to our state.”
The finance director is among the top jobs in the governor’s cabinet, responsible for running the Alabama Department of Finance and crafting the governor’s annual budget proposals. The position isn’t always high profile, but in 2020 and 2021 Butler led the distribution of the state’s federal COVID-19 relief funds.
“Kelly Butler was a friend and a mentor,” Senate General Fund budget committee chairman Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, said. “There is no doubt that this good man has traveled to a much better reward.”
Butler joined the executive budget office, within the Alabama Department of Finance, in 2012 and became finance director in 2018. Before that, he worked in the fiscal division of the Legislature. In all, he worked 36 years in state government.
Kirk Fulford, now the deputy director of the Legislative Services Agency’s Fiscal Division, worked with Butler in the State House for about 16 years.
“(Butler) was the epitome of someone who showed up, kept his head down, and worked hard every day and earned everything he accomplished in his career,” Fulford said. “He was well respected by everyone that he worked with and the absolute nicest guy you could ever meet.”
Bill Poole was appointed finance director when Butler stepped down.
“When Kelly announced his retirement, there was an outpouring of support from a stream of visitors – staff accountants, custodial staff, legislators, and agency directors – all expressing appreciation for his leadership, compassion, and dedication,” Poole said. “Kelly had an enormous influence on those of us fortunate to work for and with him and we are grateful for his friendship and his extraordinary public service.”
Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, a lawmaker since 1994, worked with Butler for about three decades in his various roles. Clouse is a former House General Fund budget chairman.
When Butler was finance director, he would drive to Ozark each winter to go over the governor’s budget proposals for the next year. He made similar trips to the other three legislative budget chairs, Clouse said.
“I always appreciated that because you got away from the craziness of Montgomery and could really concentrate on the numbers you were looking at,” Clouse said.
Finance directors have to make budget projections more than a year in advance, balancing expected revenue and expenses.
“(Butler) was always very conservative and I think from a taxpayer’s standpoint, that’s a good way to be,” Clouse said. “You could always figure we’d probably have a little more money than (what he projected), but Kelly always wanted to make sure we were OK.
“He was always looking out for the taxpayer.”
Butler made drives to Decatur to meet with Sen. Arthur Orr, the Senate education budget chairman.
Orr said Butler’s passing is the loss of a dedicated public servant and an “ideal person.”
“He was smart, capable, yet humble and humorous,” Orr said. “He was a tremendous asset to the Legislature as a fiscal officer and to Gov. Ivey as finance director.”
Butler was a colleague and friend of Assistant Finance Director Susan Wilhelm.
“Sometimes we find ourselves meeting a person who will have a profound effect on our lives,” Wilhelm said. “For many of us in state service, that mentor and friend was Kelly Butler. Kelly provided the resources and inspiration to do the hard work in the right way. No matter the problem, Kelly encouraged you to find the best solution and execute it well. We are all lucky to have known and worked with him and will miss him. And, we’ll honor Kelly’s memory by following the example he set.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made public.