The statue in question. Creepy, eh?
MARION—Folks driving by the creepy bronze statue of Marion mayor Bob Butler have been posing the question of why the statute is of him an not of his son-in-law.
You read that right. Marionites know it: Bob’s son-in-law, it’s being said, is the one who REALLY runs the city. You know, his “son-in-law”? Gail, the city administrator?
This is her, in the photo below Bob’s image there in bronze.
That’s right. Bob’s son-in-law is a female: Gail West, Marion city administrator. The job that’s said to be the REAL position that ‘runs the city,’ even though the credit goes to Bob, and he gets a statue erected in his honor. West has held the position for several years, this coming after she and Butler’s daughter, Beth, relocated to Marion from Indianapolis. We’re told that since Gail needed employment, Butler created the position as city administrator, and filled it with West, also endowing her with benefits and retirement. Nothing like being the significant other/husband/wife/whatever of the multi-term mayor (45 years now, so we hear, hence the statue).
And of course, Beth Butler was also put on the taxpayer’s teat, when the school district was persuaded to hire her as Marion Unit 2 School District Music Instructor.
We don’t know what the gals….couple…whatever…were doing in Indy prior to escaping to downstate Illinois, but apparently, for Ms. Beth, it wasn’t enough to keep her employed, and the school district fired her. This resulted in a federal lawsuit being filed against the school district in 2008, which has reportedly been very costly to the taxpayers of Marion.
Maybe the tension in the lawsuit has been what’s created the problems between the two ladylovebirds lately.
Beth Butler, with the black eye, and undoubtedly the only baby she’ll ever have.
Whatever the problem may be, it’s created trouble in paradise. On April 12 of this year, the Marion Police were dispatched to the North Market Street home of Ms. Butler and Ms. West on a Domestic Disturbance Call at 1 a.m. There were four cars reported sent out to the home, where the city administrator allegedly had suffered a beating at the hands of the mayor’s daughter. Ms. West reportedly suffered bruises to the stomach and leg area; the mayor’s daughter reportedly suffered a black eye…which hasn’t seemed to bother her too awful much, as she posted a photo of herself sporting it, this on her Facebook page (and at the time of this investigation, was her profile pic on said page).
Sadly the couple split up as a result of this particular fight, and Ms. West moved out; but since that time, happily they are back together and reconciled.
The whole thing has caused quite a stir in a town where the mayor is making his administration legendary in its length (the aforementioned 45 years). Many have tried to unseat him; all have failed. And, as you know, where there’s such longevity, there’s talk of corruption. Well, there usually IS corruption, but its only uncovered due to the tireless efforts of some people who are tired of seeing the same old people succeed while others work their behinds off and get no glory (like a statue.)
Such is what we’re hearing come out of Marion; there may be significant news coming your way on the situation. This may be just a preview; keep watching the site for this and other stories of mayoral “issues” occurring in the area.