April Butler, 50, is running for District 3 Victoria City Council member in the upcoming May 4 election.
She is competing against Woodrow Wilson Wagner II.
Butler is the owner of Woodhouse Day Spa and has a master's degree in sociology. She was born and raised in Victoria, raised her family in the city, and still lives in Victoria.
Ms Butler said she was running for city council because she wanted to have a positive impact on Victoria's future.
“Having been a business owner in our community for over 10 years, I have raised my children here in Victoria who have now moved their home here in Victoria. I really want to have a positive impact on the decisions that will affect our future,” Butler said.
Mr Butler said cities should adapt to the needs of people living in Victoria.
“I think the most important thing to me is to keep city government aligned with the core values of our community. We also address the challenges of economic development, infrastructure, and maintenance, including roads and public safety. are also facing real challenges,” Butler said. “Those are the priorities that I think are most important and aligning ourselves and our city government with the community.”
As a City Council member, Butler said he would like to work on capital improvement projects the city is currently working on.
The deadline for submitting campaign finance reports is April 26th.
“The city is working on the 2027-2029 Capital Development Plan, which includes roads, so I would say OK, what can we do to encourage development in areas that really need proper oversight?” I want to try to be a voice.’ That’s going to be very important to the people in District 3 right now,” Butler said.
Butler said city officials need to work on making the city more sustainable for the community.
“What we need is sustainability. We need job creation. We need a growing, vibrant housing market. We need to work with county officials to do all of this as a City Council member. “I think it's important to be actively involved in this area,” Butler said.
Butler said it is important for him as a city council member to work towards securing first responders, not just city employees, but also police and fire departments.
“A lot of times we think about public safety and we think about first responders, but city employees are also first responders,” Butler said. “Many of us have probably driven by at 3 a.m. and seen city workers trying to fix a downed light or something like that. They were called to do those things. People. We actually looked at the budget, and we know there are things we can do to fund our city employees, including our police and firefighters.”
Butler said her experience as a business owner has given her valuable insight into what is required of a city council member.
“My experience as a business owner brings valuable insight into the economic development and job creation that is critical to the sustainability of our cities,” Butler said. “As a business owner, I am fiscally responsible. That is evidenced by my ability to manage finances and large corporations and understand budget constraints and the ability to allocate resources efficiently.”
Ms Butler said her values as a mother and wife were in line with the Victorian community.
“I'm a wife and mother. I have two beautiful adult women and I'm currently settled in Victoria,” Ms Butler said. I'm a business owner. I share the same values as the majority of our community when it comes to conservative values, and I want to bring them to the City Council table. ”
