John Butler appointed as Bartlett's voting representative to the MLGW board

The Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen on July 14 unanimously appointed John Butler to serve as the city's voting representative on the MLGW board after state law changed to provide suburban voting representation.

Mayor introduced Butler and asked him to describe his background and qualifications. Butler said he has lived in Arlington for about 9'1/2 years and has been president and CEO of Agri Center International since 2016. He noted long-standing community relationships, including work with Shelby County leadership, and described his interest in regional utility matters as important to local economic development.

"It's been an honor to have the opportunity to serve all the suburban communities," Butler said. He pointed to MLGW's recent resiliency projects and technology upgrades, saying, "One of the things that we've done, we've added resiliency ... a new SCADA system, to really be more of a forward-facing operations control center to work, you know, 20, 30 and beyond to scale with the needs of our community." Butler said he is receptive to the city's direction as the appointee and welcomed questions from aldermen.

Council members praised Butler's community work and said they looked forward to his service. The mayor explained the new legislation limits appointment to the two largest suburbs, and Bartlett and Collierville each put forward nominees. After motion and second, the board approved Butler's appointment 6-0.

Butler's appointment gives Bartlett a voting seat on the MLGW board; the city clerk will record the result and notify the utility.