Kelly Butler, who retired as state finance director two years ago because of an ALS diagnosis, was on hand today as Gov. Kay Ivey and others honored him at the dedication of the Kelly Butler Parking Deck in the Alabama Capitol complex where he worked for more than three decades.

Butler was a state employee for 36 years and served as Ivey’s finance director for 2018 until his retirement.

“Kelly has consistently set the standard for what it means to be an exemplary public servant,” Ivey said. “He steadied Alabama’s financial ship through some incredibly difficult times and is someone I know I can always count on. Even after his retirement he continued to serve our state by advising and assisting in the Finance Department on some very critical and important financial decisions. We all know how important and challenging the role of finance director is and I believe Kelly Butler will be remembered as one of the best to have ever held the position.”

Lawmakers, cabinet members, Ivey’s staff and former staff, legislative staff, lobbyists, and others turned out for the dedication of the deck and heard Butler tell the story of how it came about. Butler said he had wanted to improve parking in the Capitol Complex since starting as a state employee decades ago, when he said he parked in a vacant lot where the Gordon Persons building now sits.

“Sometimes when you have a problem you can’t do something about it right away,” Butler said. “You have to wait for the opportunity to do something about it. And for me it started when Gov. Ivey asked me to be her finance director in 2018.”

Butler said the opportunity became clearer in 2019 when a state agency vacated a one-floor wing of the Folsom Administrative building. He thought that created enough space for a lot on the corner of Ripley and Monroe streets, behind the Folsom building. Butler said he sought opinions of others who agreed, and then took the idea to state building officials, who determined it would work. Butler said many others deserved credit for the deck.

“To sum up, I would say if you see a problem, try to address the problem, wait for your opportunity, and then, most importantly, go talk to somebody that really knows about it more than you do,” Butler said.

Ivey noted that Butler continued to help the state as an advisor after his retirement. The governor noted that Butler received the Impact Award from the ALS Association earlier this year in recognition of his work to support that organization’s mission.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to the ALS Association. The disease involves the loss of motor neurons needed for voluntary muscle movements.