Hillsboro Auditor Alex Butler has announced that he will run for the position of Highland County auditor this year.

Bill Fawley, the county auditor for 31 years, announced last week that he will not seek re-election. His term expires in March of 2023.

Butler said his candidacy petition signatures were verified Wednesday. The primary election for county auditor will be held in May and the general election in November, but the term for the position does not expire until March of the following year.

“I’ve always said you only get one hometown,” Butler said in a news release. “Community matters and it’s important to be engaged. Our free society and very form of government require us to be active members of our community. Highland County is home and I want it to be the best it can be. For me, community service and civic leadership is how I give back.”

Butler said that his education, responsibilities in the U.S. Army Reserve, and tenure as Hillsboro City auditor have prepared him well to take on a larger leadership role in the county.

“With public finance knowledge, leadership experience, a willingness to meet challenges head-on, and a spirit of community service, I am pleased to announce my candidacy for Highland County auditor,” Butler said.

“Overseeing the finances of Hillsboro during the past few years has brought difficulty and opportunity. Economic uncertainty necessitated an even closer eye on the budget for my already conservative tendencies,” he continued. “Taking the initiative to refinance city debt led to saving taxpayers more than $900,000 over the life of the loans. Ensuring compliance with the spending of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and now the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds mandates my attention to detail. I ask for your support as I seek to apply the same work ethic and deliver results as county auditor.

“I want to congratulate and thank Bill Fawley for decades of service to Highland County.”

Butler is a 2009 graduate of Hillsboro High School. He earned his associate’s degree in biblical studies from Cincinnati Christian University in 2011 and a bachelor’s in degree in business administration from Xavier University in 2014. In 2018, he completed Basic Combat Training and Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S Army Reserve.

He is currently a first lieutenant and member of the 372d Military Intelligence Battalion in Norwood, treasurer of the Liberty Township Lions Club, and serves on the Highland County Senior Citizen Center Board of Directors. In 2019, Butler was elected as Hillsboro City auditor.

Information for this story was provided by Alex Butler.