Mary Hawkins Butler

Mary Hawkins Butler (born December 12, 1953) has served since 1981 as the Republican Party mayor of Madison in suburban Jackson, Mississippi. Commonly known as "Mayor Mary", she is serving her tenth consecutive four-year term.[1] First elected to office at age twenty-eight, she is among the longest-serving mayors in the United States.

Mary Hawkins Butler
Mayor of Madison, Mississippi
Assumed office
1981
Personal details
Born (1953-12-12) December 12, 1953
Mississippi
Political partyRepublican
Alma materBelhaven University

Butler was an alderman prior to her election as mayor. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Belhaven University in the capital city of Jackson. In 2010, she graduated from the FBI Citizens Academy Program.

Butler ran unsuccessfully for state auditor in the 2015 elections against incumbent Stacey E. Pickering of Laurel in the Republican primary.[2]

Career

Under the Butler administration, Madison was recognized in 2007 by Family Circle Magazine as one of the "Top 10 Towns for Families in America" and in 2005 by CNN/Money Magazine as 55th among "The 100 Best Places to Live in the USA."

Butler was a charter member of the Madison City Chamber of Commerce, her local Lions International, and Simmons Arboretum.

Recognition
  • Hall of Fame Award presented by Keep Mississippi Beautiful
  • Red Rose Award from the Omicron chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma for contribution in the field of education
  • Executive Catalyst Inaugural Award for Public Service from Jackson State University
  • First and only Mississippi recipient of the American Society of Landscape Architects Leadership
  • Award in recognition of Outstanding Leadership for Quality of Life through design
  • Industrial Volunteer of the year Award by the Mississippi Industrial Development Council
  • Named Outstanding Board Member by the Home Place Board of Directors
  • Volunteer of the Year at the Bond Home/Home Place
  • Winner of the Mississippi Jaycees Outstanding Mississippian Award
  • Received the Madison County Chamber Woman of the Year Award

Awards
  • Received Good Housekeeping Award for Women in Government
  • Featured as a "Hometown Hero" in American Profile magazine
  • Past chairman of the Governor's Task Force that authored MS Hometown Retiree Plan
  • Member of Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Mississippi Municipal League
  • Past president of the Mississippi Municipal League and the first female to be elected to the position
  • First recipient of the Executive Women International Scholarship
  • Past chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Public Employees Retirement System,
  • Past chairwoman of the PERS Administrative, Legislative and Election Committees
  • American Community Leadership Award (Honorable Mention) by National Association of Towns and Townships
  • Past director, Regional Advisory Council for Bureau of Housing and Urban Development
  • Former board member of the Natchez Trace Parkway Association and Past President
  • Former board member of the Madison County Economic Development Authority
  • Former board member of the Human Services Center (Mental Health Center of MS)
  • Former member of the Southern Arts Federation, Southern Design Arts Task Force
  • Former member of Belhaven College Board of Trustees

International Efforts

During her time as Mayor, Madison became a Sister City to Sollefteå, Sweden. Butler was recognized in 1998 by Sister Cities International as having the "Best First Year Program Worldwide" for cities under 100,000. In 2004, she was named Member First Class of the Royal Order of the Polar Star by the King of Sweden. Madison was the first recipient city in the United States to have a 100 percent foreign-financed business incubator with assistance from the European Union.[3]

Controversies

On April 23, 2015, Hawkins Butler gave her annual "State of the City Address," in which she compared city engineer Rudy Warnock to a corrupt state official, Chris Epps. As a result, Warnock threatened a lawsuit against Hawkins Butler. She has publicly stated that she believes the entire Madison Board of Directors is corrupt, even saying that all of its members need to be replaced.

References
  1. "Ridgeland, Madison mayors hold off challengers". WAPT. May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  2. "Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler qualifies to run for auditor". Jackson Clarion-Ledger. February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  3. Haglöf, Inc Archived 2007-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
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