Parking deck near Alabama Capitol dedicated to former state finance director

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Montgomery’s newest parking deck is now dedicated to a man who used to manage the state’s money and now works to help others defeat Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Kelly Butler was appointed as the state finance director by Gov. Kay Ivey in 2018. He served in that role until his retirement in 2021 after being diagnosed with ALS. Since then, he has shifted his focus toward increasing clinic capacity, local research opportunities and funding for ALS patients.

Ivey joined Butler and other officials Tuesday mornings to officially dedicate the Kelly Butler Parking Deck. That deck is located behind the Folsom Administration Building at the corner of Ripley Street and Monroe Street.

“It’s a real pleasure to be here to celebrate one of Alabama’s very best. He’s a man that has spent his entire life serving others and working for the greater good,” Ivey said.

The governor talked about how Butler continued to work for others, even after retirement. The ALS Association honored Butler earlier this year for his work for the ALS community.

“The names we see around the Capitol complex are all folks who ascended to the highest office in our state, but not only am I proud that this facility will bear the name of a well-deserving personal friend and colleague of mine, more importantly, it will serve as a testament to every citizen in our state: if you work hard and do the right things, you don’t need to become governor to make a real difference for Alabama and her people’s future,” Ivey said.

Butler told the story behind the parking deck. He said the lack of parking around the Capitol complex had been a problem for decades, but it wasn’t until 2019 that a solution presented itself. He said the information technology office moved, which made the property available. He suggested that area could be built into a parking structure. He brought the idea to property managers to see if it was feasible.

“They did and it did and fast forward to here we are today,” Butler said. “So that’s how this parking deck started and I’m so excited and thrilled that it got done.”

Butler spent 36 years working for the state. He started that career as an accounting clerk in the Alabama Department of Revenue before moving to the legislative fiscal office, where he worked for 19 years. He later served as assistant finance director for fiscal operations and state budget officer before becoming the state finance director.

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