East-West Gate director leaves posts to take job with new levee district

COLLINSVILLE -- A recently formed metro-east flood prevention council has hired the long-time executive director of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

East-West Gateway Executive Director Les Sterman has left his post after 26 years to serve as the chief supervisor of construction and works for the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council.

The council is made up of three representatives from each of the independent flood prevention districts that were established last summer in Madison, St. Clair and Monroe counties. The newly formed council was formed to provide greater collaboration and coordination within the three counties about issues related to the region's levees, and each of the districts have the authority to collect a 1 cent sales tax to help fund levee repairs.

Sterman said he decided to make the move because he feels that the new council and region's levees are vital in securing its industrial and economic core and in protecting its 150,000 people and 4,000 businesses from flooding. He said the levees are the most critical and challenging infrastructure problem in metro-east.

"It's an important challenge for me," Sterman said. "Some of the CEO skills I have acquired ... are important in terms of helping people solve problems and helping governments solve problems with difficult engineering challenges."

Sterman was a transportation planning consultant and civil engineer prior to joining the East-West Gateway in 1978. The council was formed in 1965 as a a forum for cooperative problem-solving and coordinated development of regional policy. Sterman was the director of transportation planning before he was named executive director five years later.

During his tenure, he has helped move East-West Gateway beyond traditional development and infrastructure to community issues like racial and economic disparity, tax policy and growth. He said establishing the MetroLink bi-state light rail train system, working to create plans for a new bridge across the Mississippi River and other transportation issues were among the greatest East-West Gateway has headed in his time there.

"It brings governments together to talk and deal with economic issues in this region and keeps attention on the health of this region's economy," he said. "All of those things are important."

In his new position, Sterman will oversee the new flood district council and carry out its duties and mission by coordinating in the restoration of the levees in the most cost-effective way possible in the least amount of time.

"I don't think people understand the serious needs of the levees issues in Illinois and what they mean to the economic growth," he said. "The threat to public safety is actually quite clear. And really, this problem needs to be solved."

Sterman will begin his new job July 21.