Parks elected supervisor in East St. Louis Township

Several upsets were recorded Tuesday in East St. Louis municipal and township elections, including the current township supervisor narrowly losing.

▪  Alvin Parks, the former East St. Louis mayor, narrowly defeated Tommy Dancy, 1,888-1863.

Dancy was appointed supervisor in December after former Supervisor Oliver Hamilton resigned amid a scandal in which he pleaded guilty to misusing public funds and wire fraud. In a series of investigative stories, the BND reported that Hamilton spent more than $230,000 on a township credit card in personal purchases.

▪  Harry Hollinsworth narrowly lost for township clerk to Kenneth Watts, 1,809-1,832.

▪  In the race for City Council, the winners were Robert Eastern III and Roy Mickens. Incumbents June Hamilton Dean and Charles R. Powell III were defeated.

▪  And in the race for District 189 school board, the leaders were Lonzo Greenwood, Kinnis Williams Jr., Victoria Clay and LaKeisha Adams. However, these results were not final because results from St. Clair County and early voting in the county still had to be added.

The countywide sales taxes for school facilities and public safety were heading for defeat in the county, but the votes were close for both in East St. Louis.

With all 25 precincts reporting, including early voting, the vote for the school facilities sales tax was yes 2,239 to no 2,234. The sales tax for public safety was defeated in the city with a vote of 1,961 yes to 2,519 no.

This story was originally published April 4, 2017 at 10:08 PM with the headline "Parks elected supervisor in East St. Louis Township."