Voters to the mayor for the next 4 years: ‘Get jobs to East St. Louis’
Many years ago, 59-year-old Mary Gooden’s son left East St. Louis and moved to Memphis, Tenn., where he works as a hotel chef, because he couldn’t find work in the metro-east.
“My son would have stayed here if he would have gotten a job here,” Gooden said.
So, for Gooden, whoever is elected mayor on Tuesday for the struggling town of more than 26,000 people, she wants him or her to focus on bringing jobs to the city.
“People have left and that’s the main problem,” Gooden said.
On Tuesday, voters will have the choice of four candidates for mayor: incumbent Emeka Jackson-Hicks, who is seeking a second term as mayor. Jackson-Hicks is being challenged by council member Robert Eastern III, former mayor Carl Officer and Darnell Thompson.
The candidates are vying to lead a town that is struggling financially, has 43 percent of its residents living in poverty according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and has averaged 24 murders a year for the past two decades.
Gooden said people helping each other is what’s needed to help turn the city around.
She already has voted early and cast her ballot for Robert Eastern III.
Gooden said she hasn’t seen much progress from the city’s government, which she called frustrating. She voted for Jackson-Hicks in 2015, but decided to give someone else a chance, she said.
“She made promises that she didn’t keep,” Gooden said, declining to elaborate.
However, some voters say Jackson-Hicks deserves another four years in office.
Narticia Long, 50, of East St. Louis, is an Emeka Jackson-Hicks supporter.
“I want Mayor Emeka Jackson to keep doing what’s she doing. Looking out for the citizens, making sure the streets, the old raggedy houses are getting torn down,” Long said. “She looks out of the senior citizens. She has a lot to bring to the city of East St. Louis with the help of other people that’s working with her.”
Long said Jackson-Hicks has led to change in the city.
“The biggest issue is that they keep on electing the same old crooks and we’re not getting (the) job done until the mayor stepped in,” Long said.
Candidates make their cases
The race in the traditionally Democratic town includes four candidates who have mostly pulled Democratic ballots during previous partisan primary elections.
In an interview, Jackson-Hicks gave her pitch for why she deserves another four years in office.
“I’m a finisher. I finish what I start. It’s about loving this community. You’ve got to love it enough in order to do the right thing,” Jackson-Hicks said. “Being mayor is not a glamorous position. It’s not about how much power I could ascertain. It’s about being a voice for the people. It’s about getting your hands dirty, doing the work that needs to be done and bring people together and being the glue for all the pieces that come together.”
Candidates who have responded to the BND’s questionnaire agree financial struggles are a main issues in town.
Thompson said he is running “to provide ‘emergency’ rescue and repair of all city-wide (16) neighborhoods to correct our city’s economic depression conditions and our citizen-residents financial and emotional distress conditions.”
Eastern said funding for the city’s fire and police pensions is the top issue facing East St. Louis.
“This will require bringing more financial resources to the city. This can be accomplished by bringing new business to the city, and utilizing government resources to assist in the financial crisis that the city faces,” Eastern said.
Officer, who has previously served four terms as mayor, is making another run for the city’s top executive position.
He said remains confident he will win, despite not taking any monetary contributions for his run.
He said the biggest issue is credibility of city leadership.
“People who tell the truth, people who spend the city’s money properly, people who are not giving away taxpayers dollars to their friends and cohorts for their own personal gain,” Officer said.
Economic development
Ultimately jobs and economic development in the city is something constituents want to see.
Derrick Tillman, 50, of East St. Louis, is a Jackson-Hicks supporter. He spent part of his childhood in East St. Louis, leaving when he was 9 years old, before coming back years later.
“When I left, East St. Louis was booming,” Tillman said. “Downtown was booming and everything was good. When I got back like 20 years later, East St. Louis was nothing like it was when I was a child. Then I left again and came back in 2006, and East St. Louis was a wreck.”
He said he wants whoever wins to concentrate on development.
“Get East St. Louis on the map, a place where people can come and say hey, if they want to open a business or they want to live here… just develop East St. Louis,” Tillman said.
Candidates making promises
Jerry McCoy, 66, of East St. Louis, and has lived in the city for most of her life.
“I’m tired of mayors (running) and promising different things to the city,” McCoy said. “What you promise that’s what I’m looking for out of you. Your word is your bond. “
Whoever is elected needs to be available to residents to hear their concerns.
“I go by what I hear about you. If I hear you haven’t done what you’re supposed to do in your precinct, I’ve got doubts about you,” McCoy said. “I go (by) how well known you are to me and anybody else.”
She said she wants to see work on to the sewer system and the roads.
“It’s tearing up a lot of people’s cars,” McCoy said.
She added economic development should be a priority as well.
“I want to see East St. Louis look to bring businesses in with a better attitude, and the only way to do that is to improve your city, the people within your city, and to let people come in who could bring revenue into your city.”
She hasn’t decided who she will vote for in the mayoral race.
“I want a person in there that know how people feel, and care about how people feel, (and) care about them as much as you care about your family and friends,” McCoy said.
Lucille Herron, 87, of East St. Louis, has lived in East St. Louis for 65 years.
She said the next mayor needs to clean up the city’s appearance, such as making sure garbage isn’t scattered and littered about town.
“I know it’s hard, because as fast as they clean it up, derelicts are going to come and put the trash down,” Herron said.
She said the town’s appearance makes it harder to attract businesses. The appearance of the town may just lead to businesses looking at different towns.
“Companies that may want to come in to open their operation and get employment from the city will first look at the physical plant of how it looks, how the government is run, where would I build, is this a good place?” Herron said.
Herron, who voted early but wouldn’t say who she supported, was complimentary of Emeka Jackson-Hicks.
“I think Emeka has done the best job that she can do with what she has,” Herron said.
Attention from Durbin, outside interests
The race for mayor has attracted attention from people who don’t live in town.
On March 23, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, who is an East St. Louis native, endorsed Jackson-Hicks as he did four years ago.
“I’ve openly supported and contributed to Emeka. I supported her when she ran the first time,” Durbin said. “The other Democrats are my friends but I just believe we have an honest, hardworking mayor in East St. Louis and that is a key to our future when it’s all over. Democrats will close ranks (and) be back together again I’m sure for the next election, but this time around I think Emeka is an extraordinary candidate. I’m down here going door to door for her ... I don’t think I’ve endorsed another mayor candidate in the state. So she means a lot to me.”
Jackson-Hicks defeated two-term mayor Alvin Parks and local real estate broker Courtney Hoffman in 2015.
The 2019 race has also attracted monetary attention from donors from outside the city.
Eastern during the first quarter of the year, has already reported more than $46,000 in contributions, including three $10,000 donations from law firms, and $2,000 from an insurance firm. These contributors are from outside the city and also are traditional donors to Democratic campaigns.
Jackson-Hicks has seen donations from local businesses as well seen smaller contributions, including several traditional Democratic donors. In the last two years, she has received contributions from both inside and outside of town, including several of smaller dollar amounts.
