Former mayor fired as East St. Louis city manager

Just five months after hiring him as city manager, the East St. Louis City Council, Dec. 28, ousted immediate-past mayor Alvin Parks, Jr., from his new position. Long time municipal employee Edith Moore was named the new city manager.

The change comes amid continuing concern over the city’s multi-million dollar budget deficit, staff reductions, accounting irregularities and the city alleged failure to collect taxes from many local businesses.

Voting for the termination during a special were Mayor Emeka Jackson-Hicks, Councilman Robert Eastern III and Councilwoman June Hamilton Dean. Eastern he been among the council members voting to hire Parks in August, along with council members Robert Mosley Jr. and, LaToya Greenwood.

Mosley and Greenwood did not attend the special City Council meeting.

The city manager receives a salary of $100,000 a year with health benefits and a city vehicle.

Former Monroe County employee wins $93,000 settlement

A federal district court judge has ordered Monroe County to pay a former employee and her attorneys $93,000 to settle a politically charged wrongful termination suit.

Kristin Egbert, an employee in the Monroe County Assessor’s office, was terminated by Assessor Carl Wuertz after she took, copied and returned a paper from his office.  The action was captured on a video system Wuertz was secretly using to monitor the office in his absence.

Egbert said she took the document – which appeared to be a draft of a speech — to prove Wuertz had been violating Illinois law by working on election campaign materials while on the job.

Wuertz countered that he had installed the video system because he suspected Egbert had been searching through his papers when he was away and had left a “fake” speech on his desk to test Egbert in view of the camera, according to court documents.

Egbert said she took the document to the county attorney, although no investigation was conducted.

Wuertz contends Egbert has been acrimonious toward him, because he once disciplined her for talking with other employees outside the office during working hours.

In addition to a financial settlement, Egbert sought reinstatement to her former position.    

Terms of the settlement prohibit either side from commenting publicly on the case.  

Unmarked police car stolen, guns still missing

An unmarked Granite City Police car, stolen Jan. 28 in an apparent ambush, was recovered the following day in North St. Louis County, Mo.; however firearms that were onboard the vehicle remain missing.  The squad car was stolen at about 6:15 p.m. near the intersection of North Street and Ill. Route 3, after an officer left the vehicle to check on a man slumped over the steering wheel of a minivan.  As the officer tried unsuccessfully to rouse minivan driver, he heard his cruiser moving from behind the van.  The officer was struck by the police car as it left the scene, but suffered only minor scrapes and bruises.  The minivan then left the scene.

Granite City Police attempted to electronically track the silver 2014 Ford Fusion cruiser, but lost the signal in the Downtown St. Louis area.  No suspects have been identified, according to police. The regional law enforcement support organization Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the incident. An additional reward of up to $1,000 is offered for information leading to the recovery of the stolen firearms.

Those with information are asked to Granite City Police dispatch at (618) 877-6111.

IDOT replacing Rt. 157 bridge over Rt. 161

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) this week begins work on the $9.3 million replacement of the Ill. Route 157 bridge over Ill. Route 161.  Workers were scheduled to officially close the bridge to traffic Jan. 4.  The new bridge is expected to be completed in late 2016.  Motorists are being re-routed to Illinois 15 and Interstate 64 around the closure.  The bridge, which also goes over a MetroLink track and Schoenberger Creek, will be demolished in three phases. Work over the MetroLink line will conducted late at night and during the weekends to limit disruption of commuter service. The bridge was built in the 1960s.  An adjacent pedestrian bridge, built in the 1920s, will not be replaced.

Fare changes are scheduled to take effect on Madison County Transit during the second week of January. (Photo from Madison County Transit)

MCT offers new passes

The Madison County Transit (MCT) is reminding riders that some permanent service and fare changes are scheduled to take effect during the second week of January. MCT will implement the following new fare products:

• MCT 2-Hour Zone Pass ($2.00): Valid for unlimited multi-directional trips within a single fare zone on MCT fixed-routes. Valid for two hours from purchase on date of issue. Not Valid on MCT Express trips or on Metro.

• MCT 2-Hour Regional Pass ($3.00): Valid for unlimited multi-directional trips on all MCT fixed- route buses, all MetroBus routes and all MetroLink trains. Valid for two hours from purchase on date of issue.

To increase mobility for senior citizens and provide an option for occasional MCT Express passengers to St. Louis, MCT is also implementing the following new fare products on Jan. 10, 2016:

• MCT Express Round Trip Pass ($5.00): Valid only on MCT Express routes (including Rams and Muny Express) for round trip service within one calendar day (date of issue) for multi-directional travel. Not valid on Metro.

• MCT Senior Select Free Ride ID (FREE): Valid for unlimited free trips on all MCT fixed-routes for Madison County residents aged 75 and up. Must receive MCT issued Photo ID.

For more information call (618) 797-4636, or e-mail info@mct.org.

–Metro East Area News Briefs–