April 22, 2022
East St. Louis mayor to discuss economic development, city budget
CARBONDALE, Ill. – East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III is the next guest in the virtual Meet the Mayor series hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
Eastern will join John Shaw, institute director, for a conversation on Zoom at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 28. They will discuss Eastern’s political career and recent developments in East St. Louis, including the city’s new public safety center and Ameren’s solar energy center.
They will also discuss the mayor’s efforts to boost the economy in East St. Louis and balance the city’s budget.
“Serving as mayor of East St. Louis is a difficult job, especially given the city’s economic challenges,” Shaw said. “We are eager to hear about Mayor Eastern’s plans to strengthen his city and his hopes for its future.”
The event is free and open to the public; registration is required at paulsimoninstitute.org/events. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Eastern on their registration form or email them to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.
Eastern served on the East St. Louis City Council for two years before he was elected mayor in 2019, defeating the city’s then-incumbent mayor with his “Heart for the People” campaign. Eastern serves as a vice president of the Illinois Municipal League.
Meet the Mayor is a series of virtual conversations in which the institute hosts interviews with Illinois’ municipal leaders.