William E. Mason is an American politician who was elected as the second African-American mayor of East Saint Louis, Illinois, then the largest city in St. Clair County, Illinois.
William E. Mason | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of East Saint Louis | |
| In office 1975–1979 | |
| Preceded by | James E. Williams |
| Succeeded by | Carl E. Officer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1933 or 1934 (age 90–91)[1] |
| Education | PhD Saint Louis University[2] |
Mason served as superintendent of the East Saint Louis school district.[3][4] On April 1, 1975,[5] Mason defeated the incumbent mayor of East Saint Louis, James E. Williams, one of the few African-American mayors in the country.[3] Mason won by a margin of 6,457 votes to 5,600 in an election marked by low voter turnout.[2] The election was marred by allegations of election fraud and ballot-stuffing.[4] Mason assumed control with more power than previous mayors due to a change to the aldermanic form of government replacing the previous five-member commission model.[2]
Mason's term marked a return to patronage politics with only one of eighteen council members belonging to the prior mayor's independent status with the other seventeen all part of the Democratic political machine.[4] His term began contentiously with Mason dismissing 20 supporters of former Mayor Williams.[4] When a block of alderman passed a resolution seeking to strip him of appointive powers, he subsequently vetoed the resolution.[4] During his term, Mason was successful in soliciting $54 million in federal funds and reducing crime by 21%[4] but was unable to improve on the 30% unemployment rate and halt the declining population.[6] He also left the city in a deep fiscal hole with $20 million in debt, a $1 million fiscal deficit, $3 million in past due loans, and $5 million in unpaid bills.[4] In 1979, he was defeated by a 3 to 1 margin in the Democratic primary by Carl E. Officer.[6][7] In 1983, he unsuccessfully ran again for mayor in the Democratic primary against Officer.[4]
References
edit- ^ May, Lee (September 15, 1986). "All-but-Dead City : E. St. Louis: Hope Amid Hopelessness". The Los Angeles Times.
That's what William Mason, 52, loves to hear. Mayor from 1975 to 1979...
- ^ a b c Franklin, Donald E. (April 2, 1975). "Mason Defeats Williams for E. St. Louis Mayor". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- ^ a b "Williams Ousted as Mayor. Mason Wins in East Saint Louis". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. April 2, 1975.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Theising, Andrew J. (August 1, 2013). Made in USA: East St. Louis, the Rise and Fall of an Industrial River Town. Virginia Publishing. pp. 25–28. ISBN 978-1891442216.
- ^ Delaney, Paul (April 23, 1975). "East St. Louis, Decayed and Desperate, Still Has Hope". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Sheppard Jr., Nathaniel (March 26, 1979). "Voters in East St. Louis Hope to Oust Graft". The New York Times.
- ^ Dobbin, Ben (December 1981). "East St. Louis: Down but not out". Northern Illinois University Libraries Illinois Periodicals Online.