Mayor carl officer east st louis biography

American politician

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.

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