(East St. Louis, IL) — East St. Louis city councilwoman Emeka Jackson-Hicks is the winner in the race for mayor. Jackson-Hicks easily outpolled incumbent Alvin Parks Junior. Parks ran as a write-in candidate after being forced off the ballot by the courts for failing to have enough nominating petition signatures. Jackson-Hicks takes over a city facing a financial crisis because of decline in the casino revenues that make up a large portion of the city’s budget. She is also greeted by news that Schnuck’s plans to close its grocery store in the city, a move Jackson-Hicks says she will ask them to reconsider.