Curtis McCall Sr.

More than 100 employees are currently employed in Cahokia Heights.

“I’ve heard that 20-something years, so seeing is believing,” one resident said.

The new mayor of Cahokia Heights, Curtis McCall Sr., promised the city would start with a balanced budget.

The City of Cahokia Heights will face logistical challenges in merging municipal departments and handling ongoing flooding and sewage issues.

“I show up. I work. I do whatever needs to be done,” said state Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Centreville, of his role at Commonfields of Cahokia Public Water and Sewer District.

Commonfields of Cahokia Public Water and Sewer District is the public utility for a community plagued by decades of flooding and sewage backing up into resident's homes and yards.

“The persistent flooding and sewage residents have experienced are entirely unacceptable, especially in a pandemic when home has never been more sacred,” the governor said.

Centreville, Alorton and Cahokia have applied for a $22 million federal grant that local leaders believe would fix failed sewage systems in those communities. “I would like to see it happen, but, believe me, I won’t hold my breath,” one resident said.

Curtis McCall Sr. is poised to be the first mayor of Cahokia Heights, a new cyt formed from the consolidation of Alorton, Centerville and Cahokia, which voters approved in November.