The mayor-elect of Cairo says he wants to make the city a clean, safe place for people to live.
The city has long been plagued with economic downturn, racial tension and neglected public housing.
Cairo citizens elected Thomas Simpson over incumbent Tyrone Coleman this week. Simpson works for Cairo Public Utilities and has served on the city council. He also serves as secretary for the Southernmost Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone.
Simpson says his first priority as mayor is fixing infrastructure issues, such as the city's water pumps.
"Replace all the pumps with new pumps, make sure there's scheduled maintenance on those pumps, repair the sewer system, clean out the catch basins- and that's all in the effort to keep the citizens safe here from flooding."
Simpson says he hopes to bring a grocery store and farmers market to Cairo. He says the city is a 'food desert' after losing its only grocery store in 2015. He says he also plans to generate revenue for the city but declined to detail specific plans.
Simpson takes office May 1.
