Our Daily Show Interview! Carolyn MacAfee: Ward 2 Alderwoman
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ALTON - As the consolidated election on April 1, 2025, approaches, Ward 2 Alderwoman Carolyn MacAfee is looking ahead to her goals if reelected.
MacAfee has held the position of Ward 2 alderwoman for 12 years. She is facing two challengers in the April 1 election. She expressed appreciation for the accomplishments she has made over the past decade, as well as excitement about her plans for the next four years.
“I’m going to continue to make Alton a better place to live,” MacAfee said. “I’m a 24/7, seven days a week alderman.”
MacAfee shared that she does not work full-time and she is not raising children, so she is “available all the time.” She answers every phone call and works to make sure her constituents are heard.
She pointed to the recent snowstorm as an example. As MacAfee waited in her house for two days for her street to be cleared, she took calls from her neighbors in Ward 2 and directed the Public Works Department to the streets that most needed plowed.
She said that she got “100% results” from calling Public Works and asking them to take care of the streets that her constituents brought to her attention. She added that “the city did a good job” considering the amount of snow Alton received and the fact that only five people in the Public Works Department were tasked with clearing 12 routes.
Streets are an important part of MacAfee’s mission. She noted that under her tenure, several streets have been repaired in Ward 2. She also pointed out that Alton installed stop signs at the intersection of Alby and 20th Streets, and the four-way stop has cut accidents in half.
“The biggest issue is our street problem,” she said. “Everybody, even our three mayor candidates and all the aldermen, I think that’s their number one. I think people need to sit back and think, Alton’s over 200 years old. Everything has been neglected pretty much these last four years. It’s not gone very well. But we have done streets.”
As she prepares to begin her doorknocking campaign, she said she will be making a list of the streets in Ward 2 that need attention. She noted that funding is a concern, but she hopes to advocate for repairs to the streets in Ward 2 that need the most work.
“Money is a big issue,” she said. “They’ve only got enough money to do so many streets. So that’s another factor, and you definitely want to do the worst ones first.”
MacAfee previously served as mayor pro tem, and she is a co-chair for the Pride, Inc. Pride Awards. As a 35-year member of Pride, Inc., beautification is another major issue to her. She encourages people to take care of their sidewalks and yards, noting that Alton’s appearance is an important part of bringing in new residents.
“People coming into Alton, the appearance of Alton, the trash, the weeds — this is a big thing,” she said. “Anytime we can do any kind of beautification projects in Alton, I think it helps attract people here.”
Over the years, she has helped maintain the flower pots in downtown Alton, and she started the garden at Broadway and Piasa. If reelected, she said she wants to hire a full-time gardener for the City of Alton. She has several other goals for the next four years.
“Some of the things I’m going to do in my term if reelected is, I’m going to have monthly meetings with department heads for more transparency, which we haven’t had much of in the last four years,” she explained. “I want to work with the Historical Commission to save our brick streets…I would like to work closer with our Zoning Department in pointing out to them some of the issues.”
For more information about MacAfee’s plans and past accomplishments, she encourages Alton voters to attend a candidates’ forum at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at Great Rivers Hotel. She added that her constituents can call her at any time at 618-304-4315.
“That’s what I’m here for,” she said.
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