ALTON - Mayoral candidate Ray Strebel hosted a meet-and-greet with community leaders.
On Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, community members gathered at Simmons Hanly Conroy in Alton for a conversation with Strebel, who currently serves as the Third Ward Alderman. During the meet-and-greet, Strebel gave a speech that outlined his hopes for the City of Alton and his plan if elected to office.
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“I understand the responsibilities of a mayor, so I don’t take it lightly,” Strebel said. “I want to be very methodical about approaching it, and I want to make sure the things that matter to me are the same things that matter to all of Alton.”
He introduced himself as a third-generation Altonian who grew up in “a very modest household.” Strebel worked full-time for several municipalities, then began buying and restoring houses in Alton. He became the Third Ward Alderman in 2021.
“I do feel that the fact that we have this many people in here, that there is some level of frustration with the city government,” Strebel said during Thursday’s event. “We’ve been living a life of stagnation in this city, and now I honestly feel like we’re going into decline, and it needs to stop. We can’t continue to do business as usual. I think the first thing we need to do is reform government.”
He explained that he wants to “dismantle Council” and instead have each Alderman chair a standing committee. For example, the chair of the Public Safety Committee would work with the fire chief, the police chief and other community leaders who specialize in public safety so that “we have a collective voice,” Strebel said.
He added that he is “deeply, deeply concerned” with Alton’s declining population. He believes that if the population continues to decline, the city will have to either cut services or raise property taxes, neither of which Strebel wants to do.
Instead, he said that the city needs to “invest in our neighborhoods” by focusing on finance, public safety and infrastructure investment. He believes this will bring in more residents and support the entrepreneurs and small businesses.
“Don’t get me wrong; I love Starbucks…But that coffee shop is not going to save us economically,” Strebel added. “It starts with the small businesses.”
Those in attendance at the meet-and-greet were curious to hear what Strebel had to say. Stephanie Schrage, who has a master’s degree in public administration and policy, said that she has worked with Strebel on several projects before as a member of Alton Main Street. She was intrigued by his plan to restructure the City Council.
“I’m interested to hear more. He’s definitely sparked my interest,” Schrage said. “This race was going to be kind of contentious and different…I just wanted to hear what he had in mind.”
Lee Barham, who is running for First Ward Alderman, said his main concerns are Alton’s population decline, affordable housing and the revitalization of areas like Broadway and the St. Joseph’s Hospital. He looks forward to hearing more from all three of Alton’s mayoral candidates.
“I’m looking for a visionary,” Barham said. “We have three candidates running for mayor next year in 2025. I’m here to see which one of them can bring fruit to Alton, because Alton right now is dying on the vine.”
Incumbent David Goins, former mayor Brant Walker and Third Ward Alderman Ray Strebel are currently running for the mayor’s seat. The election will take place in April 2025.
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