GODFREY – Incumbent and Godfrey Mayor Pro Tem Karen McAtee is running for reelection in the April 2, 2019 election of Godfrey's village trustees.
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McAtee has been a banker since 1963 and has lived in Godfrey most of her life. After she retired, she said she became interested in local politics, and that interest led her to want to be a part of them. She is also on the board of Hayner Public Library and has worked with the Riverbend Growth Association Ambassadors program. She is running for reelection after her first term because she said she wants to finish programs she began with the current administration.
“I learned so much in my first term, I want to finish out what I started,” she said.
Among those projects is using money from the sale of the sewer system to help enhance the roads as well as the construction of a community center and the continued improvement of Godfrey's parks. McAtee said she would like to keep families and seniors in Godfrey while encouraging new growth.
In a statement provided to Riverbender.com, McAtee said she wanted to help balance Godfrey's demographics and encourage future growth.
“I want to finish up working on the parks,” she said. “We want to give people places to go without having to leave Godfrey.”
Some of those park improvements include better lighting at the baseball fields, multi-use paths and even pickle ball for people to play when they visit. She said these improvements have the approval of Norma Glazebrook, who was responsible for giving Godfrey one of its most-used parks named in her honor.
McAtee was recently named by Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick as one of three candidates he chose to endorse in a letter to the editor sent to local media. McAtee said she appreciated that endorsement and said Godfrey has a great administration staffed by good people.
“They work really hard and are dedicated,” she said. “The mayor is exceptionally pleasant to work with.”
As for the Lars Hoffman extension, a proposed road to connect Godfrey Road and West Delmar at I-255, McAtee said she supports its expansion, adding it would be a great opportunity to bring more businesses to Godfrey. She described the expansion as “an extension of us” in regards to Godfrey.
McAtee originally ran to separate the township and village in an effort to save taxpayers money. Voters did choose to dissolve that township during the last election. She also worked to sell the village's sewer system, which she described as antiquated, to someone with the means to keep operational.
McAtee is running against Ben Allen, Virginia Woulfe-Beile, Jerome Jacobs, Dr. Richard Jones and Joseph Springman III. Voters may choose up to three candidates during the election.
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