You’ve probably never heard of Joe Lewis, Jr., the treasurer of East St. Louis.
The cash-strapped city is often in the headlines—sometimes nationally—as it deals with myriad problems, including crime, past illegal activity by elected officials and police officers, and pension and wages battles with firefighters.
One blogger even suggested that East St. Louis literally sell itself. (That was me, in a recent blog post.)
Through it all, Lewis says with his ever-present smile, “I keep a low profile—and make sure the city’s finances are in A-1 condition.”
With Lewis at the helm in the treasurer’s office, East St. Louis will soon lose the unflattering banner of “financially distressed.” It is the only Illinois city or town to be flagged with the title, and it goes back to a debt-restructuring plan that it entered in 1994. About $22 million in municipal bonds were issued that year, and they were refunded in 2010.
After former treasurer Charlotte Moore was elected to the St. Clair County Board of Review, Lewis was appointed to fill the remaining two years. He then ran for the office in 2011 and easily won over two other candidates, with more than 45 percent of ballots cast.
Faced with the city’s debt, Lewis went to work putting East St. Louis’ fiscal house in order. The final payment on the bonds will see the city leave the structured agreement a year ahead of schedule.
“It’s not just me," he says. "We have a lot of the right people in the right places, and they are doing the right things."
That has not always been true, but it never changed Lewis’ mind about returning to his hometown and making a difference.
After graduating from Lincoln High School as a scholar student and captain of the football team, Lewis attended the University of Kansas, my alma mater. I met him when I became a member of the student-equipment staff. He was a defensive back who was not a star, but he always practiced and played hard. He studied, pledged Kappa Alpha Psi, and worked for good on behalf of the African-American students on campus. “My life has always been consistent with prayer and respect for other people," he says. " It’s just who I am."
From KU, Lewis attended Dartmouth University, where he received a graduate degree in business. He worked with his family-owned printing-and-typesetting business in East St. Louis before serving as treasurer. Since then, his work has garnered national acclaim. He serves as parliamentarian for the Association of Public Treasurers in the United States and Canada.
Lewis says his service to the youth of the community is just as important as his political office and dedication to keeping East St. Louis’ finances in good condition.
On Monday, he met with representatives of the United State Tennis Association in planning for the upcoming 40 Days of Nonviolence movement that will take place January 25 through March 14, 2014. As part of the event, the United State Tennis Association plans to help provide new tennis rackets to East St. Louis students and introduce many of them to tennis. Also, the tennis courts at Lincoln Park will be refurbished and resurfaced. It is one of many “nonviolent” activities and programs that will take place during the 40 days, according to Lewis.
“The one thing that I have always been about is helping others," he says. "I love my job as treasurer. I don’t want to be in the headlines. I want to help the city, but just as importantly to me, I want to help our youth."
