ST. LOUIS — The mayor and first responders in Washington Park, Illinois are asking state leaders for support and surrounding communities for donations.
Mayor Leonard Moore said it’s been a challenge keeping the city running without a public safety building. It burned down in late October.
“Every time they come down, they ask for citizen support to get elected,” Moore said. “As soon as the polls close that's the last, we hear of them. We need help, our citizens need help. When I say we aren't getting any help, we literally are not getting any help.”
The mayor said he feels like his city is an afterthought to state leaders. He estimates it will take several million dollars to replace the building and equipment lost.
The fire department was especially hit hard by the tragedy.
"If we can find a way to get the finances, we need in the village of Washington Park, we could be like Belleville or Caseyville,” said Ronnie Harris, assistant fire chief. “If up the hill helped down the hill it would be a better community in St. Clair County as a whole."
He’s thankful immediately after the fire, communities from across the state sent equipment. He’s happy a local business is letting the department use their space to store trucks. But nothing lasts forever.
"The trucks aren't the best but they get the job done,” Harris said. “If you call 911 we get up out of our sleep and respond."
Since the fire, half of the firefighters have quit.
The mayor said the police department needs to fill positions as well.
Washington Park leaders are calling on neighboring communities to send any donations they can. The mayor is directly calling on elected state leaders to step up and send help.
State Sen. Christopher Belt, a Democrat, released a statement Tuesday night that said he and Reps. LaToya Greenwood and Jay Hoffman, also both Democrats, "quickly came together to pledge our support to work with Mayor Leonard Moore to remedy the situation."
“During a meeting with the mayor on Jan. 13, Hoffman, Greenwood and I made him aware there has been various discussions with the governor’s office relative to finding a remedy for the loss of Washington Park’s public safety building.
"I have acted swiftly with every request, specifically for funding, but it cannot be allocated immediately. Together, Hoffman, Greenwood and I have allocated $200,000 to Washington Park.
"Here we are a month after meeting with the mayor, receiving backlash for misinformation. Leaders Hoffman, Greenwood and I stand together, as we told Mayor Moore, that we are committed to rebuilding the public safety building that was lost in a fire.”