(East St. Louis, IL) — There’s an interesting election being held today in the Metro East. Incumbent East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks is facing some tough opposition. His foes are Councilwoman Emeka Jackson-Hicks and local business owner Courtney Hoffman. Parks also has a slight disadvantage because he was removed from the ballot by the Illinois Supreme Court for not having enough qualifying signatures and was forced to run as a write-in candidate.