Gordon is a native of East St. Louis and a product of East St. Louis School DistrictWiley College in Marshall, Texas. He is recipient of the coveted “Distinguished Alumni of the University Award” from SIUE.
Gordon has served more than 30 years as a public servant. His local service includes: East St. Louis Precinct Committeeman and Vice-Chairman, City Central Democratic Committee; East St. Louis City Building Commissioner; East St. Louis City Treasurer; and legendary 2-term Mayor of East St. Louis (1991-1999).
As Mayor, Bush took over a city that was flat on its back: it had the highest homicide rate in America; all county, state and federal funds had been cut off due to mismanagement; City Hall had been taken away; no trash pickup in two years (40,000 truck loads of trash and over 1 million tires had been dumped in the city); frequent payless pay days; $80 million in debt, and the city had lost its riverboat casino license. Upon being sworn in, Mayor Bush immediately established a relationship with Governor Jim Edgar (who ultimately controlled all gaming licenses). Mayor Bush convinced the Governor that East St. Louis deserved an opportunity to rebuild itself. Two years later, after lots of hard work and prayers – and with the help of the citizens, the Casino Queen owners, the City Council, St. Clair County, and others, on June 23, 1993, Mayor Bush brought forth the greatest economic boom in the city’s history – Her Majesty, the Casino Queen. After years of prudent use of the new revenues from the Queen, Mayor Bush along with other leaders and his citizens brought fiscal solvency and efficient city services to the community. Mayor Bush also brought in a national builder to construct the largest private residential development in the City’s history - Parsons Place. In addition the $400 million in new construction during his two terms, Mayor Bush, through his close personal relationship with President Clinton, persuaded the president to allocate $100 million (Empowerment Zone) to East St. Louis and St. Louis. While serving as Mayor he was featured in Time Magazine and appeared on “Good Morning America.”
At the County level, Gordon served 10 years as Chairman and member of the St. Clair County Illinois Board of Review Member and Chairman, where he ensured that property tax reductions were as fair for all taxpayers. He was a member of the St. Clair County Mental Health Board; and served 8 years on the St. Clair Public Building Commission, where he ensured that minorities received 20% of the work in all phases of construction of the $300 million Mid-America Airport. He was appointed by the St. Clair County Board to the position of St. Clair County Assessor November 1, 2005, and elected to 4 year term November 7, 2006.
At the State level Dr. Bush served as Chief Liaison for Secretary of State Jesse White, Department of Senior and Community Services.
At the Federal level, Bush served as a Commissioned Officer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and as a Certified Senior Auditor, U.S. Army Audit Agency. Upon his retirement from the United States Army Lt. Col. Bush received a “Certificate of Appreciation” from President Bill Clinton for 29 years of Meritorious Military service, which included training in Europe, the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, VA, Fort Sill, OK and the 102nd United States Army Reserve (USAR), St. Louis, MO.
Mayor Bush moved East St. Louis to the national stage when he was invited by Honorable Minister Louis Farakahn to be a featured speaker at the “Million Man March”, in OK and the 102nd United States Army Reserve (USAR), St. Louis, MO.
Mayor Bush moved East St. Louis to the national stage when he was invited by Honorable Minister Louis Farakahn to be a featured speaker at the “Million Man March”, in Washington, DC in 1995.
In 1998, in recognition of Mayor Bush’s strong leadership, the 535 member National Conference of Black Mayors (NCBM) unanimously elected him President of that prestigious organization. As President of the Black Mayors, Gordon led several Mayoral trade delegations back to the “Motherland” – Ghana; Nigeria; Burkina Faso; and Cameroon.
In 1996, 12,000 students had been kept out of school for over 6 weeks due to a teachers strike. The Federal Mediators failed to get the teachers and the Board back to the bargaining table. Mayor Bush convened a meeting of all the parties and it was determined that $1 million dollars would settle the strike. He went to the City Council, and in a novel and unprecedented manner secured the $1 million from Tax Increment Finance and resolved the strike – putting the students back in the classrooms.
Dr. Bush is a 50 year member at Greater New Hope Baptist Church. He has been very active on numerous boards and organizations including: President of Foster Grandparents, Inc. of Southwest Illinois; Founding President, East St. Louis Youth Commission; member, Illinois Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities; past board member, Board of Directors East West Gateway Coordinating Council; past board member, Board of Directors, United Way of Greater St. Louis; life member, Kappa Alpha PSI Fraternity; life member NAACP; life member, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Alumni Association; life member, United States Army Reserve Officers Association; Shriner’s, Past Potentate and 33rd degree Mason. In 2002, in recognition of his dedicated service to the City of East St. Louis as Mayor, the City Council named Dr. Bush Mayor Emeritus of East St. Louis, IL.
As his legacy Mayor Bush leaves the Casino Queen; a new state of the art $4 million Public Library; a $100 million Empowerment Zone Grant. On September 7, 2006 the East St. Louis School Board opened the new $10 Million Gordon D. Bush Elementary School in his honor.
Mayor Bush stated when he retired as Mayor in 1999 “East St. Louis is not what it could be, and it’s not what it should be, but thank GOD Almighty, it isn’t what it used to be”.
Gordon has been married for 35 years to Brenda, and they have two children Tami and Dallon.
Dallon is a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi bond and he crossed the “burning sands into Kappa land on April 8, 1999” at the University of Illinois.
