Godfrey Mayor Retires from Great Rivers & Routes Board

GODFREY - Godfrey Mayor Mike McCormick is stepping down from the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Board of Directors to focus on his mayoral duties.

The board, which oversees the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, will be saying goodbye to McCormick after more than 20 years of service.

“My main job is being the mayor of the Village of Godfrey, but I’ve really enjoyed watching the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Board and how they’ve grown through the years,” McCormick said. “I have enjoyed the time I spent on the board, but it’s time for me to move on.”

McCormick originally joined the board as a business owner. He owned Imo’s Pizza in North Alton before he accepted the job of mayor 14 years ago.

“People needed somebody to represent the restaurant industry in the local area, and asked me to go on the board,” McCormick said.

Over the next 20 years, he watched the Great Rivers & Routes group expand into the tourism bureau that it is today. While he’s sad to go, McCormick noted how proud he is of the bureau’s growth, much of which he attributes to the presidents. He served on the selection committees that hired the previous two Great Rivers & Routes presidents, including current president Cory Jobe.

“Cory Jobe came in and took us way, way, way to the next level. [The bureau is] serving a great portion of the state of Illinois, and they’re doing a great job of it and promoting our area,” McCormick said.

The Board of Directors is made up of 20 local leaders and business owners. When this year’s nominating committee asked McCormick if he planned to stay on the board, he decided it was a good time to step down.

McCormick said he will be focusing on the projects in Godfrey, including a new bike trail that will connect LaVista and Glazebrook Parks. He’s particularly proud of Godfrey’s parks and their recent improvements.

“Driving by there in the evening and seeing all those kids out there enjoying it, seeing the adults out there playing pickleball, it just makes one feel good,” he said.

To learn more about the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau, visit their website. You can read more about Godfrey’s upcoming projects at the Village of Godfrey website.

“Once again, my main responsibility is being the mayor of the Village of Godfrey,” McCormick added. “I need to dedicate my time to that because we’ve got a lot of nice things happening here in the Village of Godfrey, and I definitely want to be a part of that.”

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