Realtor, former City Council member announces plans to run for Hannibal mayor

HANNIBAL, Mo. – Kristy Trevathan announced Thursday morning she will run for Hannibal Mayor during a gathering at Riverview Park.

A special election for Hannibal City Mayor will take place on Nov. 7. Candidates can file petitions on July 11 through Aug. 1.

The person elected will finish former Mayor James Hark’s term, which runs through April 25. Hark resigned on June 6, citing expanding work duties at a local towing company will hinder his ability to serve as Hannibal’s mayor.  

Mayor Pro Tem Mike Dobson now is serving as mayor. He also has expressed a possible run for the Hannibal Mayor.

Trevathan, 69, is a Hannibal native and a 1971 graduate of Hannibal High School. She graduated in 1976 from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She has been a realtor with Prestige Realty since 1989. She said her role as a real estate agent gives her a unique perspective.

“I have made selling Hannibal as important as selling the property,” she said. “Hannibal is our hometown, and some of you know how much I care about Hannibal. I don’t just talk about it. I do it.”

If elected mayor, Trevathan said her main goal would be to restore civility and improve relationships on Hannibal City Council.

“I want to build a foundation of thoughtful and professional decision making. Hannibal is our hometown. We can’t expect new businesses and existing businesses to invest here when we don’t make progress. We need to instill confidence again that City Hall is aiming for a better Hannibal,” Trevathan told the crowd as she was supported by family and friends.

Trevathan, who served on Hannibal City Council during the 1990s, has attended meetings and recently spoke at length to the council members about what she felt was “negative energy” emerging from City Hall.

Trevathan said the meetings have fueled her run for mayor.

“I have been watching and going to meetings, and I decided we needed a change. I feel that I have experience, and I am slowing down in my real estate business, so I have some time to devote to it,” she said. 

Trevathan said she wants to be proud of her hometown, and there are times she hasn’t. She says she does not plan to run a negative or mudslinging campaign. Instead, she says she will talk about making positive change.

“I want to build a foundation of thoughtful and professional decision making. Hannibal is our hometown. We can’t expect new businesses and existing businesses to invest here when we don’t make progress,” she said. “We need to instill confidence again that City Hall is aiming for a better Hannibal.”

Trevathan said she has been researching and working with the city on plans that she will unveil as she campaigns. She also laid out plans to make rounds to meet city employees and learn about their needs.

“We need to thank the 72 workers at (Hannibal Board of Public Works) who keep our water safe, our toilets flowing and our lights on,” she said. “We also need to thank the 128 firefighters, police, street, park workers and support staff who make our lives safe and comfortable.”

Steve Ayers, owner of Ayers Pottery in downtown Hannibal for more than 50 years, said he has known Trevathan for 40 years and believes she will make a great candidate.

“She has always worked to improve. She was a councilwoman, she brought recycling to our community. She has always been out in front,” he said. 

Ayers said Trevathan is “the energy behind all the flowers downtown.” 

“This is a much tougher job, but what I really hope she gets out of all this is the support she needs,” he said, pointing to the crowd gathered for the announcement. “I look around and know most of these people. Everyone here has spent their lives working to make Hannibal better.

“The only way to fix Hannibal’s problems is to fix the problems.” 

Trevathan believes working together is the key to building the Hannibal she envisions.

“First, we need to work together as a community and build a vision of what we want. I want Hannibal to be the best small town, not just in Missouri but in America,” she said. “Guess what? I think we can do it.”

Trevathan was a public school teacher until she and her late husband, Jeff Trevathan, started River City Restorations with Jean and Scott Meyer. She serves on seven boards and has been involved in Hannibal development since she returned from college in 1976.

Trevathan also is the director of the Hannibal Tree Board. She led the group to plant 93 trees on a field in South Main in Hannibal in April.

A press release issued Thursday morning showed a list of more than 200 people endorsing Trevathan’s campaign. A ceremonial first donation of $2,500 came from Scott Gollaher, a Hannibal native, former Hannibal firefighter and business owner.  

“I’m grateful for the early support, but this is just the beginning. We’re going to run a fun positive campaign and make contact with every single person in Hannibal,” Trevathan said.