Trevathan says top goal is restoring civility with City Council if elected as Hannibal mayor

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The campaign trail for Hannibal Mayor Candidate Kristy Trevathan had a rainy start during her launch party Wednesday night, but spirits were not dampened. 

A packed house gathered under the pavilion at the Hannibal Riverfront to hear Trevathan’s goals if elected as Hannibal mayor.

The window to file as a candidate in the Nov. 7 special election expired at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Trevathan, Barry Lauderman and Stephen Colyar are the candidates to finish former Mayor James Hark’s term, which expires April 2025. Hark said he resigned in June because of expanding work duties at his job at a local towing company.

Trevathan has spent the last two weeks meeting 24 members of the Hannibal Fire Department as part of her goal to improve employee morale and retention. She plans to continue these visits with as many of the 128 city employees she can.

“The one-on-one conversations were so informative. During the last visit, a fire alarm rang, and I witnessed our dedicated firefighters in action. Within seconds, they were ready and the trucks left Station 1,” she said.

Trevathan said her top goal is to restore civility and improve decision making within the Hannibal City Council. To do that, she believes councilmen must explore new revenue sources and take time for study and review before taking action.

“Having a vision, developing plans and finally implementing them takes thoughtful civic-minded members,” she said. “I look at this riverfront and know that after the flood of 1993, many of us gathered together to plan a new look through the Marty Meyer 1995 Riverfront Master Plan. Fast forward to 2020 and over $6 million investment, and we can witness the good things Hannibal can accomplish.”

Trevathan also has met with Maria Kuhns, the newly appointed Hannibal Regional Economic Development Council executive director, regarding the 100 acres bought in 1995 on Highway MM for an industrial park. Trevathan served on Hannibal City Council at the time it was purchased. The area remains vacant today.

“We must be proactive in filling this park. Retaining our current industrial employers and attracting new businesses is critical to our future,” she said. “We need to be open to other avenues of economic growth. Building a creative economy ties together with tourism. Entrepreneurship is another exciting path to business development.”

Other goals laid out by Trevathan were to maintain clean, vibrant and safe neighborhoods and encourage community involvement.

Dena Ellis, treasurer for Trevathan’s campaign, said during Wednesday’s event that what stands out about Trevathan is her love for Hannibal.

“We have some serious issues in Hannibal that need to be addressed, and everyone needs to be on the same page,” she said. “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Kristy will do whatever it takes to turn things around in Hannibal and make us all proud again of our beautiful little hometown.”

Ellis said the Trevathan Campaign has received donations from as far as Maine, Iowa City, and New Orleans from people who have deep roots in Hannibal. A press release received June 28 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. 

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.

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. She plans to continue checking on the trees if elected mayor.