Peoria activist and community organizer Chama St. Louis says she's running for Peoria mayor next year.
St. Louis said one out of every four Peorians live in or near poverty, and more are only one or two missed paychecks away.
"Simply put, this means our elected leaders have failed all of us. And if our leaders continue to fail to act, this will only get worse," she said in a Facebook video announcing her candidacy Saturday.
St. Louis, an African-American woman, said political power has been held for too long by wealthy, white men in Peoria.
"Often, we hear about being invited to the table. But far too often, that isn't a table built for us, where everyone has power and influence," she said. "So we need to rebuild the table."
Incumbent Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis was first elected in 2005. St. Louis helped run the campaign of Couri Thomas, who lost to Ardis 55 to 45 percent in 2017.
The next Peoria mayoral election is in April 2021.
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