January 19, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

‘Wanting to serve this community has been my passion’

Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges cares about St. Joseph.


It is why she is running for reelection tonight at the Republican Caucus.


“St. Joseph has been my home for the majority of my life,” she said. “My roots to this community go back many years, so wanting to serve this community has been my passion. I would like my fellow residents to know that I’m one of you and wanting what’s best for our community is my top priority as your Mayor.  I’m blessed to live in such a great community and thankful to call it my home.  I look forward to sharing a smile with each and everyone of you hopefully in the very near future.”


Fruhling-Voges said as a trustee and now mayor she has always wanted to do her part to see that the village would be a great place to call home for many generations to come.


The pandemic has changed the Mayor’s short-term focus to making sure her residents stay healthy and the village does what they can to help small businesses. She is also focused on keeping the sewer plant expansion on target and planning ahead for more stormwater improvements throughout the village.


“My list is quite extensive of things that I would like to see improved, updated and planned,” she said.


Her number one long-term goal is to someday have a community building to serve the needs of village residents.


“The best part of serving the community is being able to look around and feel proud to know that I had a small part of the teamwork to make those accomplishments possible,” she said.


Fruhling-Voges said one of the most challenging parts of her job is not having enough hours to move projects forward in a consistent, efficient and timely fashion. 


“The Mayor’s position currently takes on many administrative responsibilities that require daily attention,” she said.  “My role as mayor should be with things such as; making myself available to the residents, visiting with the youth in the community, advocating for the village to new businesses, and working with our current businesses to help them succeed.”


Fruhling-Voges said that is why she thinks now is the time for the village to hire an administrator.


“ I get so excited thinking about the potential of this great community, but the challenge is keeping things moving forward.  My team of employees and trustees do a great job, but having someone in place to pull it all together consistently will give each of us the ability to accomplish more for the Village of St. Joseph.”

Photo by Bryce Herrin

Banner
Related Posts

Village hopes to accommodate restaurants for outdoor seating

May 26, 2020

May 26, 2020

The Village of St. Joseph is hoping to help its restaurants in any way it can. Governor JB Pritzker announced...

We the People holding one final fundraiser

April 2, 2019

April 2, 2019

There is one final chance to help the St. Joseph-Ogden We the People Civics Team fund their trip to Nationals...

Village purchases 25 acres of land near sewer plant

September 12, 2023

September 12, 2023

$750,000. 25 acres. In July the Village of St. Joseph entered into a purchase agreement with the Pritchard family of...

La Luna Cafe closed, new business expected to open

February 27, 2019

February 27, 2019

La Luna Cafe, located at 208 Main Street in St. Joseph, had numerous issues after it was sold to Ranjia...

Get to know Dan Thompson

March 21, 2025

March 21, 2025

Dan Thompson is running for St. Joseph Grade School Board. What motivated you to run for school board? I was...

Village votes no on TIF

February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019

After two years, the answer is no. The village of St. Joseph has voted not to proceed with a residential...

Group asking for feedback on community building proposal

January 27, 2020

January 27, 2020

Almost exactly a year ago, St. Joseph resident Jim Page presented the St. Joseph Village Board with a plan to...

Foundation wants Community Building at Woodard Park

July 22, 2024

July 22, 2024

A foundation has been created to bring a community building to St. Joseph. The St. Joseph Recreation Foundation was registered...

Richards hopes to make difference as Homer mayor

April 6, 2021

April 6, 2021

Jeremy Richards has plans for Homer.  That is why he is running for mayor in the April 6 election.  “I...

‘I am proud of all of us’ by Kristen Costa

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

To the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Class of 2020, when I began writing this speech, I didn’t even know where...

Sewing it all together: Hartman taking part in Project Run and Play

March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022

Growing up, St. Joseph resident Emily Hartman used to watch her mother and grandmother sew.They would create one-of-a-kind, custom-made clothes...

The Importance of Sunscreen

July 8, 2021

July 8, 2021

By: Will Miller, PA-C, Christie Clinic Department of Dermatology Summer has come and everyone is out and enjoying the sun....

Board to decide on new liquor license classification tonight

January 28, 2020

January 28, 2020

Tonight, the St. Joseph Village Board will discuss and vote on whether to create a new liquor classification that would...

10 things you don’t know about me… Yasmin Rietmann

March 27, 2019

March 27, 2019

Yasmin Rietmann helps customers at St. Joseph Automotive in addition to raising her three kids and much more. This post...

Senior Spotlight with Jordan Stiverson

October 2, 2019

October 2, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we spoke to Jordan Stiverson. 1. What is the...

Comments
Leave a Reply