April 16, 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

Gherna resigns from village board

July 11, 2019

July 11, 2019

Andy Gherna is resigning from the St. Joseph Village Board. Gherna announced that the July 23 board meeting will be...

Village reminds residents not to dump at burn site

June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020

St. Joseph Public Works is reminding residents that it is illegal to dump brush or garbage outside of the St....

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Aug. 12, 2025

August 12, 2025

August 12, 2025

They honored Lowell Suits who is retiring as Zoning administrator. I interviewed Lowell and will have a story later this...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, Jan. 11, 2021

January 11, 2022

January 11, 2022

Village administrator Joe Hackney saying they need to have more cash on hand in the accounts instead of CDs because...

‘I love feeling a part of the community’

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

Almost a year ago exactly, The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the naming and grand opening of...

Live at Ogden Village Board, July 7, 2022

July 7, 2022

July 7, 2022

Discussing a parking lease downtown for Hartke. I got here four minutes late and they were really going at it...

Wife Tribe looks to help those in need

August 5, 2019

August 5, 2019

The St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Wife Tribe wants to bring the community together. The group, founded this summer, was created by...

‘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...

5 Question Friday with Drama Director Chandler Dalton

October 28, 2022

October 28, 2022

The SJO drama department is producing “The Internet is Distract—Oh look a kitten!” Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at...

Krall joins Longview Bank

April 22, 2021

April 22, 2021

Brad Krall is coming home. Krall is now the Loan Officer and Mortgage Lender at Longview Bank in St. Joseph....

5 questions with Republican Caucus candidate Max Painter

December 2, 2024

December 2, 2024

1. What made you want to run? I had initially planned to retire after this term, but I’ve reconsidered due...

Mondays with the Mayor… Ray Cunningham

January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019

Every Monday we will ask a Mayor from an area village to answer three questions. This week it is Homer...

Get to know Adam Niemerg, write in candidate in the 102nd district

March 19, 2024

March 19, 2024

Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your family? I am a Teutopolis native, and my family and...

‘Scouting has been such a wonderful experience for me’

January 19, 2023

January 19, 2023

Sara Steffens’ Gold Award project is personal. The Ogden Girl Scout was inspired by her sister. “I learned that the...

Get to know Greg Smith

March 22, 2025

March 22, 2025

Greg Smith is running for St. Joseph Township Trustee. Biographical information My name is Greg Smith, I am a current...

Comments
Leave a Reply