April 7, 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

Live at St. Joseph Village Board Oct. 26

October 26, 2021

October 26, 2021

I am live at village board so you don’t have to be. Visit Champaign County is here. I feel like...

Cooper looks to make a difference in Ogden

April 5, 2021

April 5, 2021

Kelly Cooper wants to make a difference in Ogden.  That is why she ran for village board in 2017 and...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board July 12, 2022

July 12, 2022

July 12, 2022

Jim Page, Synthia Snydor, Tracy Sharp, Craig Harper and Mike Voges are here with the usual crew. MX electric sponsors...

Get to know Jim O’Brien

March 12, 2025

March 12, 2025

Jim is running for the St. Joseph Grade School Board. What motivated you to run for school board?  I am...

Senior Spotlight… Joey Acton

July 9, 2019

July 9, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we talked to Joey Acton. This post is sponsored...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, May 23,2023

May 23, 2023

May 23, 2023

It’s a big night. They are going to approve the sewer plant expansion and upgrade. (unless someone totally throws me...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board Jan. 26, 2021

January 26, 2021

January 26, 2021

We are zooming here tonight. In case you didn’t hear Jack Flash has pulled their request for a pour license...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board March 23, 2021

March 23, 2021

March 23, 2021

We are here. This could be a pretty amazing meeting. LIQUOR LICENSE TIME. We are moving the agenda around so...

Novak hopes butterfly garden benefits community

October 14, 2019

October 14, 2019

Heidi Novak isn’t a gardner. However, that didn’t stop the 2019 St. Joseph-Ogden High School graduate from creating a butterfly...

10 things you don’t know about me… Jeff Damler

May 27, 2022

May 27, 2022

Jeff Damler, is the Senior Vice President, Loan Officer, Branch Manager at Longview Bank in St. Joseph. Here are 10...

Get to know senior SJO Marching Band member Jo Schmitz

October 21, 2022

October 21, 2022

My favorite thing about marching band is the community. I made my best friends through the program. My favorite memory...

‘There was a spunk and tenacity to her that would never quit, concede or fail’

February 2, 2023

February 2, 2023

Tiffany Kelley was many things. A loving mother. A great friend. An inspiration and a fighter. The St. Joseph resident...

SJO School Board Candidate Les Hoveln Q and A

March 30, 2019

March 30, 2019

There are five candidates running for four open seats on the SJO School Board. Why are you running for school...

10 Things You Don’t Know about me Nikki Setterdahl

December 8, 2020

December 8, 2020

For years, Nikki Setterdahl and her daughter Whitney have been bringing joy to teens at Barnes-Jewish Hospital through their project...

Friends hope to help Heritage alumni battle illness

February 15, 2019

February 15, 2019

Heritage alumni Anya Knecht makes food for her friends, family and coworkers. She sends cards and handmade gifts to others....

Comments
Leave a Reply