Creating partnerships. Building relationships.

It’s an old cliché but Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller will tell you that ‘teamwork truly does make the dream work.’  Creating partnerships and building relationships with federal, state, and local government leaders and entities has played a critical role in the city of Freeport’s success as Jodi and her team work to rebuild Freeport’s infrastructure, reinvest in its neighborhoods, and retool its local economy.

“From very early on in my tenure as mayor I realized that we couldn’t move Freeport forward without help,” says Jodi. “I made it my mission to make sure we had relationships with our senators, congressmen, governor, state representatives, and local county officials that we could leverage to help us overcome some of our long-standing challenges.”

Jodi points to the strong relationship the city has developed over the past several years with current Democratic Congressman Eric Sorensen and the growing relationship that has developed between the city and the Stephenson County Board.  

“The city of Freeport and our county government have always had a symbiotic relationship with each other.  The success of one relies upon the success of the other and when one fails, we both fail,” explains Jodi. “Whether it was former Chairman Bill Hadley or newly elected Chairman Scott Helms, I’d like to think the city and county are now on the same page and working together for the betterment of all of Stephenson County.

Jodi points to the recent resurfacing of Locust Avenue as a joint project between the city and the county as a sign of mutual collaboration.

By working with Stephenson County Board Chairman Scott Helms and District C County Board Member Lou Ann Hayes, the city was successful in obtaining a $500,000 grant from the county to resurface Locust Avenue in Freeport.

“We simply could not have gotten that project off the ground and completed without the help of Chairman Helms, Lou Ann, and the Stephenson County Board,” admits Jodi. “It was a great project to work together on and I look forward to many more of those in the future.”