Networking pays dividends for Freeport

Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller will freely admit that networking was not always her strong suit. As a
lifelong resident of Stephenson County, a member of the Alber Family, and a local business owner, Jodi
says, for most of her adult life, the mother of three took great comfort in the familiar.
But once Jodi was elected mayor of Freeport in 2017, she knew that networking and getting comfortable
with new people and new places was going to be part of the job.
“Growing up, my family played a very important role in my life,” says Jodi. “Even today some of my best
friends are my aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. In my day we didn’t travel too far outside of
our family and the communities we called home.”
Jodi jokes that networking and meeting new people usually took place at an Alber Family event or at
their beloved Union Dairy Ice Cream Shop.
But as mayor, Jodi has learned that networking within professional groups that focus on effective local
government has become a valuable tool in making connections and learning about funding resources for
Freeport.
“Networking is a great way for us in Freeport to learn what other communities like Freeport are doing to
resolve their challenges,” says Jodi. “We’ve been able to learn quite a bit from our networking
partners—including available grants and other financial resources to help with the cost of those
solutions.”
Jodi is a current board member of and represents the city of Freeport on the National League of Cities,
the Illinois Municipal League (IML), the IML Legislative Committee, the Public Safety and Crime
Prevention Federal Advocacy Committee, the Northern Illinois Council of Government, the Rockford
University Women in Leadership Program, Birth to Five Illinois Region 8 Action Council, and the
Northern Illinois Land Bank Authority.