Frankfort Voters To Choose Mayor, Trustees: April 1 Election

FRANKFORT, IL — Election Day is here, and voters will decide on several local races, including the Frankfort Village President and Frankfort Village Trustees. There are two candidates running for mayor and four candidates running for three open positions on the Frankfort Village Board.

Patch also offered a candidate survey to all candidates, and several candidates filled them out. (Surveys will be linked to candidates below):

• Village President (vote for one)
  • Keith Ogle (incumbent)
  • Justin Ozinga
• Village Trustee (vote for three)
  • Michael Leddin (incumbent)
  • Daniel Rossi (incumbent)
  • Eugene Savaria (incumbent)
  • Todd Morgan

Ogle is seeking his second term as mayor. He has previously served as a Trustee from 2015 to 2021.

In his Patch survey, he said that the most pressing issues facing Frankfort are infrastructure, public safety and maintaining our high quality of life.

When asked why voters should trust him, Ogle said, "Voters should trust me because I have a proven track record of delivering on the promises I made four years ago. I ran on a platform, and I not only met those goals but exceeded them. Additionally, with nearly two decades of public service to the village, I have built a reputation for making decisions that prioritize the best interests of our residents."

Ozinga, who announced his run for mayor in September, is the co-owner and Chief Business Development Officer for Ozinga Bros., Inc.

“Many residents and community leaders share my frustrations with the current mayor. Over the past four years, we’ve seen too many broken promises and short-sighted decisions that have limited Frankfort’s future. Others have mentioned a lack of transparency and unnecessary divisiveness that prevents our village government from serving the community’s best interests,” Ozinga said in a release in September.

Leddin, Rossi and Savaria are all seeking another term as Trustee; all were elected in 2021.

In his Patch survey, Leddin said, "Our greatest responsibilities are finding the right balance of maintaining the charm of our Village, providing the highest level of services to our residents, keeping our taxes low, looking for ways to generate additional tax revenue, all while looking for new businesses to fill gaps and provide products and services that would be of value to our residents."

When asked why voters should trust him, he said, "I do not have an agenda other than to do what I believe is best for our residents and I keep their interests (which are essentially the same as mine) in mind with each decision that I make."

Morgan, who previously served for 14 years on the Board as a Trustee, said one of the most pressing issues facing Frankfort is, "we continue to lose and or attract quality developments to other communities."

He added that he is seeking to rejoin the Board so he can finish what he started.

"What I bring is 14 years of proven experience, knowledge and history that is so lacking, all the past leadership is gone in great minds like Cindy Heath, Dick Trevarthan, Mike Stevens, Jim Holland, etc. That historical vision and perspective are gone. With that lack of depth, decisions and policy are like a rudderless ship. I plan on bringing back stability and clear leadership to the board," he said.

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on April 1. If you are already in line to vote when the polls close, you can still vote — so don't leave!

If you don't know your polling place, find it here.