Meet Frankfort Village President Candidate: Keith Ogle

FRANKFORT, IL — Keith Ogle is one of two candidates running for Village President of Frankfort. Ogle owns a commercial audiovisual business in Frankfort, and is currently a Village Trustee for Frankfort. He has previously served as a Frankfort library trustee and as village clerk.

Ogle recently filled out the Patch candidate survey, and his answers can be found below:

If you are a candidate for the April election, and would like to answer our Patch candidate questionnaire, please email andrea.earnest@patch.com.

Name:

Keith Ogle

Age (as of Election Day):

58

Town/City of Residence:

Frankfort

Office Sought:

Village board (Mayor)

Party Affiliation (if a partisan race):

Non-partisan

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education:

M.B.A. Morehead State University; Western Illinois University; Joliet Junior College

Occupation:

Owns a commercial audio-visual company located in Frankfort since 2004

Campaign website: Can be found here.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

Frankfort Village Trustee 2015 to Present; former village clerk; Frankfort Departmental Operations Committee 2007-2015; Flagstone HOA president 2008-2009; former Frankfort Library Board president and trustee; former Chamber of Commerce president, vice president, secretary, and Business Expo chair and co-chair; former chair of the Fall Festival

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Frankfort's biggest issue has to do with economic development. Since 43 percent of our revenue comes from sales tax, increasing our economic base will pay for infrastructure improvements, road resurfacing, public safety initiatives and trail expansion. One important thing I will do as mayor is to hire a professional Economic Development Director that will help keep and retain businesses in Frankfort. Further, I want to create an advisory Economic Development Council. This council will combine residents and businesses with a goal of working together to tackle important issues in our downtown area. Finally, developing more homes and shops along central Route 30 corridor will keep our tax revenues going up to provide tax relief to residents and businesses by creating new revenues and tax dollars.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

I support everyone's Constitutional right to free speech and the right of the people to peaceably assemble. I do not support violence or destruction of property.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

I think the current board is doing all it can to support racial equality, but there is always room for improvement and to seek to understand each other better.

What are your thoughts on the national and local coronavirus response? Do you favor measures such as limiting operation of non-essential businesses and restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a local mask mandate?

Governor Pritzker just released a plan for gradually reopening the State as widely expanded eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine is made available to Illinois residents 16 and older, so the focus will now shift on how to rebuild, not only the businesses that were damaged by the restrictions, but also rebuild the morale and psyche of our residents.

What are your thoughts on the state and local coronavirus vaccine distribution, and how do you think local governments should work together to handle vaccine rollout?

The vaccine distribution by the state has been widely criticized, but is finally catching up. Better communication with the local units of government would have greatly improved the rollout.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

There are several differences between myself and my opponent. First is experience. I was appointed by Mayor Jim Holland back in 2007 to serve on the departmental operations committee. Since then, I have served as Village Clerk and now Village Trustee for a total of 14 years. The second difference between us has to do with our vision for Frankfort. I have a very detailed plan on moving Frankfort forward and my platform includes four areas including public safety, infrastructure, economic development and social and cultural vibrancy. The residents who know me know I conduct myself with the utmost honor and integrity and I think that is the kind of person residents should want running their village. I have been fully transparent in answering questions by residents. Finally, I have filed all proper campaign disclosure requirements so residents know who is supporting my campaign.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

This is an open seat due to the retirement of Mayor Jim Holland.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Shortly after I announced for mayor, I put together a comprehensive platform to give residents and voters a chance to learn more about my vision for the village. The bulleted items are part of my initial platform and the sentences following those bullets are a result of my interacting with voters and doing more research on the topics.

Public Safety:
■ Completion of hiring additional police officers
■ Continuing to improve Community Based Policing Strategies
■ Increasing communication/outreach between Police personnel and residents

In addition, after speaking with other law enforcement officials in the village and surrounding communities I am also going to expand a relatively new technology for visually identifying vehicles and persons involved in criminal activity. The Flock Camera System can record 15,000 vehicles per day per camera to allow police to quickly track vehicles and catch suspects when a crime is committed.

Finally, I also intend to expand the police department investigations division to target cyber-crime and senior citizens scams, which often involve electronic funds transfers that need to be tracked and reversed immediately.

Infrastructure:

■ Continue pursuing grant funding for village projects
■ Implement aggressive street resurfacing program
■ Replacing and improving water mains in neighborhoods

Economic Development:

■ Hiring professional Economic Development Director
■ Creating advisory Economic and Downtown Development Council
■ Developing homes and shops along Central Route 30 corridor
Social and Cultural Vibrancy
■ Expand village programs and events to year-round*
■ Supporting growth of amenities promoting healthy lifestyles and quality-of-life in Frankfort*
■ Increasing connectivity of the trail network- including links to regional trails- to support
the comfort of both recreational and destination-based bicycle and pedestrian trips*
*Part of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan passed by the village.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Accomplishments include building a library annex on-time and on-budget without raising taxes, working on a committee to implement a downtown revitalization plan and working on the $60 million dollar waste water treatment consolidation project, the largest project undertaken by the village so far. It is nearing completion and expected to come in under budget. In the leadership positions that I have held, I have always tried to help women ascend to leadership roles on these boards.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

I would consider my term in office successful if I am able to implement my platform. I expect to implement the elements of our Comprehensive 2040 Plan, and there will be new buildings and roads and trails. If I can mentor and prepare the next group of leaders to guide Frankfort, I would consider that a success as well.

Why should voters trust you?

Voters should trust me because they know me. I have been an active member of the community since we moved here. They know that I am honest, transparent and accountable. I have a proven record of leadership and accountability to the voters. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions, that may not be popular, but I have always put the best interests of our residents and the good of the community ahead of my own personal preferences.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

I believe in a conservative approach to budgeting and that we are to be conscientious stewards of the taxpayers dollars. My voting record and the financial strength of the Village reflects my belief in fiscal accountability. In addition, I would run the village operations with the oversight and diligence that I run my own business.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Leave things better than you found them.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My wife Kim and I just celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary. We raised two wonderful daughters who went through the Lincoln-Way school system. We understand firsthand the challenges of raising a family as working parents. Frankfort is the kind of town we chose to live in and raise our family, and as Mayor I want it to be a welcoming place that others will choose as well.