Freeport Council Reviews Fifth Lease Renewal With Mayor’s Relative
FREEPORT, IL – September 03, 2025
A taxpayer-owned downtown property once again sits at the center of controversy after the Freeport City Council held the first reading of Ordinance #2025-53 this week. The ordinance authorizes a fifth renewal of the city’s lease agreement with Peter Alber, a close relative of Mayor Jodi Miller, for commercial property at 103–111 S. Liberty Avenue.
If approved, the lease would extend for another year beginning September 15, 2025, at a cost of just $2,000 annually—an amount unchanged since 2022 and equal to only $166.66 per month. This rate is far below market value for downtown space and comes at a time when residents have faced extreme property tax increases as well as 2 sales taxes increases imposed by the Miller administration in the past year.
A Long History of Discounted Rent
The lease dates back to September 2020, when Alber began renting the space for only $1,000 per year. From 2022 onward, the rent was doubled but capped at $2,000 annually. Over the last five years, city records show no improvements have been made to the property. The current renewal also grants Alber the option to purchase the building, though no terms have been made public.
Concerns Over Transparency
City Manager Rob Boyer presented the renewal to the council, stating that no one other than Alber had expressed interest in the space. When pressed, Boyer admitted that the city has made no effort to advertise the property for lease or sale. Instead, he suggested that anyone interested could search public records themselves.
Council members raised concerns. Alderwoman Stacy questioned how the public could be expected to know about opportunities that were never advertised. Alderman Sanders repeated concerns he voiced last year about how the lease rate was determined and what the building is worth. Alderwoman Johnson asked what alternatives existed if the lease was not renewed. Boyer’s response was that no other inquiries had been made—an unsurprising answer given that no effort was ever made to seek them.
Mayor Deflects, Then Gets Caught
Mayor Miller offered little comment but referred questions about property availability to the Greater Freeport Partnership (GFP), claiming the nonprofit could provide information on available properties. Fighting4Freeport investigated that claim directly. A review of the GFP’s official property listings website revealed no record of 103–111 S. Liberty Avenue being available for lease or sale. View Property Listings
That discovery not only undermines the mayor’s statement but highlights a troubling pattern. Time and again, Miller has misdirected both the council and the public, shifting responsibility elsewhere rather than answering directly. In this case, her own referral led to documentation that contradicted her claim.
A Pattern of Conflict and Misdirection
The core issue in Freeport is not simply that the mayor’s family or friends lease property from the city or win city contracts. Freeport is a small, and even shrinking, city where such arrangements are bound to occur. What creates the ongoing controversy—and points to a clear conflict of interest—is the mayor’s refusal to be transparent about her relationships.
All that is expected of the city’s top elected official is simple disclosure. Mayor Miller should begin every discussion where a relative, friend, or business partner is involved by acknowledging the relationship and recusing herself from participation in both discussion and vote. Instead, she has consistently stayed silent, leaving the public to discover these connections after the fact.
The responsibility does not end with the mayor. The city council must also reclaim its authority and fulfill its duty to taxpayers by closely reviewing and understanding these contracts. Allowing City Manager Rob Boyer to declare “open season” on public assets—without oversight, public bidding, or transparency—only deepens public mistrust and perpetuates the cycle of backroom deals.
What Comes Next
The second reading and final vote on Ordinance #2025-53 will be held at the September 15, 2025 council meeting. If approved, the lease will extend through September 14, 2026, unless Alber chooses to purchase the property.
For many residents, the issue is no longer just about one lease. It is about a mayor in her ninth year in office who continues to demonstrate a lack of transparency, a failure to disclose conflicts of interest, and a pattern of misleading both council members and the community she was elected to serve.
