FREEPORT, IL – July 11, 2025

When the familiar sounds of music and fireworks filled downtown Freeport in the summer of 2023, many residents welcomed the return of a cherished tradition. The newly rebranded Tutty Baker Festival—a resurrection of the historic Tutty Baker Days—was billed as a celebration of community, culture, and commerce. But behind the bright banners and family fun, questions have emerged about how this festival is being funded—and who’s really in control.

At the center of it all is Mayor Jodi Miller and a little-known nonprofit she leads: Freeport Festivals Inc.

The Price of the Party: Behind the Tutty Baker Festival and the Questions Surrounding Freeport Festivals Inc.

A New Organization with Familiar Faces

Freeport Festivals Inc. was incorporated in Illinois on September 21, 2022, as a nonprofit public charity. It received its 501(c)(3) designation from the IRS on June 1, 2023. According to state filings, the organization was founded to serve four purposes: charitable, civic, social, and economic development.

Its original board consisted of:

  • Mayor Jodi Miller (residence listed in Dakota, IL)

  • Steven Cox

  • Aubra Palermo

  • Nakita Woods

The organization’s registered address was 208 W. Stephenson Street, which is also the location of the Shockey & Cox Law Firm, housed in a building owned by Stephenson Professional Building LLC, connected to attorney David Shockey.

Notably, Freeport Festivals Inc. filed no documents with the Illinois Secretary of State after its initial registration until August 2024, when an annual report listed Miller as president, Cox as vice president and registered agent, Palermo as secretary, and Woods as treasurer.

Festival Finances Under Scrutiny

The organization’s first major event, the Tutty Baker Festival, was held in 2023, with a third scheduled for July 11–13, 2025. Yet according to filings with the IRS, the nonprofit claimed less than $50,000 in gross receipts for the 2023 tax year. That figure has prompted skepticism.

Festival costs typically include:

  • Downtown street closures

  • Live entertainment and performers

  • Vendor management and marketing

  • Fireworks displays

  • Heavy city staffing, including police, fire, and public works

Despite this, City Clerk Dovie Anderson confirmed that Freeport Festivals Inc. did not pay the City of Freeport for these services in 2023. In 2024, the only documented payment was a nominal permit fee, which had been waived the previous year. No invoices or reimbursements have been reported for public resources used during the event.

Residents and observers alike are asking the obvious:
How could a multiday event of this scale be executed for under $50,000—and who gave the green light to use city departments at no cost?

Residency Questions and Public Office

Concerns also linger around Mayor Miller’s reported residence. On official nonprofit documents submitted to both the state and the IRS, Miller lists her address as 3643 E. Cedarville Road, Dakota, IL. However, property records show the home is owned by her son and daughter-in-law—not Miller herself.

This raises a potentially serious legal question:
Can a mayor serve the City of Freeport while claiming residence in another municipality? No clarification has been offered by the Mayor’s Office, the City Council, or the City Attorney.

Changing Addresses, Familiar Patterns

In 2024, Freeport Festivals Inc. changed its mailing address to 212 S. 2nd Avenue in Forreston, IL—a residential property believed to be the home of board member Nakita Woods and owned by landlord Timothy Chapman, who holds over 30 rental properties throughout Stephenson County.

The growing presence of landlords in the mayor’s political and nonprofit activities has not gone unnoticed in a city grappling with housing instability and absentee property ownership.

New Partnerships, More Questions

Despite mounting concerns, Mayor Miller recently announced that Freeport Festivals Inc. would be partnering more closely with the Greater Freeport Partnership—a taxpayer-funded economic development organization receiving over $500,000 annually. Many in the community are critical of the Partnership’s track record, which they say lacks measurable success in attracting new business or industry to Freeport.

This new collaboration has reignited fears that public funds and credibility are being used to prop up the mayor’s private initiatives—without accountability.

Similarly, Mayor Miller has thrown her support behind High Hope Freeport, a nonprofit launched in 2024 and positioned as a community response to crime and gang violence. According to City Manager Rob Boyer, High Hope founder Brown is now considered the administration’s “community liaison,” a title that left many asking:
Isn’t that what a part-time mayor is supposed to be?

The Bigger Picture: Public Resources for Private Control?

Freeport residents have repeatedly voiced concern about the growing entanglement between political office, private nonprofits, and city resources. Whether it's the use of public departments for private festivals, the lack of financial transparency, or questions of residency and legal authority, the optics surrounding Freeport Festivals Inc. and the mayor's broader network have become difficult to ignore.

The core issue isn’t whether Freeport should host a summer festival. The issue is who pays for it, who benefits from it, and who is held accountable when public funds are used behind closed doors.

Conclusion: A Community That Deserves Answers

As the 2025 Tutty Baker Festival approaches, many in Freeport are demanding clarity:

  • Where exactly is the mayor living—and is it legal?

  • Who authorized the unpaid use of city departments for a private event?

  • Why are organizations with no measurable public success being given more power and taxpayer support?

  • And perhaps most importantly—why isn’t anyone being held accountable?

Freeport deserves to celebrate. But it also deserves leaders who serve transparently, respect public resources, and answer to the people they represent.

—Brought to you and Paid for by Fighting4Freeport