Tutty Baker Fest 2025 — “Free Event” or Free Ride for Mayor Miller & Friends?

FREEPORT, IL – August 06, 2025

As the music fades and the streets clear after another Tutty Baker Fest, the questions that loomed in 2024 still remain — only now, they’ve grown louder, sharper, and more deeply rooted in facts.

Over the past year, Fighting4Freeport has reported extensively on Freeport Festivals Inc., the private organization behind Tutty Baker Fest — an organization founded and ran by none other than Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller, alongside local realtor Aubra Palermo, attorney Steven Cox, and social media warrior Nakita Woods.

And while the group promoted this year’s festival as a “Free Event,” many Freeport residents have come to realize that what’s truly been free is the unchecked use of taxpayer-funded resources and city services — to benefit a private board and its politically connected founders.

The Dakota Dilemma

The first domino to fall came with a quiet revelation: Mayor Jodi Miller, while serving as Freeport’s mayor, filed state and IRS paperwork declaring her legal residence as Dakota, IL. For many, this called into question not only her eligibility but her commitment to the city she was elected to lead.

Deception by Omission

For years, it was widely believed that Tutty Baker Fest was a city-sponsored event, with proceeds and planning managed by the City of Freeport. This was no accident.

Mayor Miller and her partners never corrected the public misunderstanding — allowing residents to believe the event’s profits were going back into the community. Only after Fighting4Freeport exposed the truth did it become clear: all profits flowed into the private accounts of Freeport Festivals Inc.

Taxpayer Burden, Private Benefit

When questioned about this backdoor arrangement, many residents called on Mayor Miller and Freeport Festivals Inc. to operate transparently for the 2025 event, including:

  • Getting council approval for all taxpayer-funded resources used

  • Publicly disclosing the real costs of city services supporting the event

  • Making financial documents and sponsorships publicly accessible

None of that happened.

Instead, Miller and company doubled down on the deception, taking to social media to paint the festival as “free” — dodging the real issue: the public was paying for a private party.

Yes, entry onto public sidewalks and streets was “free” — as it always is — but to participate in rides, games, and food, families were expected to pay big. And when heavy storms shut down opening day, Miller’s team refused to issue refunds, blaming ride operators and brushing off complaints. The Miller Team immediately went into defensive mode, blaming their victims and actually calling Freeport residents stupid for not checking the weather before buying the high priced wrist bands.

We Got the Receipts

Fighting4Freeport submitted formal requests and obtained schedules from the Freeport Police and Fire Departments, revealing the following:

  • 8 Freeport Police officers were paid by taxpayers to work 12 shifts at the festival

  • Multiple firefighters, including the Fire Marshal, were assigned specifically to Mayor Miller’s event

And while we also requested records from Public Works, led by Fehr Graham’s Darin Stykel, we were told “no written schedule exists” — a claim that is either incredibly troubling or incredibly convenient.

This all occurred despite previous public claims from Miller and her board that “no taxpayer money” was used. That lie has now been fully exposed.

Double Standard on Display

Large events should have police and fire presence — that’s not the issue.

The issue is that any other organization would be required to pay for those services. Mayor Miller, meanwhile, uses her political office to sidestep the rules, letting her and her board operate a private festival at public expense — all while personally benefitting from the arrangement.

And who is Freeport Festivals Inc.? It’s not “the community.” It’s Mayor Jodi Miller, Aubra Palermo, Steven Cox, and Nakita Woods.

Tone Deaf Leadership

Let’s not forget — this is the same mayor who in the past year:

  • Fought for and passed a Sales Tax increase

  • Implemented a 1% grocery tax

  • Failed to negotiate a new AFSCME Union contract

  • Allowed a broken infrastructure and crime crisis to spiral further out of control

And yet, she has no problem using city employees, public resources, and taxpayer dollars to fund her private endeavors.

This isn’t public service — it’s public exploitation.

Where’s the Accountability?

The people of Freeport deserve answers:

  • How much taxpayer money was used this year?

  • Why weren’t city services billed like they would be for any other private event?

  • Why is there no formal oversight or council vote on this recurring financial burden?

Until Mayor Miller answers these questions — with receipts and documentation — the people of Freeport should consider Tutty Baker Fest what it really is:

A private event disguised as a civic celebration, created by a mayor who’s grown too comfortable blurring the lines between personal gain and public duty. A SCAM.

Fighting4Freeport will continue to ask the questions this administration avoids.
Because Freeport deserves truth.
Freeport deserves accountability.
Freeport deserves better.

—Brought to you and paid for by Fighting4Freeport