“Is this a Waffle House or Frankfort Village Hall?”

Frankfort’s Village Board Meeting on Monday, March 17, descended into chaos, prompting prominent business leaders and developers to speak out against what they describe as a deteriorating state of governance under Mayor Keith Ogle. The once-idyllic village, known for its stability and charm, is now facing sharp criticism, with one businessman comparing its leadership to that of the scandal-ridden suburb of Dolton, Illinois.
The scandal-plagued Mayor Keith Ogle faces a slew of allegations ranging from questions raised about his being the largest recipient of Illinois Back to Business Grant Covid Relief funds in 2022, to the ‘Election Interference’ complaint filed against him with the Illinois State Board of Elections and concurrent Will County Sheriff's investigation, and even accusations that Ogle or his staff have arranged to have the campaign signs of his opponent, Justin Ozinga, taken down throughout Frankfort. Even Ogle’s claim about being “threatened” during a meeting with developers has been publicly scrutinized. All of these allegations were raised during the Public Comment segment of the March 17th Board Meeting, most forcefully by Mr. Ozinga who publicly confronted the Board about “piles of my campaign signs being found behind Village Hall!”

Public Comment Turns Hostile

The turmoil began during the public comment section, where local developer Dan Rose directly challenged Mayor Ogle’s recent public response to an election interference complaint Rose filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections. The complaint accuses Ogle of misusing the Village of Frankfort’s logo in campaign posts on his Instagram account, @mayorkeithogle.
Rose methodically refuted Ogle’s six-point defense, dismissing the Mayor’s claims of innocence. He also took issue with Ogle’s previous accusation that Rose had "threatened [Ogle] in a public meeting." In a fiery response, Rose denounced the claim as slanderous, calling Ogle "a liar."
Following Rose’s remarks, Justin Ozinga, a mayoral candidate and prominent business leader, took to the lectern to ask direct questions of the Board. Ozinga, who runs the well-known concrete and building materials company Ozinga, asked why there was no opportunity for public input or engagement before the Board voted on agenda items. Notably, Ozinga questioned whether there was an “open bidding” process on village construction projects. It would be standard practice for a village to entertain multiple bids on any public development work. Board members were prohibited from responding to Ozingas questions.
“If a resident disagreed with an agenda item, they had no opportunity to ask questions before the vote,” Ozinga later wrote in a statement on his Facebook account. “Public comments were only allowed after decisions were made, and even then, the Board was not required to respond. When I raised concerns, one of the Trustees challenged me during public comments, only to be told to ‘show decorum.’ Then, once the cameras were off, I was confronted and yelled at simply for asking questions—as if holding elected officials accountable was out of line.”
Ozinga is correct in his criticism of the lack of transparency and opportunity for public input, as all action items before the Board are discussed and voted on prior to Public Comment. In many comparable municipalities and villages, such as Hinsdale, public comment is welcomed and available at the beginning and end of Board Meetings, affording residents the opportunity to offer commentary and critique on items before they are voted on by the Board. By contrast, Frankfort’s consent agenda allows only for public question and answer of Village officials at Committee of the Whole and Planning/Zoning Meetings. Public Comment at Frankfort Village Board Meetings is akin to screaming into a void, as no response by Trustees is allowed. Committee of the Whole Meetings, unlike Village Board meetings, are not recorded on video. Notably, Mayor Keith Ogle cast the tie-breaking vote not to record the Committee of the Whole meetings.

A Mouth Full of Candy and A Heated Confrontation

While Rose and Ozinga confronted Ogle during the Public Comment, Ogle could be seen popping candy into his mouth, only chiming in to remind his opponent, Mr. Ozinga, to “maintain decorum.” During the meeting, Trustee Eugene Savaria aggressively confronted Ozinga, both during and after the session.

“You came here and you are attacking the Board!” Savaria shouted.

After the meeting adjourned, Ozinga was seen asking Savaria, “Why do you have such hate in your eyes for me?”

Business Leaders Condemn the Lack of Transparency and Chaos

The acrimonious meeting quickly drew the attention of business leaders familiar with Frankfort’s government. George Michael Chin, a veteran Chicagoland real estate professional and broker, voiced his dismay after watching the meeting online.

Chin was a commercial real estate broker in Chicagoland for many years, developing properties in the south suburbs and in Frankfort specifically. “I helped open Meatheads in Frankfort, so I am very familiar with it as a market and how its government functions and has functioned in the recent past,” said Chin. After viewing the March 17 meeting on YouTube, Chin didn’t hold back.

“I found myself asking, ‘Is this a Waffle House or Frankfort Village Hall?’” he said. “Frankfort, under the leadership of Mayor Keith Ogle, is a toxic environment for business owners and petitioners,” Chin stated, “Keith Ogle is the ‘Male Tiffany Henyard’—except no one refers to Keith Ogle as ‘SuperMayor,’ not even Keith Ogle.”

Chin’s reference to the now-former Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard, draws a comparison to the scandal-plagued south suburb 15 miles east of Frankfort. Dolton, under Henyard, became infamous for chaotic board meetings, lawsuits, and alleged financial misconduct. Henyard, Dolton's self-proclaimed "SuperMayor," drew national media attention for her turbulent leadership.
While the Frankfort meeting didn’t reach Dolton’s January 28,2025 Thornton Township board meeting level of physical violence or arrests, it still marked a stark departure from the village’s previously calm governance. One woman in attendance reportedly remarked, “I was very scared, to be honest.”

Chin, however, remains hopeful that Frankfort can reverse course.
“The good news is I’ve witnessed things markedly change with improved leadership,” he said. “Under new leadership that is open to transparency and accountability, things in Frankfort can turn around. You’ve got to have faith!” stated George Michael Chin.

Veteran Developer Sounds the Alarm

Mike Rose, a major commercial real estate developer and the father of Dan Rose, echoed Chin’s criticism of Ogle’s leadership. Rose, who co-developed Frankfort’s neighboring Gateway Housing Community, compared his dealings with Frankfort’s government to his experience in Dolton, where he has a more than 30 year history of commercial property development.
“I am the most prolific commercial developer in Dolton, Illinois,” Rose stated. “I’ve been dealing with municipal leadership in Dolton under successive administrations since the 90’s. I dealt with multiple administrations in Dolton including William Shaw, Ronnie Lewis and Honorable Mayor Riley Rogers. I developed national retailers in Dolton including Kroger, Food 4 Less, Walgreens, Autozone, Dunkin Donuts, and others. With the exception of Tiffany Henyard, I have never encountered the kind of issues in the Dolton government like I have encountered in Frankfort under Mayor ‘Controlling’ Keith Ogle.”

Rose and his son have publicly nicknamed the Mayor “Controlling Keith,” in reference to Ogle’s withholding information from the Board of Trustees and the public to consolidate his influence.

A Town at a Crossroads

Whether the disorder on display at the March 17 Board meeting stems from a mayoral administration accused of controlling information or from other deeper fissures that have opened in Village Hall remains an open question.

For those who missed the meeting, the Village of Frankfort has posted it here allowing residents to judge the behavior of their elected officials for themselves. Much of the conflict occurred after the meeting had adjourned- and the cameras stopped rolling- but was documented here.

As the fallout continues, one thing is clear: the discontent among Frankfort’s business and development community is growing louder—and more public.