Election 2023: Petrow, Borrelli win re-election bids, Rigoni takes final open trustee spot in Frankfort
FRANKFORT, Ill. – Maura Rigoni’s first experience with the Village of Frankfort was as an intern in the Community Development Department in 2002.
She had recently graduated from Illinois State University after growing up on the south side of Chicago. But she wound up staying on as a full-time planer for several years and moved to the community.
Now, two decades later, she appears to have won a seat on the Village Board of Trustees.
Rigoni received 2,263 votes on Tuesday, April 4, to finish third in the five-person race for three open seats on the board, according to unofficial results from the Will County Clerk’s Office. Trustees Jessica Petrow (2,304 votes) and Adam Borrelli (2,303) finished first and second in the Consolidated Election to win second terms on the board.
“I never would have thought that starting my internship after just graduating college that I would be sitting here today as a trustee-elect for this Village that I did not grow up in but have grown to become very passionate about,” Rigoni told Richard Free Press in an interview on Friday, April 7. “[It’s] overwhelming — in a positive sense. The outpouring of support was just magnificent. There were people who [have been] my great cheerleaders the entire way, who I have known for many years. But there also was a great opportunity of [meeting] people in the community — through word of mouth or my website or just meeting me for a couple of minutes — who quickly became a great positive voice for me in the community. It was quite exceptional.”
Rigoni has been on the Village’ Plan Commission for nearly eight years, including as chairman the past three years. She said her top priority is to continue fostering development that meets the quality and standards that exist in Frankfort.
“We are Frankfort,” Rigoni said. “We are really good at being Frankfort. So, it is continuing to ensure that we do that from the top down — whether it is through development or services to our residents, or connections to our business owners, or utilities, or just conducting ourselves on the Village Board.”
She said she is a “get-things-done kind of person” and wants to collaborate with the board members to accomplish things for the Village.
Meanwhile, also in an interview on April 7, Borrelli said he was grateful to the community members for re-electing him to the Village Board.
“It’s my hometown, and where I grew up,” he said. “I never take it for granted. I love being here. It’s a true honor to serve the people here.”
Borrelli said there are two developments in the works for downtown Frankfort that are “exciting,” and he hopes will help “round out” that area. He also pointed to extending Pfeiffer Road.
“That’s going to be a huge benefit to all of our residents and should help provide a catalyst for development along the Route 30 corridor,” he said.
Borrelli said he also wants to focus on filling vacant properties, such as the former sites of the Butera and the Sports Authority.
“We don’t like vacancies here, so whatever we can do to help kind of push that along, I’m all for,” he said.
However, he said his most important issue is public safety and he intends to support “whatever initiatives our police chief comes up with to help continue to enhance [that].”
Rounding out the election results, Hillary E. Kurzawa and Marc Dabaco — who were both endorsed by Mayor Keith Ogle in a press release earlier this year — finished fourth and fifth. Kurzawa received 1,027 votes, while Dabaco received 997 votes.