Name: JUDY OGALLA
What office are you seeking: WILL COUNTY BOARD MEMBER, DISTRICT 2
What is your political party?
What is your current age? 65
Occupation and employer: Will County Board member
What offices, if any, have you previously held? Will County Board Member since 2012
Chairman of the Will County Board
Will Township Precinct Committeewoman
Will County Forest Preserve Secretary 4 years
Will County Forest Preserve President
City: Monee
Campaign website:
Education: BACHELOR’S DEGREE FROM GOVERNOR’S STATE UNIVERSITY, MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE FROM PRAIRIE STATE COLLEGE, COMPUTER SCIENCE
KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT, PROJECT MANAGEMENT CERTIFICATE
Community involvement: St. Paul the Apostle Church, religious education teacher
Peotone Girl’s recreational softball coach
MYSA - Manteno Youth Soccer Coach
Vice President of STAND (Shut This Airport Nightmare Down)
Marital status/Immediate family: Married to my husband of 44 years, 3 grown children, 4 grandchildren
What are your top three priorities for this district?
1) Lower taxes, I voted for a ZERO percent Levy increase for 2026. In previous years, I have consistently voted against property tax increases.
2) Support infrastructure improvements for road safety
3) Be a voice of the people in County Board District 2, not that of a special interest group
What types of job growth are needed in Will County to help residents keep up with rising costs, especially housing?
Job growth is needed in areas of information technology, manufacturing, and the medical field. But, I think that the rising costs in housing is due to high taxes in the state of Illinois until the Legislators in Illinois change school funding, revamp the pension system and stop growing government agencies we will see people leaving for states with lower overall property taxes.
What should be infrastructure priorities and projects over the next four years?
Since the state imposed laws stating that all roads are 80,000lbs it has caused safety issues due to the fact that our roads were not built for the high amount semi-truck traffic they see today. Specifically in County Board District 2, rural and county roads should be improved to handle this traffic by building wider shoulders, increasing the turning radius at intersections, and adding stop signs and lights where needed. The state of Illinois should make improvements to Rt 45 from County Line north to Monee-Manhattan Rd, Rt 52, 53 and 55 especially near the villages of Manhattan and Elwood, and Monee-Manhattan Rd from LaGrange to Rt 52 in Manhattan. Interchange improvements off of I57 at Monee-Manhattan Rd and Peotone-Wilmington and NOT a new interchange for the nonexistent airport at I57 and Eagle Lake Rd.
What is your position on data centers? Should the county be open to their development?
As a County Board member I don’t think a data center should be built in the unincorporated areas of Will County due to concerns of their water usage. I understand why data centers are needed because everything we do on the internet, social media, photos, and business data management is stored in a data center. It’s like a double-edged sword - no one wants one, but we all store massive amounts of data. I’m not an expert on this topic by any means, but it appears people locally do not support them.
Do you favor solar farm development? Should the county encourage more sustainable energy development?
When solar was first brought to Will County as small Community Solar developments I wasn’t opposed. A marketing gimmick to make them sound agriculturally friendly they were called solar farms? But, they are an industry different to the agricultural lands that they are being built upon. Here in Will County we have already lost over 1400 acres of farmland to them. I don’t support any one industry being given carte blanch to build anywhere they wish if they can find land to lease or build in the A1 zoning district. I think any energy development should only be built in areas zoned industrial. No, the county should not encourage more sustainable energy development.
What should be the county’s spending priorities?
A county is supposed to provide public health and safety. But, we’ve gotten away from that with many thinking the county should provide all different types of services. Our focus should be on ensuring our roads are safe and well-maintained, that our seniors and veterans have reliable resources available, and ensuring our Sheriff’s department has the right training, safe vehicles, and proper equipment.