Each year, we ask all of Bolingbrook’s opposition parties to respond to Mayor Roger Claar’s annual State of the Village address.  For the first time in years, we received a response from a party that’s actually on the ballet, Bolingbrook United.  We also received responses from The Roger Claar Party, The Zero Tax Party, Our Party, and the Skepchick Party.

Bolingbrook United

(Out of character:  The statement from the Bolingbrook United Party is real and unedited.)

Bolingbrook Babbler,

Thank you for the opportunity to address your readers regarding the Mayor’s 2017 State of the Village address.

Unity, community and transparency, these are the core values of our party and they are the characteristics we plan to bring to Bolingbrook Village government.  For far too long our local government leaders have drifted from these values as they have cut special deals for the well connected (such as a $350,000 break on rent for the owner of the ice arena), ostracized members of our community (by holding a Donald Trump fundraiser at a Village owned facility) and misrepresented and hid information from residents.  They claim they are transparent but they fail to post salary information regarding Village employees, a requirement under state law.

While many community and business leaders were present at the State of the Village address last week, the ticket price of $70 to attend alone put the event beyond the reach of many residents and the fact that it is held in the middle of the day when most people work makes the event inaccessible for the average person.  Those who attended were able to hear a summary from the mayor about things that the Village has accomplished over the course of his political career (which was atypical for a State of the Village address) and about what is planned for 2017. In addition, Mr. Claar spent a substantial amount of time reacting to those critical of him and responding to sentiments and articles found on a Facebook page called “Vote Roger Claar Out in 2017.” Contrary to Mr. Claar’s assertions, the Bolingbrook United candidates have nothing to do with the “Vote Roger Claar Out in 2017” Facebook page and do not endorse it.  Moreover, we found it odd that a 30-year politician would do this when the event was intended to be about the Village, NOT his campaign.

What was glaringly missing was any substance regarding the massive debt incurred under Mr. Claar’s leadership (currently $313,450,000) and how he plans to deal with it.  Unfortunately, and in accordance with the response to a FOIA request we received yesterday, we now know why he failed to address it—there is no plan.  The Village, facing more debt than Naperville’s 162 million and Romeoville’s 89 million combined, has never approved a formal or informal plan to pay back that debt.  The Village also lacks any strategic plan for the future.  In the meantime, our bond ratings continue to drop costing millions more in interest payments from residents while our mayor draws three salaries totaling over $142,000, plus benefits, and has guaranteed salary increases during his political employment.

We love Bolingbrook and all that it offers.  Residents and businesses have worked tirelessly to develop and improve upon our Village.

As we move forward we believe Village government should care for all residents, not just the well connected. It should never alienate members of the community as it has.  We believe Village government should always serve the people – not the other way around.  We also believe the Village government should plan for the future and stop using the Village credit card to run up debt without any plan to pay it off.

Bolingbrook United
http://www.bolingbrookunited.com

(Out of character:  The following political parties are fictional, and will not appear on the April ballot.)

The Roger Claar Party
“A great mayor deserves a great party!”

Note:  The Roger Claar Party is not affiliated with Roger Claar.

That was some speech Roger delivered.  We’re still in tears just thinking about how far we’ve come as a village and where we are going.  We can’t wait to eat at the new restaurants and shop at the new stores.

Some people will never be happy and they will attack him. Like the anonymous person behind Vote Roger Claar Out in 2017.  Roger was right to mention his page, and brave to post comments on it.

But what about his trustees?  We don’t see them defending Roger on that page.  They didn’t even secure web site domains for his campaign.  We can’t expect Roger to keep Bolingbrook great and register every possible domain at the same time.

So this April, you should vote for the only party that truly supports Roger.  He deserves trustees who will give their lives for him, not put themselves first!

David Nelson
President of the Roger Claar Party

The Zero Tax Party
“Zero Taxes equals infinite revenue.”

Mayor Roger Claar still believes that villages need taxes and fees to generate revenue.  We want to dispel that notion because we believe that when a government abolishes all taxes, it receives infinite revenue.

Imagine what we can do with all that money?  We could payoff our debts, payoff the federal debt, and buy all the water pipes in Chicagoland!

In April, if you want to make Bolingbrook even greater, vote for us, not for them!

Peter X. Ferman
Head Accountant

Our Party
“It’s ours!”

Last year, we took back our country from them!  Now let’s take back Bolingbrook from them!  We deserve everything we have.  They don’t!  We are good!  They are bad!  Don’t let them shame you!  Take it all.  You’ve earned it all.  It is yours!

Trump is draining their swamp and returning our land to us!  Let’s dig up their side of Bolingbrook and expand our side!  It will be great!

Peter Z. Johnson
A REAL Bolingbrook resident

The Skepchick Party
“An awesome village deserves an awesome party!”

Note:  The Skepchick Party is not affiliated with the Skepchick Network.

We will not forgive Roger for siding with Donald Trump.  Thanks to his short-sighted political ambition, we are doomed.  Doomed to global warming.  Doomed to ineffective vaccine schedules.  Doomed to watch hundreds of years of racial and gender progress wiped out in four short years.  Doomed to be lead by a man-child into misogynistic oblivion.

Government can do more than give tax breaks to businesses.  It can lead its residents.  If elected, we will lead Bolingbrook’s resistance against our illegitimate President.  We will say no to Big alt-med and pass laws to support science-based medicine.  We will say to people who harass and threaten women, that you , the harassers, will not be promoted.  You will be prosecuted!  We say that that government shouldn’t regulate which bathroom you can use.  We will say to the bigoted bullies that you are not welcome here, and don’t even think of using our facilities to raise money to fund your hate. We will say no to the so-called “alt-right” neo -nazis and white nationalists.

We will resist the Alt-right, just as our inspiration, the Skepchicks, have resisted the Alt-right.  It will be tough for us, just as it was for them.  But we will persevere, just as they have, and in the end, we will prevail against the racism, anti-semitism, pseudoscience, sexism, homophobia, and bigotry that threatens our village!

Ellen X. Thompkinson
Head Facilitator