Bolingbrook mayor defends self against Tribune articles
ChicagoBreakingNews.com
Responding to a series of Tribune articles this week, Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar this morning defended his extravagant campaign-funded lifestyle and the building of the village’s posh, $36 million golf club, which has lost the village millions since opening in 2002.
“People in Bolingbrook know the facts,” he said in an interview on WGN-720 AM. He said he uses his campaign fund to pay for city business, such as overseas trips to China, the Philippines, the Bahamas and India.
“This was not a joyride,” he said about his trip to India. “We worked from 8 in the morning, throughout the entire day, touring businesses, meeting with the leaders, establishing Sister Cities…I could have very easily charged all that off to the city…It would have been legitimate…I chose to use private funds instead.”
Over the past 10 years, a Tribune analysis has found that Claar has raised more than $5 million, and has about $1 million left in his campaign fund. Asked where all the money went, Claar replied that it went to marketing the village, school scholarships, charities and sports programs.
The Tribune analysis also showed that nearly half of his donations came from companies and individuals who have done business with Bolingbrook. Those contributors received more than $300 million in village work — nearly 60 percent of the money that Bolingbrook spent on vendors over the last decade.
“I follow the campaign laws as they’re passed,” he said. “That may, again, bother some people about the campaign laws, but the campaign laws are what the campaign laws are.” He said the fund has always been audited by the state election board.
Other mayors of similarly sized towns only raise tens of thousands a year, sometimes only during election years. Meanwhile, Claar has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. He said he plays a crucial role in partisan politics that other mayors don’t play, calling himself a “very active” politician.
Furthermore, he said, the golf club was not his pet project, but a “wonderful” project. He said his pet projects include bringing a new hospital to the village, a new mall and other businesses.
“Those things don’t just happen,” he said, pointing out that Money magazine last year named the village one of the top 100 mid-sized towns to live.
The Tribune today reported that the village has spent at least $9 million propping up the golf course, more than the village took in last year in state income taxes (its second largest revenue source), developer contributions and building permits combined, according to financial records.
The nearby, village-owned luxury subdivision, “Americana Estates” is nearly $2 million in the hole, according to a Tribune review of village and Will County records.
Claar said that he’s confident the subdivision will be successful once the housing market picks back up. He also said the golf course — while down this year due to the economy — is faring better off than other golf clubs across the country.
“It doesn’t take rocket science,” to understand the economy affected the project, he said.
When asked a final question about his use of campaign funds, the mayor said, “Of course I jetted to India. How else was I going to get there?”
– Erika Slife
Mayor Roger Claar (photo:BolingbrookBabbler)
ChicagoBreakingNews.com
Responding to a series of Tribune articles this week, Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar this morning defended his extravagant campaign-funded lifestyle and the building of the village’s posh, $36 million golf club, which has lost the village millions since opening in 2002.
“People in Bolingbrook know the facts,” he said in an interview on WGN-720 AM. He said he uses his campaign fund to pay for city business, such as overseas trips to China, the Philippines, the Bahamas and India.
“This was not a joyride,” he said about his trip to India. “We worked from 8 in the morning, throughout the entire day, touring businesses, meeting with the leaders, establishing Sister Cities…I could have very easily charged all that off to the city…It would have been legitimate…I chose to use private funds instead.”
Over the past 10 years, a Tribune analysis has found that Claar has raised more than $5 million, and has about $1 million left in his campaign fund. Asked where all the money went, Claar replied that it went to marketing the village, school scholarships, charities and sports programs.
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