Over 700 People Attend Bolingbrook 'State Of The Village' Address

BOLINGBROOK, IL — The banquet hall at the Bolingbrook Golf Club was packed on Thursday, Jan. 17 when Mayor Roger Claar began speaking at his 35th - and final - Bolingbrook 'State of the Village' address. By the count of Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce officials, over 700 people were in attendance. Most guests were members of the Bolingbrook business community, though area elected officials and a few international businesspeople also attended.

"We have 714 people or approximately that here, which is a very nice crowd," Mayor Claar said towards the start of his address. "Thank you all for coming out."

Besides the guests and Chamber personnel, vendors were also present outside the banquet hall during the pre-lunch cocktail hour, advertising their businesses. They represented companies like Four Elements Restoration and Ateki IT Services. Based on the foot traffic that surrounded their tables, guests were impressed. It was a modern day version of Bazaar showmanship for the local moneyed class.

The luncheon proper began just before noon, and Mayor Claar began speaking at about 12:15 p.m. As Chamber personnel told Patch earlier in the week, Claar focused on local business concerns and economic data in his address. That said, he did take some time to touch on more civilian concerns, including infrastructure projects, local cultural diversity, housing, and crime statistics. He spent a few minutes discussing what he deemed 'grab and go' crimes in particular, and seemed almost mournful that the Bolingbrook Police Department no longer conducts police chases for non-violent offenses.

"There's been an increase in 'grab and go' property thefts, as I call them... they're mugging people, they're robbing people, they're going into retail stores, grabbing a lot of stuff and running out, and then they take off," he said. "Part of the problem with this is, we don't do chases anymore. A police chase in the suburbs for $500 worth of clothing is not worth the risk and endangerment of other people. So once they leave our border, they know they can get away."

Claar also didn't shy away from politics. A well-known Trump supporter - Claar once helped organize a fundraiser for Trump at the Golf Club - he alternated between welcoming Democratic elected officials in attendance - including state senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) - and taking veiled potshots at opposing viewpoints.

"Folks, this is America, this is capitalism, you're still entitled to build on your property if it's properly zoned," he said at one point while discussing a new development project by Route 53. "Now if certain people get in charge, that may go away."

Claar concluded his speech by announcing that he would not seek re-election for mayorship in the coming year. He stated that he wanted to be closer to his 5-year-old granddaughter. He again advocated for changing the mayorship into a part-time position, saying he believed a part-time mayor would have more time to pursue their chosen career outside of the village office.

Claar also indicated that he would try to remain active in Bolingbrook government, even after he stepped down as mayor.

"I will be heavily involved in the transition, and thereafter in the Village Board government," Claar said. "I plan to stay here... I will get involved in the best selection in government because I want to ensure the continuity and maintain the civil decency and integrity that I believe we've maintained here for 30 years."

As Claar spoke, the guests in attendance enjoyed a three-course lunch and ice cream from Andy's Frozen Custard. Servers darted back and forth as Claar spoke making sure everyone received their meals and beverages. Despite the size of the crowd, some of the servers on duty said the event was not too far out of the ordinary for them.

"This isn't too bad, we get weddings in here like every weekend," a server who asked not to be named said. They added that preparation for the luncheon - including setting up tables and prepping food - had only taken "a couple hours."

Bolingbrook IT Director James Farrell, working on the tech side of things, also said that the event had taken several hours of preparation. He sat in a nest of computers, routers and screens during the entirety of Mayor Claar's speech, alongside volunteers from Bolingbrook Community Television. Farrell was broadcasting the speech live via the Bolingbrook Facebook page, in addition to monitoring all the hardware necessary for the event. Meanwhile, the Community Television volunteers recorded Claar's speech for later broadcast on channel 6.

"This is kind of our biggest event [of the year], yeah," Farrell said.

The event ended after Claar finished speaking. Before heading to coat check, the guests in attendance offered the mayor a standing ovation.

Chamber officials did not immediately return requests for information on the total cost of the event.