​Is Darien Chamber Still Up And Running?​

DARIEN, IL – The status of the 41-year-old Darien Chamber of Commerce is unclear.

In mid-December, the Darien City Council voted to create the Darien Business Alliance to perform many of the chamber's functions.

In a statement at the time, the chamber board said it was "blindsided" by the city's move, but that it planned to continue serving its membership.

Patch left messages Tuesday for the chamber's chairman, Andrew Blumenfeld.

In December, the city hired April Padalik, the chamber's executive director and its only employee, as the alliance's director. Her photo still appears on the chamber's seemingly inactive website.

For years, the chamber has had an office in City Hall. That appears to be no longer the case. The phone number listed on the chamber's website now goes to the alliance.

In an email to Patch, Padalik confirmed she had an office at City Hall.

The alliance has no website yet, but Padaliik said officials hope to get it set up soon.

The chamber's two biggest events were Darien Fest and Darien Dash, which the alliance appears to be taking over. The chamber's 2025 calendar lists no events whatsoever.

Before forming the alliance, the city had provided an annual grant of about $30,000 to the chamber for a couple of years. In return, every Darien business with a city license got a free chamber membership, instead of paying $225 a year.

Before the subsidies, city officials said they considered taking over the chamber, a plan that the organization's board at the time seemed to favor.