Bonnie is a local Hero, yet the opposition attacks her weight?

First time writer for the BR and 8 year resident

I have been watching the local web sites and news in town and I felt the need to contribute. This is my first article on the BR, but probably not my last. I recently met Bonnie as she walked door to door to support candidates for the Village and School Board.  Having heard the stories about her, different depending on the news sources, I was shocked at the reality of who stood in front of me yesterday.  I wanted to write my take on the situation.

I remember when Bonnie Alicea stepped up to tackle the machine two years ago.  Through it all, she has been the sole opposition to Mr. Roger Claar in 14 years.  It is no wonder they attack her and boot her off the ballot.  However, I feel that Claar's team of bullies have gone way to far with this mother of two.

Last year, after they removed her from the ballot, trustee Mike Lawler stated she was responsible for the death of a school board member.  He stated this during a board meeting and the Mayor re-iterated this.  Bonnie sued for defamation, as she never met this lady that she was accused of contributing to the death of.  the Mayor or Lawler NEVER apologized, even when she stated she would drop the suit with a public apology.  None was ever given.  This all happened because she used her rights as a citizen of the U.S. to run for an elected office and this upset the people in power.

They trashed her signs during the election, called her names, lied about her, and used defamatory statements on her and her family all year long.  They even stuck their "stalkers" on her.  So now that another election season has come, I was dying to ask her if this was all true and if the bullies have stopped harassing her. 

She informed me that over two years have passed and they have not stopped.  For over two years they have still been attacking her, even though she is not running in this election.  She claimed that she has had to learn to live with the constant attacks and she is better because of them.  She handled this question very delicately, strongly, yet honorably.  If anything, their attacks wake her up every day and give her the energy to find time every day to devote to the cause in Bolingbrook.  It fuels her.  She is a humble and honest person.  I asked her why they do this to her and she said "there are just some people still upset and unable to cope with their feelings that I ran for office". 

I was sickened by this.  These politicians and their people are UNABLE TO COPE with something from 2 years ago?  They still hold grudges?  Something is not right in Bolingbrook.

I asked her who she was supporting and she stated she is supporting the best candidates, based off of education level, experience, morals, and sound judgement.  She stated she is not supporting any incumbent (those up for re-election) this year.  Her statement was simple, "They had their chance to do something right and they blew it.  Time for new people to have a chance so we can fix what is wrong".  Some of those opposition that have attacked her daily, try to say not to vote for the best candidates because Bonnie supports them.  I have never heard of something so absurd, and I told her so.

Overall, I found her intelligence and insight enlightening.  Although she might be younger (Mid 30's), she carries her weight well as a strong person.  It did not deter me from my judgement of her.  It is apparent from her high education level and her experience that she has worked hard to achieve her high status amongst the Fortune 5 companies.  She works hard, is a mother of two (one is a step son), and still finds time to fight for transparency in a community that needs it the most.  I don't care what they say about her weight, anyone that walks every day door to door gets a lot of credit in my book.  The Lord knows I would not have that energy or dedication!

After she left, I wanted to do some investigative work to see if Bonnie was accurate in her statement and I found that it is indeed true.  Bonnie is still verbally attacked daily, over two years later, just for running an election.  What is worse, is that in over two years they have not found any basis of their attacks on her.  All they attack is her weight.  They do not attack her work ethic, the job that she does, or her assistance in pushing Bolingbrook for a better future.  They never talk about all her accomplishments she has made for the residents in the last few years.  They focus on her weight.  This shows a high level of insecurity and fear.

As a mother, this upsets me.  This makes me NOT want to vote for any incumbent.  How could they treat a mother like this?  She is a person and she is intelligent, devotes a great deal of time and money into the community, and is very like able.  I, myself, am about 20lbs over my ideal weight.  Does that mean if I ran for office they would focus on that instead of my credentials?  It shows me that they cannot find any fault with Bonnie and they fear her. 

I am so appalled by what I read that I had to write this letter to the BR and post examples of the last few days alone.  Comment in and tell me how you feel about attacking women's weight as the basis not to vote for other candidates that she supports.  Also tell me if you think that weight is a requirement to do a job.  I would like to hear other women's perspectives on this.   Is it right that the incumbents of the Village and School Board use this to mud sling in this election, two years later or to have used this at all?  Also, does weight play a role to the best qualified for the job? 

My opinion?  Had I met Bonnie two years ago, I would have known before my vote that she is not only going to be our future Mayor someday, she will bring Bolingbrook to great heights... to which the incumbents could never do.  Smart, humble, and highly analytical, she is the future of our great community.  If she has been strong enough to sustain two years of attacks, she can sustain anything.

(Some examples of this week... Someone logs in with her name on Topix and posts this kind of stuff)

Tuesday Mar 15

Bonnie

Naperville, IL BolingbrookMom wrote:

Why are some of your favorite places? How about places to avoid? Favorite dish?

WHITE CASTLES!
One dozen sliders with ketchup, mustard, onions and extra extra pickles, 2 orders of onion rings and a Fanta orange soda and I'm in heaven. I could eat there every day.

The Golden Corral is one of my favorites also. I used to spend the whole day there just grazing, but the management caught on and now only allow me to stay for 2 hours.

Dunkin Donuts. One dozen glazed and a vanilla ice latte will start my day.

I generally stay away from places like the Nest Bar and Grill or Gordon Biersch.

I wish there were more ethnic restaurants like Annettes.

Bonnie

Naperville, IL Wednesday

Taco Bell
Gorditas, chalupas and burritos oh my.

Popeyes
Bucket of spicy chicken, beans & rice, biscuits and some sweet tea.
Love that chicken from Popeye's!

Burger King
Triple Whopper, fries, chocolate shake and some Funnel Cake Sticks.

Bonnie

Naperville, IL Wednesday


I was over by the shut down Krispy Kream Doughnut place the other day, my how I miss them. When they were open I would always hang out in their parking lot and wait for their hot doughnut light to go. I would rush in for a free doughnut and never buy anything else. Sometime I would put on a disquise and go in there a second or third time. I wonder why they went out of business.

Bonnie

Naperville, IL Yesterday

Does anyone know of a all-you-can-eat buffet serving corned beef and cabbage? I'm about to get my food groove on.