Welcome to the Bolingbrook Report Blog Site

Welcome to the Bolingbrook Report. The BR has been operating as the local hottest news source since April 2009. Always controversial, and always on the scene, the Brook Report has over 80,000 hits and counting! The BR is an online electronic news source ran by volunteers and residents of Bolingbrook.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Rogerites Go Loco Over Library Logo

Is this the logo that the Rogerites on the Fountaindale Public Library District board went loco over a local watchdog group publishing and sent them a threatening letter in regard to it on April 22?  Will they go loco over the logo again and waste more of OUR tax money hiring Roger's favorite law firm "Tressler" to send us a senseless letter too?  We'll let you know what the local library locos do.

Was the Election Rigged to Boot Bonnie off the Ballot?

New evidence has surfaced regarding the elections of April 2011.  Bonnie was objected to by someone who used Mr. Kavanagh as an attorney to remove her from the ballot. 

Under Roger Claar's campign funds, the following evidence has surfaced as to whom paid for the attorneys services. 

As a reminder to the residence, Mr. Roger Claar was the head of the electoral board in February that booted Bonnie off the ballot.  Could he have possibly been non-biased if he paid the legal fees for the objector?

http://www.elections.il.gov/campaigndisclosure/ItemizedExpend.aspx?FiledDocID=431597&ExpenditureType=Expenditures&Archived=True&OrderBy=LastorOnlyName-AtoZ&ItemizedExpendFrom=D2Quarterly.aspx

Kavanagh Grumley & Gorbold LLC111 North Ottawa Street
Joliet, IL 60432
$10,913.58
2/22/2011
Expenditure
Citizens for Claar
Committee Legal fees



Will Bonnie sue for a breach of her rights to run for office?  It is her constitutional rights to do so and this rigged process passed her rights and the rights of all the residents to be able to vote for her. 
Tell us your opinions!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce Involved in Illegal Activity?

According to the Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce bylaws, Section 1 General provisions it states:

4.  The Chamber shall observe all local, state, and federal laws which apply to a non-profit organization as defined in section 501 C 6 of the IRS code. 

However, when we review the IL Attorney General's web site under Building Better Charities, the Chamber of Bolingbrook did not register their non-profit, nor submit their financial statements in accordance with law.
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/charities/index.html They are simply NOT registered and have not registered for years!

Therefore, they are not submitting whom they pay salaries, whom is donating the money, or how the money is being spent.

The reason we looked into this is because we received a hot tip alleging $1,000 dinners elected officials have been taken lately with possible Chamber funds.  We were informed that Mike Evans, School Board member and Chamber Director spends "an enormous amount of money" on trips for his family, others, and lavish dinners and drinking.  This scoop states that "his trips are paid for by the Chamber, Mike and his wife and other Chamber members like the Mayer's, McCadds, Kustas and a lot of other members and their wives go out to local restaurants on a weekly basis and the bill will come from 800 to 1000 dollars each time."

So why does the Village and Schools, Libraries and Park Districts donate our tax dollars to the Chamber?  Well I think you have your answer...

What is the HEART Organization?

The HEART organization works with troubled youth.  It gets top dollar for donations from the Village using our tax dollars.  Do people realize that when we contribute, as a taxpayer donation from Roger Claar, or individually, that the head of this organization earns a fat salary?

According to the 2009 Tax statements, JoAnn Robinson (founder and owner) earns $62,257.00 per year for part time work in this organization.

http://ag.state.il.us/PDF_IMAGES/Indexes20100721/01045363-2009.pdf

This is over 60% of the money they make per year on donations and grants.  The money is not going to help the kids in need or give them supplies or a place to go... the money is being used to pay a fat paycheck.

How do you feel donating to her organization?  How do you feel that Mr. Claar and the Trustees have been doing just that, with your money?

Another organization exposed...

FOIA Law and Discrimination, I don't play around!

From J Washington


Yesterday was an interesting day.  While I waited my five days for my FOIA returns, I was stunned to open the FOIA to see that all were denied. The basis of denial was that I had not supplied enough evidence of my personal information.


So I took the time to review the FOIA law sent to me this morning from a well known discrimination attorney and found the following:


1.  They have not asked for this proof from EVERY resident requesting a FOIA, therefore it is discriminatory. (Why only me?)


2.  They have not asked this information of other "white" FOIA requesters that I know.  (So is it a race thing?)


3.  The intention of denying this FOIA on this basis was illegal, as FOIA act specifically does not address that a requester must supply personal information.  Matter of fact, under
(5 ILCS 140/1) (from Ch. 116, par. 201) it states that the FOIA act is not intended to cause an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.  Not only did they want my address to harass or bully me and my family, they wanted to post it for the stalkers, like they did to Bonnie and others that have submitted a FOIA.


4.  Furthermore, FOIA law only gives certain refusal allowances.  According to Sec. 7. Exemptions. (5 ILCS 140/9) (from Ch. 116, par. 209), this reason for denial was invalid, as this reason is not a "valid" reason for denial.


5.  It is my  right to request and receive FOIA's.    Sec. 1. Pursuant to the fundamental philosophy of the American constitutional form of government, it is declared to be the public policy of the State of Illinois that all persons are entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts and policies of those who represent them as public officials and public employees consistent with the terms of this Act. Such access is necessary to enable the people to fulfill their duties of discussing public issues fully and freely, making informed political judgments and monitoring government to ensure that it is being conducted in the public interest. 


6.   They also broke my FOIA rights when they failed to include factual basis to their denial and a list of names involved.
Sec. 9. (a) Each public body denying a request for public records shall notify the requester in writing of the decision to deny the request, the reasons for the denial, including a detailed factual basis for the application of any exemption claimed, and the names and titles or positions of each person responsible for the denial.


   So the bottom line is this...


I must have asked for something that hit an illegal activity right on the head.  I will give the village 5 more days to send the FOIA before I pursue three possible different avenues.


1.  I will go to the PAC advisor at the States Attorneys Office to have them pursue the FOIA request, and hire an attorney whom will charge the village the $5K fine plus legal expenses.
2.  I will have multiple "white" people request the same documents.
3.  I will hire the attorney and sue for discriminatory and harassment actions based on the fact I was denied without just cause, that I was asked to supply personal information, and was treated differently then any other resident.


Furthermore, if this was an attempt to bully or harass my family by gaining information, I will show these individuals what I think of that.  Real men don't cower behind a lady in the office's FOIA reports. A personal message to you, Mr. Claar.  I assume you remember meeting me in person because you are too afraid to be a man and let me look you in the eye while you ask for my personal info to intimidate my family. For that cowardice, I spit on your shoe.


According to my attorney, my rights are also applied for self defense and the right to defend my young.  So PLEASE show up at my door to harass and bully my wife and kids, PLEASE wrongfully deny my FOIA, and PLEASE discriminate against me.  It is not I that will live to regret a simple denial of a FOIA. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Township to raise taxes while residents want to remove their services

In a time where the Du Page Township is fighting to keep residents from issuing a referendum to remove their entire structure and services, they raised the taxes again.

It is hard pressed to prove that the Township is a needed entity.  The tax assessor can be incorporated into Will County government but the rest of the services can be provided by park districts and local not for profit charities.  While residents fume and throw fits to eliminate this taxing body for lack of need, one would think they would reduce their expenses to stay alive and open.

Yet they rasied taxes again this year.  Maybe it is to pay $30+K per year to a youth director who has a position of clout and only throws a few events a year.  Maybe it is to keep the elected officials salaries.  Maybe it is to pay for the vacations and trips they won't supply info about through FOIA, causing concerns over who is getting free money for fun in the Township.  Maybe it is something else entirely!

The bottom line is you will see the increase in your tax bill.  The residents have two years to form the referendum and get it on the ballot.  Off to the races!

Who cost the Library Taxpayers more money?

We are looking to see who initiated the legal letter to the Number Crunchers to try to stop them from using their logo.  We have attorneys on site, so we asked them.  Their response was that this was an easy one for any grad in law to answer...

First, the logo does not have the registered trademark, service mark, or copyright stamp.  (Is it because someone just applied for it about a week ago? )  By law it must have this.

 Second, Government entities are public domain.  Works produced by the US government, or any government agency or person acting in a government capacity, are in the public domain, therefore allowing others to freely copy from Federal Documents.” 

Thirdly, If you wish to complain about a company, you can use their name and logo.  “While trademark law prevents you from using someone else's trademark to sell your competing, it doesn't stop you from using the trademark to refer to the trademark owner or its products. That kind of use, known as "nominative fair use," is permitted if using the trademark is necessary to identify the products, services, or company you're talking about, and you don't use the mark to suggest the company endorses you. In general, this means you can use the company name in your review so people know which company or product you're complaining about. You can even use the trademark in a domain name (like fountaindalesucks.com), so long as it's clear that you're not claiming to be or speak for the company.”

So let’s get to the bottom of the matter of LAW.  Do we not have an attorney on the library board?  Yes, we have two. 
One is a Board elected official named Steven Prodehl and one is Tressler Law Firm. 
Prodehl is an Attorney, Partner for the Law Offices of June, Prodehl & Renzi LLC, 279 S Schmidt Rd, Bolingbrook.  He also is the Adjudicatory Law Judge for the  Village of Bolingbrook in the Ordinance Courts.  He, of all people, should know not to send a letter unless you are updated on the law.  He should also have informed the board that they had no jurisdiction to send this type of letter and it was frivolous spending.
So why could two attorneys not research law before threatening a watch dog group?  Are they incapable of research or just incapable of law?  Why would Prodehl not advise the board that there is nothing that could be done about the logo before they spent the money to trademark or to send the letter?  That is money lost…  So who do we blame?  The board president Peg Danhof or the attorneys on the board?  Either way this is incompetence at it’s best.  What about the rights of the people that elected them?  Stopping the “press” is taking away the 75,000 residents freedom of speech and the Civil Liberties that layer that.

Thanks for mis-spending tax payers dollars AGAIN! Next time, hire a recent law grad and you can get better legal advice!  Dinosaurs do not understand modern media, or apparently laws about such...

Taxes are on the way, what should I expect? from a resident...

Residents can expect their property tax bills to arrive about May 1. Payments are due in June and September.

School districts take up most of the tax bill of 72.6 percent. Municipalities comprise 10.2 percent.

Although property taxes have dropped all around the country due to drops in property values, the same does not hold true in Bolingbrook.  Bolingbrook continues to assess at a higher rate to accommodate the debts needed.  You will see an increase is almost all of your taxing bodies come May. 

Remember, it is during the recession that the Library was built, the Police Department was constructed, and the schools added high debts. 

Your taxes will reflect all these high costs.

Be prepared, you will be one of the highest percent taxing bodies in the US.  Compare your property taxes to states like Florida paying prime property cities at $2K a year in taxes for a $200K assessed value home with 2,400 sf. 

We will report the percentages and increases shortly.

A Year in Review

When we look back towards accomplishments, we need to look at the entire two years.  Our web site has informed thousands of Bolingbrook residents on the serious issues in our community.  We have overcome many rumors of false reporting and have become a very reputable news source.  We leaped during election to 2,000+ hits per day!  We are closing in on 100,000 hits in less than two years and counting. 

We have used our overly opinionated writers to spark controversy and get the point across to show different voices in our community.  We have allowed residents to post their opinions and have given them a voice in a community that not had a voice in over 20 years. 

We have exposed corruption and corrupt practices, while showing where people walk the thin line between law abiding citizens and non law abiding citizens.

We have given good stories and bad stories, reported on hero's and villains.  We have sparked residents talking in many social networks, from online blogging to restaurants, stores, bars, and neighborhood organizations, clubs, and block parties.  We have brought people together with common interests and goals, agenda's and news. 

When people in Bolingbrook want to hear the truth, they come to us.  We receive over 500 emails a week asking questions and we respond promptly.  We have grown from 5 residents working the site to over 30 whom volunteer their time to attend functions, write stories, respond to mail, and even help campaigns.  We are known to be the site that people go to when they have a problem or find an issue in Bolingbrook.  We investigate and report for them, so they can get on in their busy lives.  We have become every residents helping hand.

Over the years we have seen residents step forward in need.  We have seen public workers step forward in need.  We have even assisted other communities to start local watch dog groups.  We have seen the birth of an Independent Party and seen the demise of the Democratic and Republican Parties locally.  We have been there to report on it. 

Some say we are only about uncovering conspiracies of elected officials.  However, we have shown the residents otherwise with such stories as Devon Hodges, the basketball star being stripped of his rights to get into a good college with scholarships and stores who prosecute theft illegally.  We have shown stories on bravery amongst the Police and Fire Departments.  We have mentioned fundraisers and supported local events.  We have been there to cover local elections, local government, and local activities for the residents.  We are multi faceted and ever changing, thanks to the dedicated staff.  We do all this, even though NO OTHER PAPER in Bolingbrook dares to. 

We have our critics, which make us work harder to become better.  They want to spread allegations of falsities and lie about our members.  They want us to look like crazy people, in order for themselves to look sane.  They need to do this to protect themselves from our truths.  The truth can be damning.  It can hurt people and their families.  We are aware of this.  However, we are dedicated to report the truth because hurting one person that has hurt 75,000 is the Karma that person has coming to them.   Sometimes, we do feel bad to have to report it, but the public has a right to know. 

On the other hand, these same critics have spent two years trashing some of our dedicated members with comments about their looks or spreading false information about them.  They do not report the truth about these members or expose how these people have hurt thousands of residents, because they have done nothing to be exposed of.  The difference in what these government thrashers do and what we do is that we expose people's wrong doings as it impacts others, while their tactic is to go after people with families who have done nothing wrong.  These dedicated members have done nothing except ask the government questions, and in return, get bullied by the thrashers.

So we have spent two years in this never ending battle between the "good and the evil".  We see it as two fights.  One is to ensure the residents are current on information and the other is to ensure that the "thrashers" do not stop us from supplying the first goal.  Most viewers on here do not understand what our dedicated members have endured at the hands of the thrashers.  One member, Bonnie has been publicly called a murderer and had her home threatened with her 2 year old there, just for telling the truth to the public.  She has endured over two years of weight related comments on Topix by her government stalker that the police refuse to arrest(even though he has a warrant and threatened her body in the everglades wont be found). 

Another member questioned a "bill" and had his family threatened.  Every day our staff risk their lives and families lives to bring you these stories and ensure they are accurate.  Every day they play the hero for the sake of 75,000 residents, while the non-transparent government hides as the villain, trying to discredit or stop the information from being released.  Our writers offer the truth and state their opinions and that is what makes our site so great.  We wish we had more residents like them that could devote a few hours per week!

It is a risk that makes us want to step out and thank these contributors for putting their lives and reputations on the line to make Bolingbrook a better place for us all.  For taking the hits for all of us that write or contribute.  It does not seem fair that three of them would take the hits for so many of us that participate, but one time a year you should be honored for your actions. 

So on behalf of the Bolingbrook Report and its readers, thank you for your dedication, tenacity, risk,and time that you have devoted to the cause.  Each stone you uncover topples over another mountain to clear the way to a better Bolingbrook.  Thank you.

We also want to thank the readers for staying tuned and spreading the word!

Bullying the Media means Internet Censorship and Breaking Civil Rights!

It is not the first time that a Bolingbrook public office tried to bully the media, and it won’t be the last.  Last year Mr. Claar tried to pull information away from a reputable paper for reporting the truth, because it was not in his favor.  This year, Tressler LLC has tried to threaten the Number Crunchers on behalf of the Library.  

Bolingbrook officials do not respond to the papers unless it is to report fluff.  This is all due to FEAR.  They do what they can to find “lapdog journalists” to report Bolingbrook news.  The term "lapdog journalism", for journalism biased in favor of personalities and institutions, is sometimes used as a conceptual opposite to watchdog journalism. Some of these journalists work for the Bugle and Patch.

Watchdog journalism is a type of investigative journalism. It refers to forms of activist journalism aimed at holding accountable public personalities and institutions whose functions impact social and political life. Watchdog journalism is most commonly found in think tanks, alternative media, and citizen journalism such as blogs. It is occasionally found in mainstream media as well. Since independent media and think tanks are not profit-oriented, they have more latitude in which to adopt strong positions and cover a wide range of topics. However, it is also more difficult to determine the backing of non-mainstream outlets so those are sometime subject to covert exploitation by well-funded interests.

Some watchdog journalism, such as the Number Crunchers and the Bolingbrook Report focuses on bias in the media. For examples from the United States, see list in Media bias in the United States. In the UK where there is greater national coverage, watchdog journalism is very effective and consumers' rights are upheld both by radio, television and most national newspapers.  If the media were all lapdogs, the residents would never know the truth or what was going on locally.  These watchdogs hold elected officials accountable by publishing the truth, despite the elected officials that try to stop them.  And try to stop them, they do!  They try to stop them by threatening legal recourse or by spreading rumors that these sites do not publish the truth.  When in reality, they are the only TRUSTING news sources available to the public.

However, when they try to stop them, they are essentially breaking the constitutional rights of the people that work for these organizations and every reader that reads their work. It is called
Internet censorship.

According to the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), “the vision of an uncensored Internet was clearly shared by the U.S. Supreme Court when it declared, in Reno v. ACLU, the Internet to be a free speech zone, deserving at least as much First Amendment protection as that afforded to books, newspapers and magazines. The government, the court said, can no more restrict a person's access to words or images on the Internet than it could be allowed to snatch a book out of a reader's hands in the library, or cover over a statue of a nude in a museum.”
Not only do they try to stop the freedom of speech, they spend your hard earned tax dollars on this.  We call this frivolous spending against what you believe in, with YOUR money. 
I mean, let’s be honest, you cannot regulate what people say or do on the Internet.  You cannot take away someone’s freedom of speech.  When you try, it looks like your hiding in fear and using bullying tactics. 
If the Number Crunchers did receive a letter threatening legal action, they should spit one back and sue the Library for trying to threaten their civil liberties as a legitimate Watch Dog Organization.  This is a federal case, and local judges cannot be bought off.  
What most residents do not see, is that this attorney, Tressler LLC, run by Jim Boan, has caused over a half dozen break to others civil rights in less than two years.  This has left many people ready to throw lawsuits and join together for a class action suit.  We don’t forget Bonnie being removed from the ballot twice!   We don't forget stacking the school board to keep certain elected officials on the ballot when they did not get enough signatures.  We don't forget the number of people that have been threatened or harassed by "Village" workers such as code enforcement when they spoke up to question Bolingbrook government.
What this amounts to is bad advice from elected officials, supported by Tressler and Boan, which is costing tax payers high legal fees, in which only they profit.  Hmmmm, sounds like he knows how to make his millions off of the tax payers!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Village posts jobs open

The Village has posted their job openings on the web site front page.  An inside source tells us they are hoping nobody visits the site so that their inside candidates are the only one's that apply and will subsequently get the job.

If you need a job, apply now!

Bolingbrook Lawsuits

Does anyone else find it odd that Bolingbrook has been involved in many recent lawsuits? 

The church is suing, IA Water is under lawsuit, Election lawsuits, defamation lawsuits, what is going on with our attorney who is not giving good advice?  Or is it that the elected officials do not care what they do, costing the taxpayers huge amounts of money making the attorney rich?  Either way, Bolingbrook is involved in many lawsuits recently, and much more than normal...  We will be looking into this!

Did anyone get the survey call?

We had numerous reports of a survey call to Bolingbrook residents asking our stance on the hostile takeover of IL American Water. 

First, they asked for the youngest adult in the home.
Then they showed both sides to the argument and asked which was favored.
It then asked our political affiliation/ party

Most people that dropped us email about it all responded the same way.  NOBODY wants Bolingbrook to buy the water company.  Where can we get the results of this survey?  Will our officials see it?

School Board passes $83.5 Mil in Debt for your kids to pay back

Hiding from the election, and posting thereafter, the school board voted (without a tax payer referendum) for bonds amounting to $83.5 Mil in debt to be paid between 2028-2033.  When your 2 year old hits 18, guess who is paying for that undercover debt passed by slimy politicians?

Instead of having a plan to pay down the debt, and the incumbents touting no raise in taxes this year as their election promise, they put your children and retirement in trouble. 

Time to get out of Bolingbrook before the property taxes hit over $20K per year in ten years!

To see more, visit... 
http://thenumbercrunchers-bolingbrook.com/vvsd835bond.html

Fiesta Market Theft and possible Battery?

A shopper at Fiesta Market on Rt. 53 and Briarcliff was wearing some gold chains.  This person had the chains ripped right off of them and stolen. 

Right down the street on Woodcreek Drive, a handgun was stolen.

On Saulk lane some car tires were slashed.

Isn't it time that the Police get more active on the East side of town off of Rt. 53?  It is long overdue and although they currently patrol the area, they need to help residents get together for the neighborhood watch programs.

June 1, 600 to attend Golf Club for Midnight gay Marriages

Quinn passed into law that gay couples could web starting June 1.  Locally, Bolingbrook Golf Club will host this midnight event. 

We find it ironic, that such strong Republicans and Tea Party elected officials would sponsor this event.  Does it lend to the theory that they are not true Republicans?

What is your take on this event?  Comment below.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Recent articles about the Water debate.

http://triblocal.com/bolingbrook/2011/04/20/bill-lets-villages-move-forward-with-forming-water-agency/

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/bolingbrook/newsnow/x132151641/Bolingbrook-utility-in-holding-pattern-over-suit

Illinois American Water Pro's and Con's- What Bolingbrook Government won't tell you...

There are a few pro's to bringing in water to a Bolingbrook run operation... again.

It COULD lower the rates, but that is NOT guaranteed.  Matter of fact the officials have said they cannot promise this.

It COULD bring local jobs, but that is NOT guaranteed.  Matter of fact the officials have said they cannot promise this.

What they do not focus on is the CON'S.

It will cost Bolingbrook more bond debt when purchasing this.  What this means is that this bond debt will be divided amongst the residents and increase your taxes...  alot.

It will not be able to lower the water bill much, if at all.

It will be managed by the local government, not private, which means the services can be cut, moved, or spent with money the Mayor and his rubber stamp trustees control.

Public water agencies could form boards that mis-use and even steal the money.  (See Du Page Water Authority and what happened there...)

The legal bills will be extreme, passing the cost to the taxpayers.

On top of the bond debt and legal fees, the Village can tack on fees to the residents, like the waste water fee of $2 which pays for NOTHING. 

In conclusion,
Is this worth it?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Looking for Tips

We received a tip that the school board cut the crossing guards.  Now the Village is paying for it.  We are looking for tips or info to show the schools cut it and the Village picked it up. 

We do know that last weeks' bills at the Village showed
Andy Frain Services  school consulting  $11,329.30 crossing guard services
However, if it was killed by one governmental entitity, why would the village step in?  Should the tax payers know this?  Will this increase tax somewhere?  Is this why the schools say they are not increasing this year, because they sent their bills elsewhere? 
Send your tips now!

How do the Budgets work?

While we wait for the budgets to be released, we want to re-iterate the budgets are never set in stone and are not always steady or sane. 

For instance, in 2008 the golf club was budgeted to spend a management fee of $262K, in 2009 $267K, and in 2010 $276K.  This does not reflect a set percentage raise, nor does it reflect a job done right.  So where do they get these numbers?  Should there not be controls set in place to be consistent with everyone fairly?  What happened to getting paid for the job you do?  If you suck, no raise, if your great, maybe 4-5%?

Same would apply for their personnel fees.  Should this not be based off of expected sales and adjusted accordingly during the recession?  It is almost like telling the Golf Club to "go ahead!  spend away!"

2008   $1,333,745K
2009 $1,229,557K
2010 $1,322,342K

Well what about the Airport?  What do we pay someone to manage there?
Clow Airport
2008 $120K
2009 $124,800K
2010 $129,792K

So what are the average management fees for these items?  We are looking into it this week and will report when we got the numbers.  However, what we are showing here is the inconsistency of the budgets, how the money is selected and where the money goes.
Now we look to how the Board is spending the money for Tourism or promotions during a recession while cutting Police.  Last year they increased this $23K while cutting village services.  Does this seem wise?
Tourism and promotions        2008  $179,324.26            2009 $95,500                2010-2011 $118,000        

So when we print the budget this year, we will point out year over year inconsistencies and be able to show where the favoritism lies...
 

Police Battery at the Strip Club

In response to the comment:

It can happen to anyone? Is this a joke?

Are you somehow implying that on any night out, I can just as easily get arrested with three of my friends, for attacking one person? Is this what you think is normal and acceptable behavior?

When a firefighter is arrested for arson, he is no longer considered responsible to hold the same position. When an officer of the law is arrested on criminal charges, they are also no longer considered responsible to hold their previous position.


When we had written this article, it was meant to be sarcastic.  It is NOT normal or acceptable behavior, but we were being sarcastic because the local government offices will treat it as such. 

The odds of Bolingbrook residents hearing about any punishments or disciplinary actions, vs being swept under the rug are null.

We have been covering stories on the Police for two years now.  Some stories we will never get past because nothing has been done to this day about them.

Remember, this is the same police department that does nothing about Bonnie's stalker, even though she has spoken with the Captain numerous times.  She even gave the name and address with all supporting proof to them.  We have ALL seen it on Topix at one point in time or another.  We know it is real and exists.  I remember someone sending me the TOPIX article he wrote about her body not being found in the Florida everglades.  The same stalker that already has warrants out for his arrest, and the Police have his address, yet he still is walking free.

The same police department that failed to pick up Ricky in the heat of the sign stealing.

I mean, when was the last time they arrested anyone on theft charges from a break in? 

Look at how many rape kits went unprocessed last year. 

The same police force that claimed 95 calls in one block on Bothwell Lane (a decent area) was "typical" per year. 

The same offices that see most of their cases go to the State's Attorneys office for processing...  Which is where the stalker thing is, the sign stealing thing in, and the Peterson thing is amongst others, since they cannot handle these on a lower level.

Do people even realize that last year when Bonnie claimed her signs were stolen it took a detective until two months after the election to follow up? 

If you have a problem in Bolingbrook, do you feel comfortable that the Police will be there for you?  That they will handle it appropriately?  This is the question...  It is up to each residents to think about that one... If it is an immediate response, such as a traffic ticket or fight, then sure, why not.  But if it is a crime, then what do you do?  Most residents turn to the States Attorney to handle it.

One resident is still upset that the Police never returned his wallet....

We are not saying that all Police are bad news, we just think they have internal issues and processing issues and that they need to spend more time solving cases then slapping code enforcement tickets on doors.  They need to take crimes seriously, as the residents are traumatized by the crimes and then traumatized by the lack of solving it again and again.  For an organization that is run top heavy with too many chiefs and not enough Indians, you would think the chiefs would all have their act together and be working hard at solving some of these. 

One resident complained to us last year that she called in a tip to the Crime stoppers.  This was on a 45 year old drug dealer who was praying on kids.  She had his plates, description, everything.  This man has yet to be picked up or confronted and still sells drugs to local teens.

So when we say that it could happen to anyone, we were saying it like the Village would have released their statements on it.  Sarcasm at it's best...

Friday, April 15, 2011

Police Fight at Strip Club

I think everyone in Bolingbrook has read about the Police fight at the Strip Club in Peoria.  While we read all your comments, we did not feel this story was worth posting.  The reason is that
1.  It was on the tribune
2.  It involved men out drinking off duty
3.  Can happen to anyone...

It is a shame that this happened, but we know this can happen with any male out drinking.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Bolingbrook Report Web Site Updating Today

There will be some time today that the web site will be functional and not functional.  Bare with us during this time..

Annual Budget Meetings Upset Claar

Mayor Roger Claar dismissed the "bloggers" at the board meeting this week, stating that the board got through the entire budget in the first meeting this year.  They did not keep the next two meetings for residents to ask questions and we have been hit with numerous emails from residents stating that they had marked to go for one or more of the meetings, and are HIGHLY disappointed that it was all rushed in one when they had marked their calendars for others.  They feel deceived and lied to, but hey, isn't that Bolingbrook Politics?

For the sake of the bloggers on this site, (who are a good majority of Roger's own voters and tax payers), we apologize to Roger.  We should have known that a Village could get through the entire annual budget in one meeting.  When everything is rubber stamped and no one on the board questions the spending of the Mayor, it would probably ONLY take a few hours to state each line item, pass it, and go out for drinks as they toast to another raise!  However, we won't apologize to the residents that marked their calendars for the other days to come out and question their government.  It is up to those residents to speak up to the Mayor and tell him.  It is up to the residents to attend the bi-weekly meetings.  It is up to the residents to open their eyes and look at the budget that was just passed. 

As always, once the budget is finalized, we will post the critique of where money was mis-managed or could have been moved, to be more productive for the residents.

Schools and Layoffs

What a shame that the teachers union, that just endorsed the incumbents for re-election, would now have to endure their teachers aids being cut this year.  This week, the meeting and budget called for more cuts!  Last year they cut text books, sports, teachers, and aides.  They even closed down the independent school for those that needed more individualized schooling at the Phoenix.  It is apparent that these school board members are very right wing Republicans.  We say this because they give to the rich while taking from the poor...

Look at the pay and number of top heavy administration that continues to take its raises in VVSd.  They just hired two people to do Faith Dalhquists job, so they needed to cut somewhere.  They decided to cut from the people that needed it the most.  The people who make barely minimum wage and from the students that have disabilities, or those that need assistance. 

When will this stop?  When will people on the board place the best interest of the children first? 

Our recommendation is to send your kid to private school if they are not the smartest kid in town.  If they have disabilities or special issues, this is not the school district for them.  Matter of fact, Bonnie wanted to give her imput in this situation as the closer...

"A few years ago I was running in circles with VVSD.  My son was diagnosed with minor special needs and the school fought tooth and nail to not offer him assistance.  All he needed was a teachers aid to help him organize.  He suffers from a memory issue.  He needed to be able to bring his homework home, take supplies to class, and write down when tests and assignments were due.  I was told that they did not have enough people to offer him any help.  The teachers could not be burdened with helping either, since they were already overworked.  Since he was not failing, like so many others, I was told that he was not a priority.  I was told 4 years ago that only so many kids in each school could be labeled with a disability and since their school would not label him, although top Psychologists already did, he would receive NO assistance.  You see a disability to the Valley View School District is one that can be monitored by grades on his ISAT.  As long as he passed that, he had NO disability. 

I had to email the teachers daily, check his locker weekly, and buy a spare set of textbooks for the home every year.  Even helping him out so much, and re-teaching him his lessons at home daily, I was still only able to help him pull C's and D's because the homework never got from his folder to the teachers desks, or even home for me to help. 

One day the dean told me to let go and let him do for himself.  Let him step up to bat, and who cares if he has a disability.  This caused him to plummet to failing every subject for four straight quarters his eight grade year while I had to sit by and watch this happen.  Finally, I saw the board was cutting again and again from those with disabilities, and I pulled my son out of the school. 

This school system failed my son, and thousands of others each year.  It is a disgrace that they cut from the bottom, leaving more and more kids in a bad situation each year. "

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Church Sues Bolingbrook

A church is suing Bolingbrook over zoning changes that have upset the Mayor, but not as much as it upset the tax payers.  The Mayor wanted to re-zone to get more revenue, but pulled the zoning too late.  Now he will make the taxpayers pay the legal fees, while upsetting congregation leaders and members.

""Claar said Bolingbrook had enough churches and the Hinman Company—the company leasing the property—“never should have executed a lease without my permission.”"

Now really, who is Claar to cut out someone's church and tell their followers to go elsewhere?  Who is Claar to think that all landlords have to have his approval before renting to someone in this economy? 

Hey Claar buddy, you work for us!  The taxpayers!  Need we keep reminding you?

1.  Your continuous lawsuits are going to break our taxes.
2.  You don't own the Village, you only work in it.
3.  You cannot interfere in your residents religious choices.
4.  You need to take a step back and stop trying to control EVERYTHING!

Something is happening Saturday

Last Saturday the 9th, the annual budget meeting was cancelled.  This followed the election results where we spoke of layoffs in some areas while increasing budgets in others.  It is our feeling that the meeting was cancelled so they could re-adjust budgets, since they had a full "Yes" board in place. 

This means we need to watch the budget carefully as to whom they are hiring and why, what they are spending the money on this year and why, as well as who will be cut.

It is also odd that the Public Safety meeting was cancelled on the 12th and the Zoning on the 13th. 

We will be watching for these changes.

We also reported that they would be hiring people based on thier political help in the election.  Today we noticed they have posted the positions open on the web site.  We will be watching who is hired in these newly created positions.  However, we are disturrbed that the cuts they made last year and people laid off, are not coming back instead.  Plus, why re-fill positions?  I thought we were still in the recession!

In finality, I am anxious to see which Trustee will return their 3% raise and if Roger will take a raise this year. 

However, although we work hard to report the issues, we want you to know that no matter what they do to you, it is all your fault.  You voted them in.  By doing so, you Oked them to do what they are about to do.  Let them rob us blind!  The residents have voted!

Will County Elected Officials allow Corruption to Exist on a Local Level

When people say the "Shit" flows downhill, they are not talking about political corruption.  State wide we have seen more governors indicted in the last 20 years then ever before.  On a local level, Will County officials could step in to fight corruption, but have made the conscious decision not to.

For example, when has any County elected official stepped in to stop the wrongs?  Did the elected states attorney Jim Glasgow ensure Rick's arrest before the election for the felony of interference?  Did they arrest Eldon Lafoon last year for tampering with an election box, calling in a false police report, and interference in an election?  Did anyone get arrested for Bolingbrook officials Pay to Play, or even the tollway scandel?  What about when they give tax payer money to their own companies, even though that is breaking the law? 

What about Lisa Madigan, where has she been on the open door meeting policy breaks in Bolingbrook?  What about the FOIA denials in Bolingbrook?

Isn't it funny when a crime is committed that top elected officials do not have time to do their jobs because it involves an elected official?

Some say there is a bond with co-workers.  Say a cop gets pulled over for a DUI, most likely the other Cop will just shut up and drive him home.  Say a co-worker was stealing pens, but since you ate lunch with him you ignored it.  Well that is how people cover their ass in Illinois.  They look the other way when the going gets tough and they do nothing.

Time and time again Bolingbrook residents, all 70K of them, get ripped off by laws being broken by Will County, Bolingbrook, or higher officials.  Bolingbrook is not the only community.  Oak Brook just overturned their Mayor for it, but he was never arrested.  Even though we expose these broken laws, it is up to the elected officials to do something about it.  It takes media involvement. It takes residents that step up and fight for honesty, costing them time and money to do so. 

Illinois has a serious broken system.  It starts off on the lower levels and these people keep getting elected to higher and higher positions.  It takes a governor to be held accountable.  I think it is time for Will County to form a unit that does nothing but investigate corruption.  They will be kept very busy...

ADAM KINZINGER SUPPORTS PLAN TO ABOLISH MEDICARE

Shorewood, IL – Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger “commends” his party’s budget plan that would eliminate guaranteed benefits for seniors in the future.[i]

“Adam Kinzinger is supporting a plan that puts seniors health in the hands of private insurers who can raise premiums and deny treatment ordered by doctors,” said Tom Earls, Chairman of the Troy Township Democratic Party. “Senior citizens often live on a fixed income. If their premiums increase, that’s money directly out of their limited finances.”

Republican Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s “Pathway to Prosperity” overhaul’s Medicare, putting the future risk of health-care cost increases on to the shoulders of Medicare beneficiaries.
[ii]

“As American’s we hold a responsibility to ensure a stable and healthy future for our seniors, and instead Adam Kinzinger wants to put their health care costs in limbo. This is the same economic bait and switch George W. Bush sought with Social Security – and we know how that would have turned out looking at the stock market crash we just lived through.”




[i] Congressman Kinzinger Commends House Republicans’ Fiscal Year 2012 Budget, April 5, 2011. http://kinzinger.house.gov/press-release/congressman-kinzinger-commends-house-republicans-fiscal-year-2012-budget
[ii] “We must take a path toward prosperity.” via Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/RepKinzinger/status/55271134219870208

Welcome back loyal fans!

Our new political series will be starting later today.  In the meanwhile, candidates have been picking up signs, spending time with families, and getting some rest.  So have we!  Our volunteers needed a rest and it is time to rev up again and report the news!  Check back often today!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

What now? The most asked question of us this week...

We don't understand why people are asking us, "what now"???  Are you asking the people that ran what they will do?  Are you asking their political party what is in store? 

If your referring to the Watch Dog and News Groups, there is no change in what we do.  We report Bolingbrook politics and hot local news.  We have a huge readership and many volunteers that devote time and energy into making this happen for the residents. 

We have no reason to change what we do.  We look into Government waste, mis-deeds, or corruption and report it.  Some say this is not a nice thing for us to do.  But those who say that are typically connected to that problem.  We have the right to watch our government and report on our findings.  It is only with a local watch dog group that you can be assured that the elected officials are selflessly serving you.  Bolingbrook went too long without a watchdog group and we are happy to report our findings for residents that want to know!

What we do is educate the residents by informing them.  Why would that change after an election?  What we have learned is that we need to do more, reach out to more people, and work harder so more people see why they are voting and get them out to vote.  Therefore, we need to ramp up our forces. 

However, will we ever go away?  Yes.  We will not always be here in this capacity.  When the local politicians start acting like responsible people with our money and serve selflessly, then we have nothing to write about.  It is just that simple.  So if it looks like our stories start to dwindle, then it is because the elected officials are behaving responsibly.

For example, at the Budget Workshop last week Mr. Claar made the announcement to EXPLAIN why he was doing something, in case it was going to be written about in the blogs.  This means he is aware we exist, we would have found something wrong in his actions, and he explained those actions (the way he sees that it is OK to him).  Once upon a time he would have done something on his own without accountability, for good or bad, but now he knows that he is accountable to the taxpayers and residents, as well as the watch dog group that reports to them.  We are the middle man for the residents and the "non-listening" government officials.

So we are here for now and will keep bring you new stories for years to come!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

When Winning Feels Like Losing.

From an ol' time resident:

Now that elections are over, I wanted to point out that sometimes winning is really losing.

One Trustee incumbent who won is now 66 years old.  He will be 70 by the time this election comes back around.  He will be under scrutiny of the government watch dogs, as all elected officials should be, for four more years. 

One trustee is 74 and will be 78 when her term comes back around. 

God forbid if anything happens to them at this age because of the stress, will it all be Bonnie's fault again?  I find this very funny.

Is this really a win for them or a win for Roger?  I am of age as well and can't see spending my time with this kind of stress.  Life is too short.  If you ask me, their winning means they really lost out on the last good years they have left.  They have cheated their spouses, grandchildren, and kids from the years they could have spent by their side helping them to succeed, learn to love, and be happy.

But remember I told ya so and if you couldn't take the heat you should have gotten out of the kitchen!

Update on site

We will be removing the candidates that are not elected officials from the site so that they can return to their privacy.  Those that got elected, the articles will remain.

We need a few days to rest!

In the last 6 weeks we have written 175 articles for your viewing.  While we love the number of hits we are getting daily, we need a few days of rest.  We will not be posting a lot in the next few days, but check back on Tuesday!

Bob Bowen Thanks Supporters and Comments on Results

Thank you everyone who supported and voted and who care so much about the financial destruction of the Village and misuse of our tax money and the out of control borrowing/debt spending by the Village incumbents as I do.

I was encouraged that those in my precinct who know me best and know that I stand for ethical, accountable, and honest government overwhelmingly voted for me where I came in first besting the incumbents by a more than 3 to 1 margin.  Those in my precinct also showed up to vote with the highest voter turnout in all of Bolingbrook--the only precinct with over 20% turnout.  My neighbors are well informed and they vote!

I was also encouraged that those who know Roger Claar best, his precinct 14, also voted me in where I came in third.

We will dramatically increase our work in getting the word out to all the other precincts on what I stand for and what Roger Claar represents and the next round we'll win those precincts too.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

3678 People Voted in the Village Election!

Implications for Mayoral Race in two years

The numbers are staggering and the implication of the next Mayoral race is on the minds of many.  With the low polls, the Mayor possibly retiring, and the Independent Party pulling major votes, the next race is sure to be a squeeze. 

It will take the Republican Party years to place someone in that position and get them ready.  Their best bet is Roger retiring now and picking his predecessor to run for the next two years to make it happen. 

We shall see!

Who would you like to run for Mayor next election?

School Finals in!

VALLEY VIEW CUSD 365U BOARD MEMBER FULL (Vote For 3)
59 of 59 Precincts Reporting
PercentVotes
Richard "Rick" Gougis, IIIBitmap 17.58%2,250
Claudia SimmonsBitmap 10.92%1,398
April GavinBitmap 13.13%1,680
Philip A. WilsonBitmap 5.20%665
Steven A. QuigleyBitmap 18.73%2,397
Leonel "Leo" VenegasBitmap 14.04%1,797
Kenneth HarrisBitmap 9.50%1,216
Kenneth WilliamsBitmap 10.89%1,394
12,797