| ILLINOIS SCHOOL SYSTEM AUDITRoger C. Claar — Complete ProfileBolingbrook Mayor 34 Years · Tollway Corruption · $5M Campaign Fund · Vendor Pay-to-Play · Valley View SD 365U |
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| 34 yearsMayor of Bolingbrook 1986–2020 — one of the longest-serving mayors in Illinois history | $5M+Campaign fund collected since 1999 — nearly 100% from vendors and non-residents | $170MTollway contracts voted for companies that donated $105,000 to his campaign | $300MVillage contracts to companies that donated to Citizens for Claar — Chicago Tribune analysis |
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866-312-6456 | auditor@illinoisschooldistrictaudit.com | IllinoisSchoolDistrictAudit.com | May 2026
WHO IS ROGER C. CLAAR
| Roger Claar Ran Bolingbrook Like a Personal Empire for 34 Years — With a Golf Castle, a Performing Arts Center Named for Him, a Street Named for Him, and a Campaign Fund Fed Almost Entirely by Village VendorsRoger C. Claar (born ~1946; Kansas State University; Sigma Pi fraternity) was appointed Mayor of Bolingbrook in 1986 and retired July 31, 2020 — 33 years, 8 months, and 7 days in office. He built Bolingbrook from 35,000 to 76,000 residents, created the Bolingbrook Promenade mall, built a golf club with a 76,000 square foot castle clubhouse (he 'picked the marble, the color of the grout'), ran an outside political consulting business advising corporations that needed things from government while simultaneously being mayor, sat on the Illinois Tollway Authority board while soliciting $105,000 from tollway vendors who got $170M in contracts, and collected $5M+ in campaign donations — 99.4% from businesses and non-residents — while 60% of village vendor spending went to his donors. He now has a performing arts center, a street, AND an auditorium named after him. |
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Career Timeline
| Year | Event |
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| ~1946 | Born; Kansas State University; Sigma Pi fraternity; settled in Bolingbrook |
| 1979 | Appointed village trustee; brought 'peace to a divided village board' |
| 1986 | Appointed Mayor of Bolingbrook after previous mayor forced to resign |
| 1987 | Elected mayor; served continuously for next 33+ years |
| 1991 | Forced to resign as director of Romeoville-based Wilco Area Career Center after audit revealed tens of thousands of dollars missing from soda machines; Claar blamed illiterate maintenance man and delivery drivers |
| 1991 | Appointed to Illinois State Toll Highway Authority board by Gov. Jim Edgar |
| 1996 | Will County State's Attorney investigated tollway land deal involving developer Don Hedg, a Claar associate; police searched Claar's home while he was out of town; Claar said 'I seriously wanted to shoot myself'; investigation petered out |
| 1997 | Arrested by Naperville police after August fundraiser; refused Breathalyzer test; DUI charge; later acquitted when DuPage County judge ruled officers' descriptions of arrest were 'inconsistent' |
| 2000 | Forced to resign from Tollway Authority after Chicago Sun-Times Tim Novak reported he solicited $105,000 in campaign contributions from tollway vendors who received $170M in contracts he voted for; Gov. George Ryan 'gently urged him to step down' |
| 2000s | Operated American Consulting Services — political consulting business advising corporations that needed things from state or local government WHILE serving as mayor; later shut down after questions |
| 2002 | Bolingbrook Golf Club opens; 18-hole championship course; 76,000 sq ft castle clubhouse — Claar 'picked the marble, the color of the grout'; East Room posh steakhouse; West Wing for private parties; Claar uses as personal entertainment venue |
| 2006 | Defends convicted Gov. George Ryan publicly: 'I cannot believe George Ryan was convicted. George Ryan served the State of Illinois well over 30 years. He did many fine things for the Village of Bolingbrook. He is my friend and will be my friend!' |
| 2006 | Joins Illinois Republican State Central Committee (District 13) |
| 2007 | Chicago Magazine profile: salary $122,033 as mayor/liquor commissioner/tobacco commissioner; campaign fund ~$1M — comparable only to Mayor Daley's fund; running political consulting business simultaneously |
| 2009 | Bolingbrook Golf Club auditorium at Bolingbrook High School (Valley View SD 365U) named 'Roger and Pat Claar Family Auditorium' |
| 2016 | Hosts multi-million dollar fundraiser for Donald Trump at Bolingbrook Golf Club |
| 2017 | Survives reelection by 104 votes vs. Jackie Traynere; race drew Dick Durbin, Bill Foster, JB Pritzker campaigning against him |
| 2019 | In just 3 months (Apr-Jun 2019): raised $269,500 — $98,700 for Citizens for Claar; $170,800 for Citizens for Bolingbrook PAC; both chaired by Claar; 99.4% from businesses and non-residents; 147 donors, only 6 Bolingbrook residents |
| 2020 (Jul 31) | Retires 8 months before term end; final speech given from Bolingbrook Performing Arts Center stage under disco ball |
| 2020 (Aug 11) | Board grants title 'Mayor Emeritus' |
| 2020 (Sep 8) | Board unanimously votes to rename 115th Street 'Claar Boulevard' and rename the Performing Arts Center 'Roger C. Claar Performing Arts Center' |
| Present | Valley View SD 365U auditorium at Bolingbrook HS still named Roger and Pat Claar Family Auditorium; Claar Boulevard still renamed; Performing Arts Center still bears his name |
THE PAY-TO-PLAY MACHINE — BY THE NUMBERS
| The Chicago Tribune Analysis: 60% of Every Dollar Bolingbrook Spent on Vendors Went to Claar's Campaign DonorsThe Chicago Tribune conducted a comprehensive analysis of Roger Claar's campaign finance records and Bolingbrook's vendor payments. The findings: since 1999, Claar took in more than $5 million in campaign donations. Nearly half came from companies that did business with Bolingbrook. Those contributors received more than $300 million in village work — nearly 60 percent of everything Bolingbrook spent on vendors over the decade. This is not the tollway scandal. This is the village government itself — every contract, every permit, every license — running through Claar's campaign fund. |
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| Category | Amount | Source |
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| Total Claar campaign donations since 1999 | $5M+ | Chicago Tribune analysis |
| Campaign fund balance (peak) | ~$1M in cash and investments | ILSBE filings |
| Portion from village business contacts | ~50% | Tribune analysis |
| Village vendor spending going to Claar donors | $300M+ (60% of total) | Tribune analysis |
| Tollway vendor donations to Claar | $105,000 | Sun-Times/Tribune |
| Tollway contracts Claar voted for those donors | $170M | Sun-Times/Tribune |
| Single 3-month fundraising period (Apr-Jun 2019) | $269,500 | ILSBE filings |
| % from Bolingbrook residents in that period | 0.6% ($1,500 of $269,500) | ILSBE filings |
| Lindesmith co. donations after alleged pressure | $7,250 (2001-2007) | Tribune reporting |
| Lindesmith co. village contracts during that period | $908,000+ | Tribune reporting |
| Ronald Serpico donation | $1,000 — May 10, 2018 | ILSBE |
| Serpico firm retained as village special legal counsel | May 22, 2018 — 12 days later | Village records |
| Schroeder donation | $2,300 | ILSBE |
| Schroeder & Schroeder sidewalk contract | $255,110 — shortly after | Village records |
| THE EXTORTION ALLEGATION — GARY LINDESMITHBusinessman Gary Lindesmith alleged in a federal court filing that he was pressured in 2001 to donate thousands of dollars to Claar's campaign AND to selected charities in order to keep his village contracts. Records confirm: his company donated $7,250 to Claar's fund from 2001 to 2007 and received more than $908,000 in contracts. Claar was never charged. But the allegation documents the mechanism: vendors understand that maintaining contracts requires contributing to the mayor's campaign fund. The math across the full vendor pool — 60% of all village spending goes to campaign donors — confirms this was not isolated. |
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THE TOLLWAY AUTHORITY SCANDAL
| Item | Detail |
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| Appointment | 1991: Gov. Jim Edgar appoints Claar to Illinois State Toll Highway Authority board — paying position |
| The scheme | Over the decade he sat on the tollway board, Claar collected $105,000 in campaign donations from tollway-affiliated vendors and firms; he then routinely voted to give those same companies multimillion-dollar contracts — approximately $170M total |
| The rule violation | Tollway board rules explicitly forbade members from soliciting campaign contributions from tollway vendors; Sun-Times reporter Tim Novak documented the solicitations |
| 1996 land deal | Will County SA investigated tollway land deal involving developer Don Hedg — a Claar associate; police searched Claar's home; investigation petered out without charges |
| Al Ronan connection | 'Thousands of dollars were allegedly passed among a land developer, former state Rep. Al Ronan and the business owned by Claar' — this connects Claar to Springfield legislative network through Ronan |
| Gov. Ryan intervention | Gov. George Ryan — later convicted on racketeering charges — 'gently urged' Claar to resign; Claar complied in 2000; Claar later publicly lamented Ryan's conviction calling him 'my friend' |
| Never charged | Claar resigned, was never charged with any crime in connection with tollway donations |
THE BOLINGBROOK GOLF CLUB — A PUBLIC ASSET USED AS PRIVATE FIEFDOM
| Bolingbrook Built a 76,000 Square Foot Castle Golf Clubhouse With a Posh Steakhouse and Private 'West Wing' — and the Mayor Picked the MarbleThe Bolingbrook Golf Club (opened 2002) is a village-owned golf course with a 76,000 square foot clubhouse that Chicago Magazine compared to a castle. Roger Claar personally selected the marble, the grout color, the exterior stone, and most of the interior. He used the East Room steakhouse to entertain and the upstairs West Wing for private parties. He received a car allowance and maintained an 'office' at the golf club paid for by taxpayers. In 2016, he hosted a multi-million dollar fundraiser there for Donald Trump. The golf club consistently operated at a deficit — paid for by Bolingbrook taxpayers — while serving as Claar's personal entertainment and political venue. |
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THE VALLEY VIEW SD 365U CONNECTION — SCHOOLS IN CLAAR'S DOMAIN
| Bolingbrook's School District Is Valley View SD 365U — Which Has Claar's Name on an Auditorium and His TIF Districts Draining Its Tax BaseValley View School District 365U serves Bolingbrook, Romeoville, and surrounding communities in Will County. It is one of the largest and most financially complex school districts in Will County. The district's Bolingbrook High School has an auditorium named the 'Roger and Pat Claar Family Auditorium.' Valley View also serves the communities surrounding Bolingbrook's 8 TIF districts — all of which capture commercial property tax increment away from Valley View SD 365U for 23-year periods. Claar oversaw ALL of those TIF districts as mayor. The same vendors who donated to his campaign fund also built the TIF-funded commercial developments whose tax increment does NOT flow to Valley View schools. |
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| Issue | Detail |
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| Valley View SD 365U | One of the largest school districts in Will County; serves Bolingbrook, Romeoville, portions of Naperville; 18,000+ students; bond debt from rapid 1990s-2000s growth |
| Bolingbrook TIF districts | 8 active TIF districts in Romeoville (adjacent municipality) + multiple Bolingbrook TIFs; ALL capture commercial increment away from Valley View for 23 years |
| Roger and Pat Claar Family Auditorium | Located at Bolingbrook High School (Valley View SD 365U); named for Claar and his wife |
| The irony | The mayor who controlled TIF districts that drained Valley View's funding had his name placed on that school district's auditorium; the naming is a permanent monument to the relationship between political power and the schools it underfunded |
| Insurance | Alliant Insurance Services appears in Bolingbrook's vendor list (confirmed in village treasurer report); this is the same Alliant that appears in the FBI investigation of McCook/Lyons (Tobolski/Sandoval network); FOIA: Is Alliant also the insurance broker for Valley View SD 365U? |
| Performing Arts Center | The Roger C. Claar Performing Arts Center (375 W. Briarcliff Rd, Bolingbrook) was funded with village money; adjacent to Village Hall; TIF or general fund? Pull the village budget documents showing how the PAC was funded |
| Bolingbrook Golf Club | Village-owned; operated at consistent deficit; Claar personally designed the $76,000 sq ft clubhouse; Trump fundraiser held there 2016; check: did any Valley View SD 365U vendor also do business at the Golf Club? |
THE BIPARTISAN DONATION NETWORK — CLAAR FUNDED BOTH PARTIES
| Claar Donated to Democrats as Well as Republicans — The Classic 'Political Realist' Move of a Municipal Machine BossRoger Claar served as Illinois Republican State Central Committeeman for District 13 and hosted Trump's 2016 fundraiser. But he also donated to: State Senator James DeLeo (D), State Senator Terry Link (D), Metropolitan Water Reclamation District President Terrence O'Brien (D), State Rep. Jay Hoffman (D), State Senator Louis Viverito (D). This bipartisan giving is not generosity — it is protection. By donating to both parties, Claar ensured he had allies in Springfield regardless of which party controlled the chamber. The same pattern appears across every municipal machine boss in this audit: they donate to whoever controls what they need. |
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| Recipient | Amount/Period | Why It Matters |
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| James DeLeo (D-IL Senate) | $700 — Sep 2003 to Jun 2005 | Democratic Senate machine; DeLeo was powerful Springfield operator |
| Terry Link (D-IL Senate) | $1,000 — Oct 2005 | Link later pleaded guilty to tax evasion involving unreported campaign contributions |
| Terrence O'Brien (D-MWRD) | $300 — Sep 2005 | MWRD controls water/sewer infrastructure that Bolingbrook needed for growth |
| Jay Hoffman (D-IL House) | $250 — Nov 2003 | Springfield Democratic operator |
| Louis Viverito (D-IL Senate) | $600 — Aug 2005 | Viverito was the lone Democrat to vote NO on Senate Bill 600 — possibly related to Claar's interests |
| George Ryan (R-Gov, convicted) | Described as 'my friend' | Ryan appointed Claar to tollway board; Ryan urged him to resign; Ryan later convicted racketeering; Claar defended him publicly after conviction |
| Donald Trump (R) | Multi-million dollar fundraiser at Bolingbrook Golf Club 2016 | Hosted the fundraiser; positioned as Trump ally in Illinois Republican machine |
| Republicans statewide | $1,000s to various R candidates | GOP State Central Committee since 2006; distributed campaign donations to favored Republicans |
ALLIANT INSURANCE SERVICES IN BOLINGBROOK — THE AUDIT CONNECTION
| Bolingbrook's Village Treasurer Report Lists Alliant Insurance Services As a Village Vendor — The Same Alliant That Appeared in the FBI Raids of McCook and LyonsThe Bolingbrook Village Treasurer Annual Report lists Alliant Insurance Services Inc. as a village vendor. Alliant Insurance Services is the same company documented in the FBI investigation of the McCook/Tobolski/Sandoval network — the same investigation that documented how Speaker Madigan called Tobolski to steer village insurance to his son's firm at Mesirow. Alliant was involved in the Lyons village insurance controversy. Now Alliant appears as a Bolingbrook vendor — in Will County, in Claar's 34-year machine. Did Alliant also serve as the insurance broker for Valley View SD 365U? Did Alliant donate to Claar's campaign? Pull ILSBE for 'Alliant Insurance' and cross-reference with both the village and the school district. |
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◆ Investigation Network — Connected Pages
⚡ New Lead / UpdateCONNECTION: Claar-aligned vendors documented in Will County school districts. Cross-check with IL_Vendor_Concentration_Analysis. TIF districts in Bolingbrook/Romeoville remove $18B+ from school tax base.