Much work ahead for Bolingbrook mayor in her first full term

Even though Mary Alexander-Basta is technically the newly-elected mayor of Bolingbrook, she already had about nine months of work experience by the time she began her first full term.

She was appointed acting mayor last year after the retirement of Roger Claar, who had served as the leader of Will County’s second-largest municipality for over 34 years. Alexander-Basta then won a three-way race for the top job in April’s election.

Recently, Alexander-Basta said the village has been most concerned with issues like organizing COVID-19 vaccine clinics, but has also been looking forward to an economic rebound as the pandemic recedes. She said businesses which had to shut down like local movie theaters are back open ready to welcome customers.

Like around the nation, Bolingbrook homes are being sold almost as quickly as a “for sale” sign can be put up. Alexander-Basta said a new apartment complex is coming to the village’s west side to provide more options for home seekers.

“It’s moving pretty quickly,” she said of all the economic activity. “This is a desirable market and we want to continue to keep it that way.”

Coming out of the pandemic, there are other issues she’ll have to tackle, some lingering from before last year.

While residents voted on three ballot referenda in April’s election, one issue not included was whether to allow recreational marijuana businesses in the village.

The Village Board voted in 2019 to prohibit recreational marijuana businesses. At the time, officials said the idea was too new since the state legislature had just voted to legalize the drug starting in 2020.

Since then, communities like Romeoville and Joliet have allowed dispensaries to sell recreational pot while taking in tax revenue with few, if any, problems.

Despite not having a referendum result to consider, Alexander-Basta said she’s willing to “open that conversation again” with the board.

Former Village Trustee Robert Jaskiewicz urged the board during his final meeting this month to reconsider that 2019 vote.

“A lot of our residents are going to Romeoville, to Naperville, and so on, and they’re benefitting from those tax dollars that we’re losing out on,” he said.

Still, Alexander-Basta struck a cautious tone when asked about her thoughts on allowing such businesses in town.

“I have to make sure that the money we’re going to be getting from it offsets the expense that’s going to come with it,” she said.

The village is also still in court trying to regain control of its water system from Illinois American Water. She said she met earlier this month with the new president of the company and feels “optimistic” about coming to a resolution.

She’s also had meetings with Amazon over a proposed facility it wants to build at the former site of the Old Chicago amusement park. Claar said last year when the logistics giant purchased the property he was “not excited” about it because the original proposal included a building that exceeded the village’s height restriction that could bring more traffic to an already busy corridor near an Interstate 55 interchange.

Alexander-Basta said Amazon has since modified its proposal for a shorter building which would function more like a fulfillment center with van traffic instead of truck traffic. The company is also conducting a traffic study, she said.

The last few years in village politics have at times been contentious with some residents taking issue with Claar’s leadership. He narrowly won his last election in 2017 to Democratic Will County Board member Jackie Traynere.

But after she won a seat on the Village Board in 2019, Alexander-Basta made an effort to reach out to those who opposed the former mayor, on whose party’s ticket she ran.

The outreach even earned her praise from Jaskiewicz, who ran on Traynere’s 2017 ticket, at his last meeting.

“I love your leadership style,” he said to Alexander-Basta. “Don’t lose that. Continue to delegate. Seek advice and keep that welcoming smile.”

Of course Alexander-Basta acknowledged and praised her successor for his work during his tenure. The village of about 75,000 residents is in a fundamentally different position from when Claar entered office. While Alexander-Basta acknowledged her approach to leadership differs from Claar’s, she said she intends to build on his record of accomplishment.

“He had a vision,” Alexander-Basta said. “Like him, love him or hate him, he made Bolingbrook the Bolingbrook it is today.”

“He did the major outline,” she added. “Now I’m coloring it in.”