Longtime Arlington Heights mayor Tom Hayes had considered not running for a third term in the 2020-2021 election cycle but reconsidered that thought, heeding what he said was a calling to “help Arlington Heights through … unprecedented uncertainty” as the pandemic was winding down and economic boons were on the horizon for the northwest suburb.
This time, though, Hayes is calling it quits, announcing recently that he won’t seek a fourth term and will exit the Village Board when his term ends in May 2025.
“It is with a sad, but very grateful heart that I announce my intention not to seek a fourth term,” Hayes, 67, stated in a June 26 news release. “It has been my honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Arlington Heights for what will be 34 years as both Village Trustee and Mayor. Over the course of those years, I am most proud of the fact that, together, we have ensured that Arlington Heights remains a family-oriented community where the quality of life and reputation of village government is second to none.”
Hayes ran uncontested in the last election, but in the next race, at least two people are emerging to vie for the mayoral seat.
Village Trustee Tom Schwingbeck is the first to officially announce his candidacy, looking to provide “continuity” on the board, he said, over the next four years.
Schwingbeck, 65, has been a trustee since 2019 – alongside Hayes. Schwingbeck is a husband and father of two adult sons, and has lived in Arlington Heights since
Although Jon Ridler, longtime executive director of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, formed an exploratory committee in March for a possible run for mayor, he has not officially announced a bid and did not respond to Pioneer Press calls inquiring about his intentions.
In addition to Hayes’ seat, four village trustees will be up for reelection in the April 2025 contest: Nicolle Grasse, Jim Bertucci, Jim Tinaglia and Rich Baldino.
Grasse will not be seeking reelection since she was recently appointed state representative of the 53rd District – which includes Arlington Heights – a post she took over from now-state Sen. Mark Walker who was appointed to represent the 27th Senate District. He was appointed to his new post after Ann Gillespie, also an Arlington Heights Democrat, accepted a position from Gov. J.B. Pritzker to head the state’s Department of Insurance.
Grasse is simultaneously finishing her term as village trustee and serving as state rep. She has said she will run for the seat.
The other incumbent trustees have not announced their future plans.
“I look at our Village Board and I’m not sure what will happen in the April [2025] election with the four trustees that will be up for election,” Schwingbeck said Monday in a telephone interview with Pioneer Press. “I think it’s important to have some continuity with the board, especially with all of the things going on in our village and the size of our village.”
With an estimated 55,000 registered voters and major development projects underway in Arlington Heights, Schwingbeck said “we need to have a board that will transition over smoothly.”
One of the village’s largest projects is the redevelopment of the former Arlington International Racecourse now owned by the Chicago Bears. However, previously stated plans for that site have been put on hold while the NFL football team pursues building an enclosed stadium at the lakefront near where they currently play in Chicago.
There are nine other developments currently underway in Arlington Heights that Schwingbeck said also need attention. Details of the projects are on the village’s website.
Schwingbeck said he admires the time and dedication Hayes and former Mayor Arlene Mulder contributed to the community. Both mayors, he said, made the part-time mayor position, which pays $8,500 annually, a full-time job.
“It’s important to make this a full-time position, concentrate your efforts, and I’m in a position in my career to do that,” said Schwingbeck, a metallurgical engineer who left corporate America in 2010 and started his own manufacturer’s representative sales agency, RNM and Associates.
The time commitment of the job – which is supposed to be part-time – is what Hayes noted as a reason he won’t seek a fourth term. He is an attorney who specializes in toxic tort litigation defense at Chicago law firm McKenna Storer.
“Having essentially two full-time jobs as both Mayor and in private practice as an attorney in downtown Chicago,” he wrote, “has been both exhilarating and very challenging.”
Hayes declined to state whose mayoral campaign he would support, saying he is going to wait to see who else runs before making an endorsement decision.
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.
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