Arlington Heights mayor won’t seek reelection, but believes Bears stadium talks are ‘in a good place’
Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes announced Wednesday he won’t seek reelection next year, but believes the Chicago Bears will decide whether or not to build a stadium in town before his term expires in 10 months.
The uncertain future of the 326-acre Arlington Park property and the NFL franchise’s ongoing stadium search “has weighed on my mind” as he contemplated running for a fourth four-year term, Hayes said.
But “I do think we are in a good place with that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be leaving.”
Hayes’ decision comes as other candidates plan to circulate nominating petitions in September and file the paperwork in December to get on the April 1, 2025 ballot.
Trustee Tom Schwingbeck declared his candidacy for mayor in May, and Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler formed an exploratory committee in March for a possible run.
With Hayes’ announcement Wednesday, more candidates could throw their hats in the ring.
Hayes said he’s not endorsing anybody at this “early stage,” especially if another current village board member enters the race.
Hayes was the lone board member to run for mayor in 2013 when he had the endorsement of then-Mayor Arlene Mulder. He defeated two other candidates that year and has run unopposed the last two elections.
Like Mulder, Hayes will have spent 34 years in public service when he steps down next year — a tenure that began with his election as village trustee in 1991.
Hayes, now 67, said he never envisioned spending as long of a time on the village board dais. And he didn’t plan to seek a third term, but “the timing just wasn’t right” to step down during the pandemic, he said.
“I just do feel that the timing is right at this time,” he said Wednesday. “The village is in a good place, and I feel that 34 years will be enough.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the Bears and Arlington Park, Hayes said he has “10 months left to continue to work on that.”
He believes that Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren and team officials will make a decision in that time frame.
“I really feel in my heart of hearts, that the decision will be made one way or the other, whether it’s Arlington Heights or the lakefront or somewhere else,” Hayes said.
Hayes acknowledged that he hoped the process would have been “a little bit further down the road” by now, perhaps even being able to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony at the shuttered racetrack.
But he said he doesn’t count lack of progress on the Arlington Park redevelopment as a disappointment during his political career.
The hardest part of the job, Hayes regularly tells elementary school students, is when he can’t solve somebody’s problem, or has to tell someone “no.”
He said he’s most proud of helping enhance the quality of life of Arlington Heights as a family-oriented community, and the professional reputation of village government.
The mayoral post in Arlington Heights is part-time, and pays $8,500 a year, though Hayes said he’s treated it like a full-time role and been able to balance those responsibilities with his day job as an attorney in toxic tort litigation with Chicago law firm McKenna Storer. He said he anticipates a full retirement in the near future.