Thomas F. Schwingbeck Jr.: 2025 candidate for Arlington Heights village president
Bio
Office sought: Arlington Heights village president
City: Arlington Heights
Age: 66
Occupation: Metallurgical engineer, retired company president
Previous offices held: Arlington Heights Village Trustee since 2019
Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? Also, what makes you the best candidate for the position?
I am involved in local government so that I may serve the community I have called home for 36 years. As an appointed member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and, as an elected member of the village board in my second term, I am uniquely positioned to lead Arlington Heights into the future. I have served the village by listening to the needs of my neighbors, planning strategies, and advancing policies to improve the quality of life of our residents. And my motivation today is the same as it was 10 years ago, that is to serve my community.
The village is experiencing unprecedented turnover in its leadership with the mayor and four trustee positions on the ballot. As a trusted and experienced leader, my candidacy guarantees continuity in leadership while guiding us into a new era.
I am the best candidate for mayor for three reasons. First, I have a clear vision to lead the village into the future. Second, I am dedicated to making that vision a reality and I have time to fully commit to the duty. Finally, I am unencumbered by any conflicts of interest that may prevent me from engaging fully in the duties of mayor.
What is the most serious issue your community will face in coming years and how should leaders respond to it?
The village is financially secure with excellent bond ratings. During my tenure as trustee, for five consecutive years, we had not increased our tax levy. Yet, village infrastructure is an issue, and we are challenged by unfunded mandates to replace lead service lines, aging water mains, and controlling flooding.
My priority is continued financial security that will guarantee outstanding services such as police, fire, and public works to our residents and businesses while keeping tax increases to a minimum as we address the needs of our village infrastructure.
My vision for the village includes expanding our economic base through growth and development of commerce. Growing new business and supporting existing businesses from north to south is key to this vision.
Development of Arlington Park as well as other vacant properties is a priority. These projects will expand our tax base, increase revenue and lesson the burden on residents.
We must carefully monitor and addressed these projects during a thorough planning process. As your mayor, I will be fully engaged in the development of Arlington Park and other projects to secure the best outcome for our village residents and businesses.
What economic incentives, if any, should Arlington Heights be willing to offer the Chicago Bears to attract the team's stadium project to Arlington Park? Please explain your reasoning.
Presently, we need more information and a commitment from the Chicago Bears regarding their use of the 326 acres at Arlington Park. In the absence of any proposal, it is difficult to commit any incentives to advance development of the land.
Securing a proposal in a timely manner is a high priority and one that I will pursue as your mayor. Whatever direction the Bears choose, it must be a win for our residents and businesses, and we must be at the table to advance our interests.
Regarding a stadium, I am not in favor of giving the Chicago Bears or for that matter any property owner financial incentives to build that or any other building at Arlington Park.
It is likely that we will support infrastructure improvements such as water, sewer and local roads, but that is contingent upon a detailed proposal from the Bears. If this project meets TIF criteria or financial support through another means, I would be open to discussion.
If the Bears succeed in developing a new stadium in Chicago instead of Arlington Heights, what type of development would you want to see on the Arlington Park property? How would you see that benefiting the community?
Developing Arlington Park is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Arlington Heights. It will position the village as a regional destination point for visitors from surrounding counties and states. The decision will affect Arlington Heights for decades to come and must be thoroughly vetted to ensure it aligns with the vision for our community.
The stadium is only part of the larger proposal for the 326-acre property. It is important to consider the whole and not just the part.
I certainly know what I do not want built here, which is why I supported the overlay zone we created. The proposal must complement our village from north to south and not detract from it. Ultimately, these decisions will be made with full collaboration of our village board and staff in a transparent process that will include input from our residents and businesses.
As your mayor, I will be fully engaged in a process to plan and implement this process so that when complete, all of Arlington Heights may celebrate in the outcome.
How would you describe the state of your community's finances? What should be the top priorities for spending during the next few years? Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed?
Presently, the village is in a sound financial position. I will work diligently to maintain if not improve our bond rating while stewarding our annual budget planning. We employ a village manager who leads the daily operations of our village and is critical to our future success. I think our current government structure serves our needs very well.
The village has many opportunities to grow our community, expand our tax base, and increase our revenue to the benefit of our taxpaying residents. Though I don’t believe it is our only opportunity, the most visible opportunity for the village is to develop Arlington Park.
There are other projects that have been proposed that have yet to be started and these must be an immediate priority. Additionally, we also need to advance projects that are already underway so we don’t lose momentum and can deliver on the promises we made to our residents when they were initiated.
Those who say that they want to keep things the same and change nothing are out of touch. The village is changing, and we must be in front of the changes to better control the outcome. By standing still we will fall behind. Planning is key to success.
What do you see as the most important infrastructure project you must address? Why and how should it be paid for? Conversely, during these uncertain economic times, what project(s) can be put on the back burner?
The most important infrastructure projects continue to be our lead service line replacement program and aging water mains. With the lead service line project, we are helping to share the cost burden of replacing them from the buffalo box to the house with residents.
As with all infrastructure projects, we look for county, state and federal grant opportunities to limit the burden on our residents. These might become more difficult to obtain with today’s political environment, but I will do what is in my power as your mayor to work with the county and state to keep them moving. With this in mind, we must make concessions and have put on hold some stormwater projects and the senior center renovation, but with careful planning I hope to avoid any serious disruptions.
Describe your leadership style and explain how you think it will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your village board.
As a leader, I am respectful of the opinions of others and work collaboratively to achieve consensus. I value open communication and hold that in the highest regard. As mayor, I will solicit ideas from the board and lead discussions on any and all topics that will better our community. I will extend this sense of mutual respect and collaboration to other government agencies in the village including parks, libraries and schools.
In my experience, mutual respect and open communication fosters trust that leads to creative solutions. During my time in village leadership, I have seen countless examples of how collaboration has contributed to finding answers that otherwise wouldn't have been possible if we weren’t willing to work together.
As we move forward during this pivotal time in our village, I believe that my engineering/sales background, Zoning Board and village board experience paired with my leadership style makes me uniquely suited to fostering collaboration and taking action.
I have earned the endorsements of village board colleagues, other village government leaders, and our residents in a manner that positions me to lead our village as its next mayor.
What’s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?
I have a few!
We have several local events like Sounds of Summer, Harmony Fest, Santa Run, etc. There have been discussions about closing Vail Avenue from the parking garage to Campbell Street to improve the experience during these events.
Working with our Special Events and Arts Commissions, chamber, and Downtown Business Group, we can collaborate with our park district, library and schools to expand other events across the village. Ideas include art and antique fairs, car shows, a winter ice sculpture event, and chalk-the-block with local artists. Building on the examples from neighboring communities, I believe we can do this and more across Arlington Heights.
Presently, our village board meets annually with our library and park district boards. I propose that we include annual meetings with our school boards. Working collaboratively with these other governing boards, generates ideas that benefit our community and help come up with creative solutions to problems while leading to greater efficiencies to save taxpayer dollars.
Arlington Heights is a welcoming community. I would look for opportunities to expand our image, which is known for belonging and inclusion.