Tinaglia to take over as Arlington Heights mayor amid Bears stadium talks

Longtime Arlington Heights resident, architect and village Trustee Jim Tinaglia will become the town’s next mayor amid ongoing discussions with the Chicago Bears over redevelopment of Arlington Park.

Tinaglia had 7,165 votes, Tom Schwingbeck had 4,090 votes and Jon Ridler had 1,700 votes, according to unofficial vote totals Tuesday night.

The race to succeed Tom Hayes, who is stepping down after a dozen years as mayor, pitted Tinaglia, a 12-year village trustee and local architect, against Schwingbeck, a six-year trustee, and Ridler, executive director of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce for the past two decades.

Shortly after vote totals from all precincts were reported about 8 p.m., Tinaglia took the stage at a victory party at the Hey Nonny music club in downtown Arlington Heights. He thanked supporters and invited Hayes up on stage. The current mayor, who endorsed Tinaglia, said he was the most qualified candidate for the job and would be able to hit the ground running when he’s sworn in May 5.

Tinaglia will get a seat at the table in talks with the Bears over redevelopment of the sprawling former racetrack property. Progress stalled amid a property tax dispute between the NFL club and three local school districts, but there’s been renewed energy in recent months amid approval of a village-brokered deal and resumption of traffic and economic impact studies at the 326-acre site.

A resident since 1972 and a 1980 Arlington High School graduate, Tinaglia coached youth sports before getting involved in local politics. He served on the village’s advisory design commission for 11 years and then won a contested race for village trustee in 2013.

Tinaglia has called for methodical review of any plans the Bears submit for Arlington Park, with an emphasis on safety, traffic, economics and infrastructure, and committed to having no professional involvement in designing buildings on the property.

“At this point, what I do know is you really do need to have a good understanding of the history of where Arlington Heights has been,” he said during the campaign. “I was a kid riding my bike around these streets as a youngster, and I remember what Arlington Heights was like back then. … My career and vision as an architect sets me into a position where I can really be a helping hand to make sure that we don’t sit on our hands. We want to keep growing. Arlington Heights needs to keep making ourselves better than we were the day before. But we want to do it carefully.”

Schwingbeck, a trustee since 2019 and four-year member of the zoning board of appeals before that, campaigned on being a good listener and open minded, while pledging to be a full-time mayor with no salary. When he announced his candidacy last May, the metallurgical engineer decided to retire so he could focus on the campaign.

A resident since 1988, Schwingbeck had the endorsement of longtime Trustee Robin LaBedz, who is Hayes’ president pro tem.

Schwingbeck has two years remaining on his current trustee term.

Ridler, a resident since 2013, ran an outsider’s campaign, saying he’d be an independent voice for residents and small businesses. He vowed to bring a collaborative approach to village government and reimagining Arlington Park, calling for establishment of a public-private economic development council and more involvement by Rolling Meadows and Palatine officials.

Ridler, who also runs a management company that operates the chambers in those two towns, spent eight years on the Arlington Economic Alliance, an appointed panel that advises the village board on business issues. He also spent six years on the Arlington Heights Crime Stoppers board in addition to service with the local Rotary and Lions clubs.