Stengren: 20 years on Arlington Hts. board is enough

Tom Stengren thought he might not make it through his first term on the Arlington Heights Village Board because the job was so tough.

Twenty years later he loves serving on the board but has decided not to seek a sixth term in April.

“It's been one of the greatest experiences of my life other than having kids and getting married,” Stengren said Tuesday. “Now I can spend a little more time with my wife and family. We have grandchildren now.”

It is time for someone with more energy and new ideas to be on the board, said Stengren, who isn't retiring from his job as general sales manager at Prudential Starck Realtors.

Four positions on the board will be on the April 5 ballot, and the three other incumbents say they will run for re-election.

Nominating petitions are available in the village clerk's office for trustee and Arlington Heights Library Board. Petitions must be filed between Dec. 13-20. Contests for school district boards, park boards, fire districts and community colleges also will be on the April 5 ballot.

Village President Arlene Mulder said she will miss Stengren, who joined the board in 1991 at the same time she did.

“He's just a phenomenal trustee, very independent, and he does his homework,” Mulder said. “He's always out in the public because he works here locally.”

She said Stengren's first-term vote to make it easier to institute a group home among single-family houses stands out in her memory.

“He changed his vote. It was very difficult but very brave,” she said. “It showed his sensitivity to citizens with special needs.”

Mulder also praised the trustee for his work in negotiating the village purchase of Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in 2005.

Asked to recall his best moments, Stengren also mentioned the group homes vote and his ability to champion people who need help such as those with disabilities and mental illness. He recently voted in favor of rezoning property in the controversial and failed attempt to build Boeger Place, an apartment building for people with mental illness.

Stengren spoke about the redevelopment of downtown.

“Twenty years ago there were a lot of boarded up store fronts and old buildings,” he said. “We trustees had a vision about what we hoped would happen, and it's happened.”

He has been one of the more vocal opponents of slot machines at Arlington Park, and supported an ordinance against smoking in restaurants.

Stengren said he is proud of the new village hall that opened in 2008, which some critics labeled extravagant.

“I'm very proud of the building and I think the majority of our residents very proud of it,” he said. “It's looking into the future. The building will serve this community for 50 to 60 years more.”