Thomas Schwingbeck Jr.: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: Arlington HeightsWebsite: www.tom4ah.comOffice sought: Arlington Heights Village Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Wife, Renee and two children, Nicholas and Michael.Occupation: President of RNM and Associates. A Sales, Metallurgical Engineering and Consulting Company.Education: MBA from Northwestern Kellogg School of Business. B.S in Metallurgical Engineering and B.A in German Language/Literature (U of Illinois). Padagogishe Universitate Baden, Austria (1 year). Champion School Bhopal, India (3 years).Civic involvement: Assistant Scoutmaster and former Scoutmaster and Committee Member of Troop 32 in Arlington Heights 2006-Present. Former Cubmaster; Den Leader; and Treasurer of Cub Scout Pack 129 at Dryden School 2001-2010. PADS Volunteer and former Youth Basketball Coach at Our Saviours Lutheran Church, NCH Presidents Circle 2011-Present. Metropolis Producers Donor. Former AHYAA Baseball Manager/Coach 2001-2009Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What makes you the best candidate for the job?Our village would benefit from having an individual like myself on the Board. I have 30 years of Engineering and Sales experience. I have been responsible for annual sales in excess of $.5 billion. Was directly involved in budget planning, PL responsibilities, involved in capital equipment acquisitions, Mergers and Acquisitions, health care plan selection, and have lead teams in quality, production and continuous improvement. The skills that I have acquired throughout my career would make me an asset on the Board.Tell us your vision for Metropolis. Specifically, touch on your vision for programming, how it should be financed, and what role the village should play in supporting and/or running it. Or conversely, if your vision calls for it to be eliminated, explain why and what the village should do with the property.As a private donor to Metropolis, I feel it is very important for the downtown business district that Metropolis be a success. I personally would like to see the Metropolis be financially self-sustaining. I do not believe our Village Management or Village Board should be nor do they have the specific expertise to be managing the day to day operations of the theater. Areas to focus on with respect to financing would be improve communications with donors and increase fundraising opportunities.Where, if anywhere, could the current budget be trimmed, and conversely, are there areas the budget does not give enough money to?Candidate did not respond.Is the village's present level of local sales tax just right, too low or too high? Are there untapped sources of more municipal revenue?We currently are taxing at an appropriate level. We do not want to send shoppers out of Arlington Heights and we want to keep current businesses thriving and be able to attract new businesses to our village.What's one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet?We need to do all we can to bring people into our downtown area. The community events that we have are always well received and I think we need to do more of these events on a regular basis. We could have an Ice Sculpture/Winter Carnival, Luminary Nights before Thanksgiving for the shopping district, bring back the Octoberfest/Kris Kindle Market, Farmers Market into the downtown area like Harmony Park or train station area. We need to make Arlington Heights the "Go to Place" for dining, shopping and the arts and entertainment.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The following are areas that I am very interested in and they are in no particular order: Public Works Projects including Flooding, New Police Department, TIF Districts, Metropolis, Gambling, Downtown Business District, Term Limits, Housing and the Village Budget.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Elon Musk, CEO Space X. Think big, don't be discouraged by set backs and don't listen to people that say you can't accomplish your dreams.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?That hard work, perseverance and determination is extremely important for success and don't believe what other people say that you can't achieve.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I have no regrets. The past is history and I learn from my mistakes and value that experience.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Concert Orchestra. Gave me a love and appreciation for music and the fine arts. I've been able to pass this on to my children.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Work hard, never give up and assume accountability for your actions.