Park Ridge mayor remembered as taxpayer advocate

Park Ridge Mayor Dave Schmidt was remembered by local officials Thursday as a tireless advocate for taxpayers and his community.

Schmidt, 57, was pronounced dead just before midnight late Wednesday after he was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. City officials said Schmidt died "after a sudden illness," though the official cause of death is unknown.

Schmidt had served as mayor since 2009 and was into his second term after winning re-election in 2013. He entered local politics in 2007, when he was elected alderman.

State Sen. Dan Kotowski, a Park Ridge Democrat, said he and the mayor often discussed a number of issues of concern to the city. They were able to work together, Kotowski said, despite being on opposite sides of the political aisle.

In an obituary posted on his personal website Thursday night, Schmidt was described as a "staunch" Republican.

"We worked together on a lot of issues, especially as it related to supporting the infrastructure of the city and flood control," Kotowski said. "He was a very strong fiscal conservative. He was very active in reaching out to me and expressing his concerns that the state spend its money wisely and do what's necessary to earn back the trust of taxpayers. He represented the city very well."

During the day, Schmidt worked as a member of the Chicago law firm Chittenden, Murday & Novotny. He spent some 20 years arguing and defending cases in state and federal courts, particularly insurance defense litigation, according to an online biography.

He graduated cum laude in 1990 from Chicago's Loyola University School of Law, where he was second in his class.

Schmidt was also an "ardent" fan of the University of Michigan, and all teams Detroit: Lions, Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings, according to his obituary.

Funeral arrangements were still being made.

• Daily Herald staff writer Kelly Vold contributed to this report.