Former Chicago Bear to run for Palatine mayor

A former Chicago Bear hopes to bring his game to the race for Palatine mayor.

Jim Schwantz, who was a NFL linebacker and now is a sports radio broadcaster, will run for mayor of the suburb next spring.

"We as a community deserve and need positive leadership on our village council," he said in a statement.

Schwantz on Thursday declined to elaborate on why he's running, saying he'd provide more information at his official announcement next week.

Incumbent Mayor Rita Mullins has held the office since 1989 -- one of the longest tenures of all currently serving mayors in the Northwest suburbs.

She said Thursday that it's too early to talk about whether she'll seek another term or how Schwantz's plans might affect her decision.

"It's very, very early to make any announcements," she said. "I think people are concentrating on the presidential election now."

So far, the only other candidate to throw his name into the ring for the April 2009 mayoral election is former Councilman Warren Kostka.

Schwantz was born and raised in Palatine and attended Fremd High School.

He started playing for the Bears in 1992 and was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 1994, where he spent three seasons and played on the Super Bowl XXX winning team.

Schwantz signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a restricted free agent in 1997 and, after one season, came back to the Bears for his final season.

On WBBM 780-AM, he co-hosts the Bears pre-game and post-game shows.

Schwantz also works as an account sales manager at Palatine-based based Von Sydow's Moving and Storage company. And he's a motivational speaker who's involved in several local charities.

He plans to hold a news conference at 11 a.m. Monday at the Palatine train station to announce his candidacy officially.