Blackwood joins Arlington Hts. village board

Business experience pushed Carol Blackwood to the top of the list of candidates vying for appointment to the Arlington Heights Village Board, Mayor Arlene Mulder said Monday night.

Blackwood, senior vice president, retail for Village Bank & Trust, is a former president of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce and a 17-year member and former chairwoman of the village plan commission.

"I would say I am proudly pro-business, and I am also pro-resident," said Blackwood, who has lived in the village almost 30 years.

She will serve the remainder of the term of Helen Jensen, who retired at the end of 2009. The appointment is good until the next village election in April 2011, and Blackwood said she will definitely run for the seat then.

Blackwood would like to work with village staff when they recruit businesses for the tax increment finance districts and said the village could assist businesses that are struggling with the economy through steps like encouraging building owners to reduce rents.

"You have to find the right businesses," she said, noting the taxes businesses pay ease residents' property taxes.

"When I see foreclosures in neighborhoods that exist currently I feel even more determined to encourage more businesses to get more of our residents back to work," said Blackwood.

Mulder appointed Blackwood, and the board of trustees approved the appointment Monday night.

Mulder cited Blackwood's business expertise and her independence as well as her work with the plan commission and charities like Wellness Place, a cancer resource center based in Palatine, where she is on the board.

"She's extremely bright and doesn't talk just to talk," said Mulder. "She has something to say when she speaks," a conclusion Mulder had reached from years of reading plan commission minutes.

Several strong candidates were among the dozen who applied for the position, said Mulder, and she is keeping them in mind for appointments to boards and commissions. She liked one applicant who is an attorney but said there are already three attorneys on the board.

After Jensen retired, Blackwood had planned to meet with Mulder to discuss characteristics she thought a trustee should have, but "the more I planned my discussion, the more I realized I wanted to do this."

Blackwood said she has appeared before the board to disagree with actions and will challenge opinions and decisions. However, she stresses her belief that the trustees "always have the very best interest of Arlington Heights in their hearts."

Blackwood's husband, John, works with Siemens Industries Inc. in Buffalo Grove.