Congressional hopeful Bob Dold tours Arlington Hts.

Republican candidate Bob Dold joined Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder on Wednesday for a tour of the downtown area, picking up her endorsement along the way.

The Kenilworth resident is running against Democrat Dan Seals in a bid for the 10th Congressional District seat, currently held by Senate hopeful U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk.

"We're going to get you to Washington D.C.," Mulder said to Dold. "Don't let them change you."

It's the third meeting between Dold and Mulder, who said she's impressed he is making an effort to learn the western portion of the district, adding she always had Kirk's ear.

Mulder pointed out both thriving and struggling businesses including those in the Arlington Town Square development, which just went into foreclosure. The duo also popped into shops like Vignettes of Arlington, where owner Katie Maier-Van Egeren discussed the high turnover of neighboring businesses due to high rent and taxes.

As the owner of a pest control company, Dold said he can empathize and would work to ease the burden put on municipalities due to decisions at the federal level.

"We've got to reign in the spending that's going on in Washington," Dold said. "We have to empower small businesses so that they can grow and expand."