Hayes endorses Tinaglia to succeed him as Arlington Heights mayor
After initial reluctance to make an endorsement, Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes Wednesday threw his support behind Trustee Jim Tinaglia to succeed him in the village’s top elected post.
At the same, Trustee Robin LaBedz — Hayes’ president pro tem — backed Trustee Tom Schwingbeck to be the next mayor.
Hayes, who is stepping down this spring after 12 years as mayor and 22 years as a trustee, called Tinaglia “uniquely qualified to hit the ground running” due to Tinaglia’s dozen years of service on the elected panel and deep roots in the community.
But Hayes said he probably wouldn’t have made an endorsement had the race just been between Tinaglia and Schwingbeck since they are both on the village board. Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler is also running.
“I just felt I needed to weigh in with respect to my choice because there is such a wide-open field,” Hayes said. “So whatever help I can give to the community in making their decision, I felt that was really necessary.”
Schwingbeck declared his candidacy in May, before Hayes announced in June that he wouldn’t seek a fourth four-year term. Ridler formed a campaign exploratory committee in March, though he officially declared in August.
Tinaglia, who has said he wasn’t going to run if Hayes was, announced his candidacy in July.
On Wednesday, Tinaglia said he was humbled and grateful to have Hayes’ endorsement.
Schwingbeck, meanwhile, touted a list of his own endorsements, including current and former members of the village board, library board, park district board and school boards.
New to that list Wednesday, Schwingbeck said, was LaBedz and fellow Trustee Wendy Dunnington.
“Each of us as candidates are getting our own endorsements, and the people that are endorsing us feel that we would make the best choice as the next mayor,” Schwingbeck said. “Those endorsements are important. At least they’re important to me.”
Ridler said while he respects Hayes’ endorsement, his candidacy offers Arlington Heights “a different choice.”
“I bring active, effective community leadership and a forward-thinking vision that embraces new ideas and collaborative solutions,” Ridler said in an email. “Individual endorsements is not something I am asking for or seeking because I want our voters to research and learn for themselves what each candidate is currently doing and is going to do that qualifies them to be mayor of Arlington Heights.”
Tinaglia was Hayes’ initial pick to be president pro tem in 2021 before a public spat among trustees — who must approve the appointment — led to LaBedz’s selection. The confirmation vote came on the same night board members were set to discuss the village’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, and most said elevating a woman to one of the highest positions in village government would go a long way toward advancing those values.
Hayes at the time equated the move to a quota and said it was injecting politics into nonpartisan local government, though he and all trustees eventually approved LaBedz’s appointment. Hayes reappointed LaBedz to the second-in-command role two years later.