Larson takes oath for seventh time

Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson took the oath of office Tuesday night for the seventh time.

He stood before a relatively small crowd gathered at the Robert O. Atcher Municipal Complex, as he repeated the oath administered by Carmen Selke, the village’s executive secretary. Larson has led the village since 1987.

“I appreciate all the help from all of you and my fellow board members,” Larson said. “I never would have been here without your help.”

His swearing in came at the end of a brief village board meeting, where the only new business was the disbursement of scholarships to members of the Schaumburg Youth Symphony.

One by one, he called the young musicians up to the front, where he introduced each one and the instrument they played, before pausing for a photo opp.

The youth symphony has been a project of the village’s for 20 years, and village production supervisor Rob Pileckis described it as the “unofficial ambassador” for Schaumburg.

Larson concurred, adding that the quality musicianship reflected positively on the young musicians and the village.

“If you close your eyes during a concert,” he said, “you’d swear it’s the Chicago Symphony. They’re that good.”

The swearing-in came after a contentious election in which Larson defeated challenger Brian Costin.

In an interview with the Daily Herald one day after his re-election, Larson said he sees the next four years as a period in which several long-term projects will come to completion, like the Town Square tax increment finance district and the payment for Alexian Field.

Larson went on to predict the growth of new business around the Schaumburg Convention Center and a continuing decline in village’s new property tax.

But he addressed none of that on Tuesday, instead taking the moment to thank supporters and look ahead to making more “progress through thoughtful planning” in the village, as his campaign slogan suggested.

“I look forward to working with (my fellow board members),” Larson added,” as we work to continue to put the village in a positive position.”