Arlington Heights mayor appoints Padovani to open board seat
Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes on Tuesday picked Greg Padovani, a longtime community volunteer and noted local veteran, to fill the village board seat left vacant by the recent resignation of Thomas Glasgow.
Padovani, 67, an Arlington Heights resident since 1982, must still be confirmed by the village board at its next meeting Tuesday, Jan. 22. But Hayes consulted board members and anticipates they will unanimously concur with his appointment. After the board vote, Padovani would be sworn in and take a seat on the dais.
"In a community of many dedicated public servants, Greg stood out as the best qualified candidate to help lead our village forward in the months and years to come," Hayes said. "Greg's honesty, integrity and reputation within and outside the community are second to none."
If confirmed by the board, it would be Padovani's first time in public office, having never run for a political position before. He said he and Hayes started talking about him joining the board after Glasgow's surprise announcement at the end of the Dec. 17 board meeting.
"It was him asking if I was interested and me asking a whole bunch of questions," Padovani said.
Padovani would serve the remainder of Glasgow's term, of which there is a little more than two years left. Padovani said he would take that time to consider whether to run for a full term in 2021.
While never formally soliciting applications or resumes, Hayes said he received emails and other word-of-mouth contacts from people interested in the open position, while adding other names to a short list of "people I always thought would be a good member of the board."
Hayes had until the end of the February to appoint a replacement for Glasgow, who stepped down after a decade on the board due to increased work commitments as a criminal defense attorney.
Padovani, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Medical Service Corps, is chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee and the Memorial Day Parade/Ceremony Committee, which is preparing for the 100th annual parade in May. He recently was honored as an Illinois Bicentennial "Honor 200" recipient for his community service as a military veteran.
He's also served on the boards of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, Arlington Park District Foundation and the local American Cancer Society Relay For Life. He is president and founder of PENS Communications Systems, which provides individualized health education newsletters to patients from hospitals, medical schools and state Medicaid departments.