Jim Tinaglia Defeats John Ridler and Tom Schwingbeck in Arlington Heights Mayoral Race

An Arlington Heights village trustee with 12 years experience defeated a current trustee with over six years experience, and the Executive Director of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at the Cook County 2025 Consolidated Election. James J. Tinaglia won with 7,165 votes, followed by Thomas F. Schwingbeck, Jr. with 4,090 votes, and Jon S. Ridler with 1,700 votes. According to Cook County Clerk election results, among 55,995 registered Voters, there were 13,362 ballots cast — a turnout of 23.86%.

Jim Tinaglia — an Arlington Heights resident since 1972, a graduate of District 214’s shuttered Arlington High School (1922-1984), and a local architect — thanked supporters and celebrated his mayoral victory at Hey Nonny, 10 South Vail Avenue in downtown Arlington Heights. As a graduate of Arlington High School, Jim Tinaglia should know well the down side of failed vision by the Village of Arlington Heights government, and the effects of weak local government that doesn’t represent the interests of residents by standing up to other levels of government entities.

Insight into the choice of venue for the mayoral victory party (held at entertainment and dining venue Hey Nonny) might indicate Tinaglia’s understanding of the depth of village history and the primordial mix of ingredients and functional partnerships that might factor into the decision (yes or no) to develop a Chicago Bears NFL class football stadium at the former Arlington Park. Tinaglia has expressed concern about maintaining and developing a vital downtown in Arlington Heights amidst fear that downtown could be overshadowed by an NFL class football stadium with associated new entertainment venues at the former Arlington Park. Chip Brooks, the owner of Hey Nonny, is one of many business owners in downtown Arlington Heights about the possible NFL stadium and associated entertainment venues affecting the success of downtown Arlington Heights businesses.

Coincidentally, Chip Brooks recently presented a musical at Hey Nonny that told the dramatic story of the factors that caused the closure of Arlington High School (1922-1984) — a loss that had a dramatic effect on Arlington Heights in the mid-1980s. Tinaglia knows this story all too well, graduating just four years before the high school was closed. Chip Brooks researched the high school closure, and wrote the musical “Death of the Cardinals — Closing Arlington High (1984)” that was presented on Hey Nonny’s musical stage last year and this year. The musical explained the population explosion that followed a very tedious effort to open Arlington High School preceding 1922, and explained the development of townships in the United States. A township is a subdivision of a county that is usually 36 square miles, designated in states across the United States. Brook’s musical told the story of Township High School District 214’s school board decision that overpowered the Village of Arlington Heights Village Board, while the village board members with lack of vision sat on their hands, and failed to save the flagship high school that served most of Arlington Heights. The school district mostly serves Wheeling Township residents, but also some Palatine Township residents and some Elk Grove Township residents. The power struggle to close the school or keep it open involved lawsuits, fudged statistics by anti-Arlington High School individuals, 30 public meetings and hearings, and emotions of the residents of Arlington Heights who understood the value of having a high school rich in tradition in the center of town. The school, which involved the lowest cost to operate among District 214 schools, was located just northwest of downtown Arlington Heights, and was instrumental in retail traffic and entertainment and dining traffic in downtown. The decision to close Arlington High School, due to declining student enrollment across the school district, fragmented Arlington Heights. There was a slump in activity in downtown Arlington Heights, until the recent development of residential buildings and a dining district, which began in 1986 but didn’t gain significant progress until around 2000.

Tinaglia was endorsed by outgoing mayor Tom Hayes in 2025. Tinaglia also endorsed Hayes for Mayor in 2013 while he was running for Village Trustee. Tinaglia was worried in 2013 that he could take a hit in his trustee campaign by disappointing the supporters of mayoral candidate Ron Drake, and subsequently lose votes for trustee resulting from the backlash of Drake supporters. Hayes defeated Drake, and Tinaglia was elected trustee in 2013.

In the 2025 election for Arlington Heights mayor, detractors of Tinaglia pointed out his frequent need to recuse himself from decisions that involved projects designed by his architectural firm. Detractors indicated that as mayor, he could still influence decisions behind the scenes. Also, an anonymous letter was sent to CARDINAL NEWS that criticized Tinaglia’s involvement in a rock band with significantly younger members that plays at “local venues such as Durty Nellies” in Palatine. The letter also questioned business practices relating to his trustee connection, among other issues that could not be immediately verified.

Besides serving as a Village Trustee since 2013, Tinaglia has served on the Arlington Heights Design Commission, Frontier Days Committee, Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, and the Arlington Aces Soccer organization.

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