From left, Jon Ridler, Tom Schwingbeck and Jim Tinaglia are candidates for Arlington Heights village president in the April 2025 election.

Two candidates for mayor of Arlington Heights on Wednesday denied there would be a conflict of interest between their day jobs if they were to become the top elected official in town.

Jim Tinaglia, currently a village trustee who also heads an architecture firm that does work in and out of Arlington Heights, and Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler were asked about real or perceived conflicts during an interview with the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

The third candidate in the April 1 race, Tom Schwingbeck, is also a village trustee. He stepped down as president of RNM & Associates — a sales, metallurgical and consulting company — when he declared his candidacy for mayor last May.

During his 12 years on the village board, Tinaglia said only five out of 563 projects Tinaglia Architects has worked on — from kitchen renovations to new high rises — have come before the elected panel for review and approval. In every case, he said he didn’t participate in the discussion or take a vote, though all projects earned unanimous approvals anyway.

“In every single case, I never made one phone call or had one conversation with any of the other board members asking for any sort of consideration. I steered clear of any sort of impropriety,” Tinaglia said.

“There is no conflict. There is no conflict of interest,” he added. “Everything I do, whether it’s in this town or a different town, I’m the first line of defense to make sure that it’s done well, make sure that it’s done in an honorable way.”

Ridler, who is under contract with the chamber board of directors through 2028, said 95% of the businesses that have gone before the village board for any type of approvals over the past two years have not been chamber members. Businesses routinely join after they open their doors, he said, and that’s at a $360 entry level fee.

“The chamber is not getting rich off of one business opening up in town,” Ridler said. “To think that there’s anything quid pro quo that could go under the table, or for approvals when you’re in the mayor position, it’s not reality.”

If elected, Ridler said any real or perceived conflict that comes before the board would be transparent and known by residents, but believes “it’s rarely going to happen.”

He also suggests no one can get elected with zero potential conflict of interest.

“When the mayor and the two trustees here and the other trustees voted not to raise the tax levy, you voted not to increase your property taxes, which saved you money and saved us money. Is that a conflict of interest?” Ridler said.

Schwingbeck pledged to be a full-time mayor — but said he’s happy to go without the $8,000 salary — while promising not to micromanage the village manager and staff.

He said he doesn’t have any conflicts of interest, while “there’s a perception there from both Jon and Jim.”

Schwingbeck said he’s “admired” when trustees have recused themselves from projects that come before them, but noted other projects go to the village’s plan, design and zoning boards.

As mayor, it’s “a whole different level,” he said.

“You’re leading those meetings. You’re leading discussions with developers on a lot of projects that are going on in our community,” Schwingbeck said. “And as the mayor, I just don’t think you should be recusing yourself from anything. You’ve got to be at the table for all those discussions. If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”