Former Arlington Heights Mayor Dies

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — A driving force behind the redevelopment of Arlington Heights in the 1970s and 1980s has died. Former longtime mayor, James T. Ryan, died Friday at age 85 of natural causes, the Daily Herald reports.

Ryan, who served as mayor between 1975 and 1989 and then went on to serve as a Cook County Judge from 1996 to 2004, helped bring Lake Michigan water to town, secured a tax break to help Arlington International Racecourse reopen after a fire in 1985, and worked to rally other village officials and trustees to get behind his ideas on redeveloping the central business district and downtown.

"A lot of our skyline in downtown Arlington Heights is owed to his thoughtfulness and planning and foresight he had," Ernie Blomquist, a longtime village prosecutor for Arlington Heights who started with the village when Ryan was mayor, told the Daily Herald. "He saw all the towns along the Northwestern railroad starting to crumble and fall apart, and he didn't want that for Arlington."

"He pushed and pulled and thought it out and put together a nice plan. It's why Arlington is the jewel it is among Northwest suburban communities."

He is also credited with helping with the expansion of the Lutheran Village, development of Lake Arlington and Nike site and expansion of Arlington Heights library, historical society, and a village youth center, according to his obituary.

His service was commemorated with the dedication of ‘Ryan Plaza’ downtown in the village of Arlington Heights. A celebration of life is expected to happen next spring.

More via the Daily Herald and Ryan's obituary