Mayor Dave Schmidt, good-government advocate, remembered
In a state notorious for its troubles with public corruption, the loss of a leader like Dave Schmidt will leave a void that will be difficult to fill.
Good governance lost a hero this week with the untimely death of Park Ridge Mayor Dave Schmidt. Schmidt was a tireless advocate for government transparency, and in his role of mayor, the ultimate watchdog for his constituents’ tax dollars.
Schmidt was known for his penchant for going against village administrators and the board when necessary in fighting for responsible spending. He was an advocate for defeating a progressive income tax in Illinois and allowing the temporary income-tax increase of 2011 to sunset. In his 2014 State of the City address, Schmidt encouraged all residents to lobby state legislators to oppose any proposals to increase taxes.
“He was a very strong fiscal conservative,” state Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, told the . “He was very active in reaching out to me and expressing his concerns that the state spend its money wisely and do what’s necessary to earn back the trust of taxpayers.”
In a state notorious for its troubles with public corruption, the loss of a leader like Dave Schmidt will leave a void that will be difficult to fill.