Arthur Schultz

Arthur Schultz (July 4, 1933 – November 26, 2011) was an American Republican politician.^[1] He was a five-term mayor of Joliet, Illinois, the then fourth largest (now 3rd largest) municipality in the state after Chicago, Aurora, and Rockford.^[2] He was last elected in April 2007. Prior to his first election, he served in the United States Navy and in the Joliet Police Department.^[3]

He finished as the first runner-up in the Joliet

In his time in office, Joliet changed from an economy of a prison town with declining population[6] to a fast-growing entertainment and tourism economy,^[7] focused on riverboat casinos. Residential and commercial construction increased and racing tracks, a baseball stadium, and several civic works developed as a result of the booming economy.^[8]

Personal life

Schultz was born on July 4, 1933

Schultz ran for the election to the Joliet City Council in the spring 1989 municipal elections.[17] He advanced from the February 28, 1989 primary election to the general election in what the Chicago Tribune described as a surprisingly strong showing,^[18] but finished fourth in the six-way April 4 general election for three seats.^[19]

In August 1989, Joliet Councilwoman Margaret Short died with two years remaining in her term and Joliet Mayor Charles Connor had the responsibility of nominating a replacement for consideration by the remaining councilmen. Rather than following the custom of nominating the first runner-up in the most recent council election (Schultz in this case), Connor nominated a political ally. The council did not support the nomination and after some delay she withdrew on September 19.^[20][21] When Connor's second nomination was again not one of the runners-up, it was again defeated, which led to the council enacting legislation to strip the mayor of his power to nominate councilmen. On October 17, Connor became the first Joliet mayor since the mid-1970s to refuse to sign legislation passed by the Joliet City Council.^[22] On November 21, there was unanimous agreement on a compromise candidate who was also not one of the runners-up.^[4]

Mayor

At the time of the

Schultz was approved in his re-election bids. In 1995, he earned 67 percent of the vote in the primary election and 68 percent in the general election.[24]^[25] He was unopposed in 1999.^[26] In 2003, he became the first four-term mayor for Joliet, which was incorporated in 1852, by taking 83% of the vote in a four-way contest.^[27][28] In 2007, he earned 73% of the vote in a three-way contest.^[29] He did not run in the 2011 election, and was succeeded by Thomas Giarrante.^[30]

Service

In January 1990, the Illinois legislature passed two bills that permitted gambling along the

During the 1990s, Joliet was one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, and in 2000 its residential and commercial construction were at record-setting levels, according to Schultz.[37]^[38] Schultz also credited gambling revenues with having enabled the city to halt tax increases for a decade and to build a new police station and three new firehouses.^[8] In 1999, the Joliet City Council approved the construction of the Chicagoland Speedway on 930 acres (3.76 km²) of land next to the Route 66 Raceway.^[39] Between 2000 and 2002 Joliet was the tenth fastest-growing city in the United States.^[8] Under Schultz, the city ended nearly 150 years as a prison town with the closure of the Joliet Correctional Center and focused its economy on entertainment and tourism.^[7]

In the early 1990s the city annexed 55 acres (0.22 km²) for the construction of the Empress Riverboat Casino complex.^[40] In 1999, the city annexed 923 acres (3.74 km²) for the construction of the Chicagoland Speedway, which when combined with the Route 66 Raceway made Joliet the only racing facility host in the United States capable of hosting races from each major category in professional auto racing.^[41][42][43] In 2001, the city acquired 12 parcels totaling 8 acres (32,000 m²) through expedited condemnations to build Silver Cross Field.^[44] In 2005, the city annexed 988 acres (4.00 km²) to provide a corridor for commercial and residential growth.^[45] As of the July 1, 2007 United States Census Bureau population estimates, Joliet had a population of 144,316. Thus, Schultz served as mayor for a city that ranked as the 162nd largest incorporated municipality in the United States and the fourth largest in the state of Illinois.^[2]