Former Chicago Bears Player Now Palatine Mayor

A former Chicago Bears player has defeated the five-term mayor of the Chicago suburb of Palatine.

Rita Mullins was soundly defeated by Jim Schwantz, a political rookie who prevailed over Mullins and two other candidates.

The 39-year-old Schwantz, who played pro football from 1992 to 1998, collected about 42 percent of the vote to defeat Mullins, who was running in third place with about 22 percent.

Schwantz credited good timing and hard work for his strong showing among voters in the suburb of about 70,000.

Mullins said she believed voters were persuaded to replace her simply because of the length of time she had been in office.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us