Algonquin Village President John Schmitt Dies

ALGONQUIN, IL — One of the greatest "cheerleaders" for progress and development in Algonquin has died, village officials announced Sunday. John Schmitt, remembered as an "anchor" for the village during tough times, was 72.

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Schmitt was first elected to the Algonquin Village Board in 1993 and appointed president in 2002, after the death of then-Village President Ted Spella. He had remained in the seat ever since, and was a driving force behind bringing Algonquin's Western Bypass to fruition.

Schmitt also backed other roadway projects meant to ease traffic congestion in town, including the Randall Road and Longmeadow Parkway improvement projects, McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks said in a statement.

More recently, Schmitt helped to advance initiatives to assist restaurants, bars and other businesses in Algonquin amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He was an early proponent of allowing outdoor dining in parking lots and other areas in town well before other suburbs passed similar initiatives. The village approved the initiative in May prior to the region and state entering Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker's reopening plan.

"He was an anchor during troubled times, from the Great Recession to the historic 2017 flooding of the Fox River, to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," Franks said.

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Other highlights of Schmitt's 18 years in office include the creation of the Algonquin Corporate Campus and a $30 million redevelopment of downtown Algonquin.

"John always fought the good fight for his constituents, even when it took many years," Franks said. "John was a pioneering visionary — a model of what a city leader should be — and his death is a devastating loss to Algonquin and McHenry County."

No information regarding Schmitt's cause of death was immediately available, and funeral arrangements have not been released.