A marathon runner, Richard Helwig jogged his way through a 4-inch snowfall to the construction site on the Fox River. He had to see for himself where the economic future of Elgin would dock.
Helwig is a newcomer to town. But he’ll soon be intimately involved with the riverboat casino and entertainment complex intended to revitalize flagging downtown Elgin.
The 47-year-old former Dayton city manager was named the new Elgin city manager on Friday. Helwig was selected from 100 applicants nationwide and after the City Council personally interviewed six candidates this month.
“The riverboat was one of the most important issues I considered,” Helwig said. “I believe it is a catalyst to make other good things happen.”
Just hours after Elgin received the news last August that it would receive the state’s last riverboat license, City Manager Larry Rice announced he was resigning.
As Rice’s replacement, Helwig on April 11 will take over responsibility for running this diverse city at a crucial time. Not only will he oversee the hard-won riverboat project, but also Helwig is inheriting a massive downtown redevelopment project, as well as the burgeoning growth on the outskirts of Elgin.
He says the city must take advantage of that growth because “this will not last forever. The city needs to be opportunistic and make the best of all these opportunities,” said Helwig, who retired in January as Dayton’s city manager after 10 years.
His experience in Dayton has prepared him well for the challenge in Elgin, say Helwig and Elgin officials.
“Dayton is half again the size of our city, but it has some of the same characteristics. It’s an older city, it’s got its own character, a diverse population,” said Bob Gilliam, Elgin mayor pro-tem while Mayor George Van De Voorde is recuperating from surgery.
And Helwig says the recent completion of two $90 million office towers in Dayton taught him how a major financial infusion, be it in the form of office towers or a riverboat, can attract other development.
In many ways, the new post could be seen as a step down for Helwig. But it’s a step Helwig says he welcomes.
In Dayton, population 182,000, Helwig oversaw just fewer than 3,000 city employees and a $250 million operating budget. He earned more than $100,000 a year.
In Elgin, population 80,000 or more, Helwig will oversee 600 full-time employees and a $35 million operating budget. He’ll earn more, though, roughly $109,000 annually.
A former industrial town, Elgin is striving to bring back some of its former glory with a long-range Center City Development plan. The Children’s Discovery Museum will open in April in a former downtown department store, storefronts are being spruced up and restaurants are being wooed to come to the area.
Since receiving a telephone call from a recruiter pitching the Elgin position, Helwig has made it a point to learn about riverboats.
“This was all new to me,” Helwig said. “The first weekend for my interview, I went and looked at the boat in Aurora to see what one looks like.”
Earlier this month, during a brief visit, Helwig also went to church with one council member, dinner with another, visited with Mayor Van De Voorde at his home, and met with 15 department managers.
He also met with the local chamber of commerce, Elgin Community College’s president and Marvin Edwards, the new superintendent for Elgin-area Unit School District 46.
Before he returned to Dayton, Helwig also met with the representatives of the partners of the riverboat and entertainment complex, Hyatt Development Corp., and Nevada Landing, a Las Vegas casino and hotel company.
“I’m convinced this $100 million investment is going to be done in a first-class, positive manner for the community,” Helwig said. “We are thoroughly delighted to be here.”
