Chokshi, Hoefert Explain Why They Want Mount Prospect Mayoral Seat
- trisha4mpmayor
- Feb 7
- 4 min read
Originally Published in Journal and Topics
January 29, 2025
By Richard Mayer
One has served on the village board since 1991 and as mayor the last four years. The other is head of the chamber of commerce board of directors. Paul Hoefert and Trisha Chokshi are running for the same position — mayor of Mount Prospect — but bring different backgrounds to the April 1 election race.
Chokshi, 39, has lived in Mount Prospect since 2013 and is married to Village Trustee Augie Filippone. They have two kids together, ages 10 and 6. Professionally, she is an attorney and operates her own law firm. She earned her law degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from DePaul University.
Prior to private practice, she was a congressional staffer for Tammy Duckworth when she represented the 8th Congressional District. As a constituent services advocate and grants coordinator, she worked directly with local municipalities and community stakeholders to secure federal grants for various services such as transportation and emergency management.
“I have served on the village’s finance commission since 2016, where I was chairwoman for the last four years,” she noted. “I’ve used my professional knowledge as a private practicing attorney to run a community-minded law firm.” She said she regularly supports and sponsors a number of community events, provides pro bono legal services, and has staffed the free Legal Help Desk at the Mount Prospect Library since 2019. “My entire professional life has been about community-building and working collaboratively with stakeholders, and I will bring those experiences to this position.”
Hoefert, 69, a resident of Mount Prospect for over 41 years, was first elected as a village trustee in 1991. He began serving as mayor in 2021. He is married to wife Linda and has two adult children.
During his time on the village board as trustee and mayor, he has served on various other boards such as Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC), Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency Board, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, and more.
Professionally, he has worked in the banking industry for 44 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Miami University in Ohio and a master of business administration from DePaul University.
Like Chokshi, Hoefert has also remained visible in the community through roles with the Mount Prospect Historical Society, Boy Scouts of America, Trinity United Methodist Church, and more.
According to Chokshi, her story is not unlike that of other children of immigrants. “Both of my parents came to the U.S. from India in hopes of achieving their own version of the American dream,” Chokshi said. “I wake up each day grateful for their hard work and dedication, knowing their sacrifices contributed to my success. As the oldest child in an immigrant household, I developed a strong work ethic and have a steadfast commitment to stand up for what’s right. Public service is in my blood.”
She said her father served as municipal civil engineer in public works for 40 years. “Civil engineers are builders, and I learned at a young age that public service provides enormous opportunities for innovation, growth, and improving the lives of everyday people one project at a time,” she commented.
“I’ve called Mount Prospect home since 2013, and since that time, our village has undergone incredible growth. However, as with any growth, the needs of the community have changed, and we lack bold and contemporary leadership at the highest level of village government to meet this moment. It’s time for a change.”
Chokshi believes there is still work to be done to ensure Mount Prospect is a safe, vibrant and inclusive community — something that a new generation of leadership can help bring.
“We need a mayor who brings a collaborative approach and a fresh, forward-thinking perspective to this role,” Chokshi said. “As mayor, I will be a voice for all residents and businesses in local government, and together we can bring Mount Prospect into the future.”
Over the past four years as mayor, Hoefert said he has made a concerted effort to be available to the public and to formally communicate with citizens regularly.
“I am extremely passionate about our village and have been since the day Linda and I moved to Mount Prospect,” Hoefert said. “As such, for that reason and that reason alone, I became involved and have dedicated many years of public service to the people of the village.”
He said his main reason for running for reelection as mayor is to continue moving the village forward and maintain “momentum and prosperity” for another four years.
“Specifically, I am running for reelection to continue our focus on factors such as citizen safety, protecting our residential neighborhoods, maintaining our fiscal responsibility and the careful spending of our tax dollars, and continuing down the path of growth and development,” Hoefert said.
According to Hoefert, there can be no compromise when it comes to citizen safety: “This priority has been championed and supported by sufficiently resourcing our police, fire, public works, and human services departments and under my leadership, I pledge that citizen safety will remain our top priority.”
He said residential neighborhoods are what gives Mount Prospect “charm and a unique character” and believes neighborhoods are the backbone of the community and the place where people live and enjoy life. He also believes in fiscal responsibility.
“By policy and purposeful action, the Mount Prospect Village Board has always taken a responsible, careful approach to our village finances and maintained a healthy and balanced village budget that has provided us with great flexibility and over the past few years has allowed us to keep the village’s portion of the tax levy flat or down,” Hoefert said.
When it comes to growth and development, Hoefert said he wants to keep positive momentum the village is experiencing moving forward.
“Over the past four years, our village has experienced unprecedented growth and development, we have reduced the village’s portion of the tax levy by 11%, and we have annexed land in south Mount Prospect, which has brought existing tax revenues to the village, which benefits us all village residents,” he said.
As mayor, a primary focus of Hoefert’s over the next four years would be to keep the village on a positive trajectory of growth and prosperity.
“I would continue to support policies and directives to drive our growth and economic development initiatives forward to positive outcomes and keep taxes flat or down,” said Hoefert.
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