Chokshi Pursuing Run for Mount Prospect Mayor

October 23, 2024

Originally Published in The Daily Herald: Access Article

Trisha Chokshi, who chairs the village’s finance commission and also is board chairwoman of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce, announced she is circulating petitions to run for Mount Prospect mayor.

She intends to challenge Mayor Paul Hoefert, who is running for his second term as mayor after serving as a trustee since 1991.

A child of immigrants from India, Chokshi said public service is in her blood — her father served as a public works municipal engineer for 40 years. Chokshi previously was a staffer for then-Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, serving as her immigration caseworker and federal grants coordinator.

She has served on the village’s finance commission since 2016, the last four years as chairwoman.

As an attorney with Chokshi Filippone Law, she regularly supports and sponsors a number of community events, provides pro bono legal services, and has staffed a 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 would bring those experiences to this position,” she said.

Chokshi said she brings collaborative leadership and a fresh perspective at a time when the needs of the community are changing.

“My running for Mayor would bring generational change to the office,” she said.

“Our mayor has served this community for over 30 years and has a much larger platform than I do. I have a great deal of respect for his service, but Mount Prospect deserves to have a choice.”

Chokshi is married to village Trustee Augie Filippone, who will not be seeking reelection. Filippone said he is “taking a pause” after eight years serving on the planning and zoning commission and a term as trustee that ends next year.

“We’re both working professionals, we’re both parents to two wonderful children, and we both love this community,” Chokshi said. “Beyond that, each of us is our own independent person, with our own beliefs, intellect and reasoning.”