Former Mount Prospect mayoral candidate named to Wheeling Township board

A Mount Prospect attorney and former mayoral candidate was appointed Tuesday to fill a vacancy on the Wheeling Township board.

Trisha Chokshi was sworn in to replace Austin Mejdrich, who resigned his trustee seat after relocating outside the township's boundaries. Mejdrich was among the trustees elected last year in a sweeping turnover of the township board.

Supervisor Maria Zeller Brauer reached out to Chokshi and appointed her to the position following weeks of discussions, Chokshi said.

“I'm absolutely honored for the position,” Chokshi said. “I very much am humbled and appreciative of the supervisor and the existing trustees and the confidence they're putting in me.”

She said the new township board has done great work in making township government more transparent and accessible to residents.

Chokshi, an immigration attorney who also handles real estate and other legal issues, said she the role checks a couple of boxes for her.

“I do immigration work and I work with vulnerable populations and those in marginalized communities,” she said. “To be able to work in the township on programs specifically serving those communities — the food pantry, mental health, veterans — is something that I'm very eager to get to work on.”

She also noted her legal practice, which involves real estate and “transactional work,” gives her familiarity with issues such as road maintenance and property assessments.

The appointment comes a year after Chokshi, who served on the village’s Finance Commission, lost a bid for Mount Prospect mayor to incumbent Paul Hoefert. She continues to serve as board president of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce.

Chokshi said the township's work has taken on added urgency in the light of federal cuts to SNAP and other social safety net programs.

“I’m just very eager to get to work helping residents,” she said.