Incumbent Hoefert wins Mount Prospect mayoral race

Mount Prospect voters chose continuity over change in the hotly contested race for mayor, re-electing incumbent Paul Hoefert to a second term.

With all 34 precincts counted, Hoefert led challenger Trisha Chokshi 4,458 to 2,224 in unofficial vote tallies, meaning he will extend his more than 30-year career on the village board. Prior to his election in 2021, Hoefert had been a trustee since 1991.

"I can't thank the people of this village enough for the support they showed in this election,“ a jubilant Hoefert said. ”We're going to take our village to new heights. The next four years are going to be better than the last four."

Hoefert said he took a page out of the campaign playbook of a former Mount Prospect mayor.

“Carolyn Krause taught me years ago, you run like you're 10% behind everybody until the end. And that’s what we did. I was out there working it today."

Chokshi said she conceded and reached out to Hoefert to congratulate him on his re-election.

“I look forward to speaking with him in the coming days about how we can continue to work together on behalf of this community we both love,” she said.

She also thanked the residents who came out to vote and expressed her appreciation to everyone who supported her campaign.

Hoefert mounted a campaign founded on the village’s economic development successes, reduced property taxes and improvements in public safety, particularly in the village’s neighborhoods. He said he wanted to move the village forward.

Chokshi, an attorney with a Mount Prospect law firm, campaigned on bringing collaborative and forward-thinking leadership to the village.

She cited her experience as former chairperson of the village’s finance commission, current president of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce board and a former congressional staffer for the 8th Congressional District.

Both jousted on such issues as the current legal wrangling between the village and Prestige Feed Products, where odors have angered neighbors.

Hoefert said the village handled Prestige the way it would handle any company coming into town. But he said the business did not turn out to be what was portrayed.

Chokshi called for an investigation into the approval process, saying Prestige was able to open without going through the formal zoning process. She added Prestige’s intentions were clearly written in its building application.

Chokshi called for more meaningful, broad-based community engagement to adapt to the village’s changing demographics.

Hoefert said the village has been responsive to its multicultural community, establishing the Community Connections Center in downtown Mount Prospect. He also mentioned the village’s apartment inspection program to improve the quality of housing.