Elk Grove Twp. welcomes two new board members
Elk Grove Township officially welcomed a new trustee to its board at the April 17 board meeting.
The board approved Supervisor George Busse's appointment of local small business owner David Perns to fill a vacancy created by the election of Trustee Vince Dante to the Mount Prospect village board. Perns' term will run until May of 2025.
Perns is the second appointment Busse has made to the board due to vacancies in the last six months. Brian Maye, an attorney, was appointed in December to replace former Trustee Greg Wojtecki, who stepped down for personal reasons.
Perns was sworn in at the township board meeting shortly after Dante officially submitted his resignation. Busse thanked Dante for the energy and inventive thinking that he brought to the board. He noted that Dante played a leadership role during a period of major reorganization and program expansion.
He specifically highlighted the addition of significant new services in the areas of mental health, senior assistance and veteran benefits. Furthermore, all this was accomplished without raising taxes.
The two new board members are business professionals with a history of community involvement.
Perns holds a doctoral degree in chiropractic medicine and owns Perns Back & Neck Clinic and Laser Pain Center in Arlington Heights. He is a member of the Elk Grove Township Agency Committee, which allocates grants for mental health and social service agencies that serve township residents.
He additionally has volunteered for the last two years for District 214's internship program that assists high school students in determining their future careers.
Maye, who joined the board at the end of last year, is a partner at the law firm Adler Murphy and McQuillen in Chicago, and formerly served as a criminal trial lawyer for the U.S. Navy JAGC.
He additionally served in the Peace Corps, as a board member for School District 57, and sat on the board of governors for the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization.
Busse stated that while he was disappointed to see the former trustees leave the board, he's excited to have Perns and Maye as their replacements.
"Both of these individuals are excellent additions to our board. They are well-respected professionals who have shown through their active community involvement and volunteerism they are dedicated to serving the township and its residents," Busse said.
Busse noted that Perns and Maye have joined the board at a time when township services are increasingly needed.
"We are seeing a dramatic escalation in demand for our social, youth, senior and counseling services. The demand for assistance provided by our assessor's office for appealing property taxes also continues to increase dramatically," Busse said.
"Perns and Maye will be key players in our continual effort to identify where additional needs exist, and then the work it will take to address them in a fiscally responsible way."