Our Elected Officials
​​​Palatine Township Officials
​Andy-John Kalkounos
Township Supervisor
www.facebook.com/AndyJohnPalatineSupervisor
​
Andy-John Kalkounos was raised in Palatine Township and still resides there with his wife, who is an elementary school teacher & their two young children who attend District 15 schools. He was educated at Marion Jordan Elementary School, Plum Grove Junior High, Fremd High School, Harper College and Butler University where he earned his business degree. In 2016, he was elected a Trustee of Palatine Township and is now seeking to expand his commitment as Township Supervisor.
Andy-John is a small business owner/advocate who operates several family-owned, local fine-dining establishments and employs more than 100 hospitality professionals. He also maintains his real estate license as a managing broker. Andy-John is a SAG/AFTRA Union actor with guest-star roles in such NBC/FOX dramas as Chicago Fire & Proven Innocent.
Previously, he served multiple terms on both the Harper College Foundation Board and as Chairman for Meet Chicago Northwest Convention & Visitors Bureau. Andy-John currently serves on the Village of Schaumburg Business Development Commission. He has been recognized as a “Distinguished Alumni” of Harper College and recently received the “Entrepreneurial Excellence Award” presented by the Daily Herald Business Ledger. Andy-John looks forward to continuing to serve Palatine Township with a pragmatic, servant-leader approach.
​Christine Svenson
Clerk
​​
Christine Svenson grew up in the Northwest suburbs believing in the power of volunteerism and community service as incredibly important vehicles to help those in need when government cannot. Her career has been dedicated to serving people from all walks of life as a practicing civil litigation attorney in downtown Palatine - Svenson Law Offices.
In particular, she proudly represents individuals in difficult family situations including domestic abuse. This "real life" occupational experience combined with her service on the board of Journeys the Road Home and volunteer legal work for the disadvantaged at Willow Creek Care Center has been both eye opening and personally enriching. Now she has the opportunity to see firsthand, and make a direct impact, on what government itself can do for those most in need.
She truly enjoys meeting people from different cultural backgrounds - it is what makes the world go round! As a hobby, she loves to be able to practice her love of romance languages - French, Spanish and Italian.
​Aaron Del Mar
Highway Commissioner
​
Aaron Del Mar has been the Palatine Township Highway Commissioner since 2016. Born and raised in Palatine, Aaron began in public service when he was the youngest and first minority elected to serve on the Palatine Village Council in 2009. In 2012, he was elected Cook County Republican Chairman, a position he held for two terms. Nationally, Aaron represented Illinois in the 2012 Electoral College and in 2016 and 2020 as a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
Aaron earned a bachelor's degree in Public Management from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs and an MBA Essentials Certificate from the University of Illinois-Champaign Giese School of Business. In 2017, he was appointed by former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to serve on the Illinois International Port Authority. In 2019, Crain’s Chicago Business Journal featured Aaron as a Notable Entrepreneur for his work developing his company Adrenaline Special Events, which produces sporting events nationally.
Aaron represented the United States at the 2000 University World Championships and was a resident athlete at The Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He enjoys learning languages, traveling and most of all, spending time with his family.
​Bill Pohlman
Assessor
​​
Bill Pohlman has served as the Palatine Township Assessor since 2022 where he acts as an advocate for Township residents with their property taxes. He began his service with the Township in 2013 when he was elected as a Trustee. As a trustee he was responsible for assisting with the development of the budget and the fiscal responsibility of the Township. He served as chairman of the Human Needs, Website, Newsletter and Finance Committee. In 2016, he was awarded the Patriot Award by the Township for his years of service in the community.
Bill has lived in Palatine since 1976 and has always been involved in the community. He has been a member of the Palatine Jaycees since 1991 and was names a Lifetime Member in 2006. Bill is a member of the Sons of the American Legion and has chaired the Memorial Day program since 2011. He is also a member of Rotary and works on their Oktoberfest committee. His past community involvement included co-chairing the wine booth at Streetfest for nearly a decade and co-chairing Palatine's St. Patrick's Day festival from 2010 until 2023.
Before his retirement, Bill spent over 30 years in consumer, business and non-profit communications. He began his career in the corporate world at Motorola, he worked in direct mail at the Rylander Company and in public relations at Edelman Worldwide. He joined AP ltd. in 1981 where he worked in advertising and Internet development. He was named a partner in 1994. He also specializes in local public relations in the Palatine area through his involvement with local nonprofit organizations.
​John Freese
Township Trustee
​
I am a Rolling Meadows resident who has lived in Palatine Township for 52 years. I attended Forest View High School, Harper Community College and Northwestern University's Police Staff and Command. I have dedicated over 34 years to public service, all with the Rolling Meadows Police Department. I retired at the rank of Sergeant and currently serve on the Rolling Meadows Police Pension Board.
During my carear, I was a Field Training Officer, Treasurer of the Rolling Meadows Police Association, Recruit Supervisor at the Illinois State Police Academy and Department Quartermaster.
​AMike Smolka
Trustee
​​
Mike Smolka served the Palatine Community for four years as a member of the District 15 school board, two of those years as the vice president, and now as a Trustee on the Township Board.
Smolka has been a resident of the township for the last 27 years. He graduated from Fremd High School and received his Associates Degree from Harper College. He went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Chicago State University, where he played baseball, and then Roosevelt University to obtain his MBA in integrated marketing communications.
After working in the corporate world for a decade, he decided it was time for a change and went back to school and received his law degree from John Marshall Law School (which is now UIC - John Marshall). He opened his law practice, Mike Smolka Law Group, in 2016 with a focus in the area of Domestic Relations law.
He has been active in youth sports in Palatine serving as a coach for his son's baseball, basketball and soccer teams. With his background in baseball, he has stayed more involved with Palatine baseball serving as a commissioner for Palatine Community Baseball & Softball and as the co-chairman of the training and development program.
He resides in Palatine with his girlfriend, two children, one dog and a newborn baby.