Mary Oshana was sworn in as the newest Skokie Park District commissioner at this month's annual meeting of the Skokie Park District park board, with more than 60 friends, family and members of Skokie’s Assyrian community gathered to congratulate her. She was elected over three other candidates on April 6, 2021.
Oshana, who grew up in Skokie, works in capital planning and facilities management. She and her husband also established the Assyrian Community Fund of Greater Chicago, providing critical relief services for at-risk Assyrian families.
After the swearing in, the board unanimously elected longtime board members Susan Aberman and Mike Reid as its president and vice-president, respectively. Aberman has served as a commissioner since 2001. Reid joined the board in 2005.
The annual board meeting was directly preceded by the May 2021 regular monthly meeting, at which outgoing commissioners Michael Alter and Khemarey Khoeun were honored with official Skokie Park District resolutions. Alter served on the board for 16 years. Khoeun served for four years.
After the two meetings, the board went into an executive session, in which discussions were scheduled for filling the fifth board seat, left vacant by Khoeun after her election to the Village of Skokie board of trustees in April.
The five-member board of park commissioners is elected by the residents of Skokie and is responsible for setting policies that benefit the park district and the community. The board adopts a budget, levies property taxes and is responsible for hiring and evaluating the executive director. All commissioners are elected at large and serve without compensation.
The Skokie Park District is a distinct government agency, separate from the Village of Skokie and all other county and state taxing entities, created for the purpose of acquiring and maintaining parks, as well as developing and organizing recreational programs and events for its residents.
Regular board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m., in the Weber Leisure Center board room at 9300 Weber Park Place, in Skokie.