advertisement

Roselle trustee's 32 years of service comes to an end

Ask Joe Devlin what makes him proudest after serving Roselle for 40 years as a village trustee and former village president, and his answer might surprise you.

It's not major building developments or business initiatives.

Instead, it's the simplest of elements: water.

"One of the biggest things I am proud of that was beneficial to the whole village was bringing Lake Michigan water to the village (in 1992)," Devlin said. "Previously, we had well water with a very high iron content and very hard water, so now you don't need water softener and your white laundry doesn't turn yellow after a few washes."

Devlin retires from his 32-year post as a village trustee this week, after new trustees Andrew "Andy" Maglio and Kory Atkinson were sworn into their seats Monday night. Devlin also served as village president from 1973 to 1981. And throughout his 40 years of service, his passion always focused on improving Roselle behind the scenes.

"One thing I will take away from Joe is how important the work of the people is," said Village President Gayle Smolinski. "Village government is not just fun stuff like ribbon cuttings and celebrations in the community. It's important to concentrate on things that affect our residents daily, like public works. It doesn't matter how pretty our village is if you have sewers backing up into people's homes."

Devlin moved to Roselle in 1953, after his job as a sales engineer with an industrial equipment company relocated him from Pennsylvania. The village then had only about 1,000 residents and has since grown to more than 23,000.

After a friend convinced him to run for the village board, he won the seat in 1969 and has won every election since then. He was also one of the first members of the DuPage Water Commission.

"I was interested in being involved," Devlin said. "The town was going through a lot of growth, Lake Park High School was building a new building and the Waterbury subdivision was being built."

Smolinski said Waterbury was controversial at the time, as it doubled the size of the village.

During his time in Roselle, Devlin has also served as the administrator for the Roselle Historical Foundation, a post he continues to hold. Smolinski said Devlin, who was involved with the group since it formed in the 1970s, was a perfect fit because he was one of the village's elder statesmen.

In addition to remaining in his role with the historical foundation, Devlin said he plans to continue being active with the local chapters of the American Legion, Rotary Club and a youth mentoring program run by Trinity Lutheran Church.

He said he realized it was time to step down from government, however, to allow some fresh ideas into the mix.

"I think 40 years is just long enough," said Devlin. "When you hold a seat like that for a long time, you have other people who might like to do it but they hesitate to challenge you for it. So now you'll get some different kind of people coming in with new ways of thinking."

Roselle Trustee Joe Devlin, pictured at the Roselle Historical Museum, retired Monday after 40 years as an elected official. Scott Sanders | Staff Photographer
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.