Independents win for Roselle board

In an upset to the long-dominant Roselle United Party, three independent candidates earned the three open seats on the Roselle village board Tuesday.

With all 23 precincts reporting in Cook and DuPage counties, unofficial totals show incumbent Barbara Rendall-Hochstadt topped the field with 1,306 votes, while former Roselle Park District Trustee Wayne Domke earned 1,251 and Ron Baker garnered 1,107.

Incumbent trustee Richard Rhode lost his seat in a defeat with fellow Roselle United members Todd Eichholz and Eleanor “Elly” Paletta. Rhode earned 902 votes, Eichholz 868 and Paletta 821.

“We dedicated our campaigns to listening to Roselle and connecting the voices of residents and business owners,” Rendall-Hochstadt said.

Domke added that his win, along with Rendall-Hochstadt’s and Baker’s, show voters are ready for change.

“It’s kind of a big shocker for people from an established Roselle party to not be ahead, but we provided them with more of a choice,” he said.

Baker, a part-time firefighter, said his top issues are eliminating wasteful spending and funding for unnecessary projects.

“People are tired,” he said. “They keep getting it from all ends and they want something different.”