Oak Brook, Wood Dale want cheaper electricity

Voters in Oak Brook and Wood Dale supported proposals Tuesday giving their communities the authority to shop around for cheaper sources of electricity, while residents in Darien rejected an identical measure.

According to unofficial results, voters approved the referendum requests in Oak Brook, 1,740 to 777, and Wood Dale, 1,138 to 1,089, and narrowly defeated another in Darien, 1,818 to 1,721.

Officials in the communities said the proposals would allow them to seek bids from competing energy providers on behalf of residents and small businesses.