Rose Reynders, Michael LePore, Nicholas Muller lead in Homer Glen
The Homer Glen trustee race featured mostly newcomers to village politics.
Reynders, an incumbent who chairs the Village Board's Parks and Recreation Committee, was the only incumbent, seeking election to a second term.
Former Trustee Ruben Pazmino, who served from 2019 to 2023 before losing a reelection bid two years ago, sought another term on the board.
Reynders paired up with LePore and Muller, who were all endorsed by Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike and the Homer Township ReSet slate, which won the February primary and were unopposed Tuesday.
Other independent candidates included Richard Modelski, Kevin Koukol and John Hayes. Resident Heidi Pacella looked to earn a spot on the board as a write-in candidate.
With all precincts reporting, Reynders had 1,821 votes, LePore had 1,675 votes and Muller had 1,505 votes, according to unofficial results.
Pazmino followed with 982 votes, Modelski with 787 votes, Koukol with 349 votes and Hayes with 379 votes. There were 548 votes for write-in candidates, according to unofficial results.
Those write-in votes and late mail-in ballots will be included when official results are completed.
Stopping Will County's widening project of 143rd Street, reducing water bills and ensuring responsible growth that maintains the village' rural nature emerged as top themes among candidates.
But candidates also wanted to put an end to political fighting that has dominated local politics for years. The campaign season featured several anonymous memes posted on Facebook that took aim at Neitzke-Troike and those she endorsed.
Reynders called some of the memes inappropriate, disgusting and untrue and said that if her group were victorious, they would return civility to the village and township and work together for the betterment of the community.
'We are doing this because we care about our village,' Reynders said at a victory party Tuesday night. 'I look forward to working together and bringing new ideas for the community. Everyone brings something different to the table, and we have the best interest of the village at heart.'
The Homer Township ReSet slate, led by Homer Glen Trustee Susanna Steilen for supervisor, ousted incumbent Supervisor Steve Balich in the February primary. The ReSet slate members said residents were tired of political drama and negativity that circulates online and during meetings.
Reynders, LePore and Muller agreed residents are still sending the message to end the political fighting.
'All the memes, all the lies, all the hate, all the vitriol, it's too much,' Reynders said. 'It's embarrassing.'
Reynders said the village is about community and nature in harmony and should be known for its beautiful parks and forest preserves and family-friendly amenities, not political rhetoric.
Muller said the three of them worked the campaign season 'the old-fashioned way' by knocking on doors and listening to residents' concerns. He said he wanted to put a face to the name on the campaign signs and meet the neighbors.
'I walked so much, I'm hearing doorbells in my sleep,' Muller said. 'The support from the community was overwhelming.'
LePore said it was a team effort.
'The village has a very bright future,' LePore said.
The Homer Glen trustee race started off crowded with 17 candidates filing for the three trustee spots. After several Electoral Board hearings in November and December, eight candidates were removed for a myriad of reasons. Pacella had to seek a write-in position because her name was removed for using an improper nickname on her nominating position, which is not allowed under Illinois Election Code.
Other candidates were removed for using a wrong address, filing to run for both school board and village board, which are incompatible offices and having an insufficient number of signatures. Katie Surges and Kyle Surges, who were not removed by the Electoral Board, later withdrew their names from the ballot.
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