The Soapbox

Winfield does its duty:

Let’s hear it for the civic-minded citizenry of the village of Winfield. In a town of about 9,000 people, where hardball and contentious politics are the norm, almost 45 percent of the electorate turned out to vote, more than double the turnout percentage in DuPage County. The newly elected board truly does have a mandate.

No white flag yet:

Art Lemke, aka Mr. Photo Finish in St. Charles, was the apparent winner of the 2nd Ward race Tuesday night. His (unofficial) eight-vote margin wasn’t enough for him or incumbent Cliff Carrignan to call it a done deal. Two years ago Lemke lost the same race by six votes. Both say they’ll wait until the numbers are certified before declaring anything.

Civic responsibility:

Seen on a chilly Thursday evening: Arlington Heights Village President-elect Tom Hayes walking along the street removing his campaign signs from residents’ yards. It’s a good first gesture as the town’s new mayor to help ensure the village returns to its pre-campaign state — and an example for all candidates throughout the suburbs as well.

Anger management:

Cubs prospect Jorge Soler was suspended for five games Thursday for a bat-wielding incident in the minor leagues. The league acted swiftly — and correctly — with its punishment. The Cubs, who saw plenty of out-of-control moments with Carlos Zambrano a few years ago, were quick to respond as well. Let’s hope Soler’s remorse is genuine.

Share and shared alike:

The villages of Kildeer and Lake Zurich are working on an agreement in which Lake Zurich public works crews will maintain Kildeer’s nine police vehicles. Kildeer now pays private garages to do the work, and officials hope to strike similar shared service agreements in what we think should be the new normal for municipalities. Taxpayers win.

The face of joy:

If it has been a while since you’ve witnessed true joy, check out the video with Tim Sassone’s report on 9-year-old James Ensign’s visit with the Blackhawks at tinyurl.com/cvc97pf. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the players put a smile on this Barrington boy’s face that will stay with you. His cancer is in remission, and let’s pray it stays that way. Nice job, Hawks.

Pay per view:

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster this week praised Naperville for winning a “Sunny Award” from the Virginia-based Sunshine Review, which promotes government openness. This comes three weeks after city officials complained about the costs of handling numerous Freedom of Information Act requests. A fitting reminder that transparency comes at a price.

Time for chasing squirrels:

For many street officers, retiring at 63 would mean quite a long career in police work. That’s the age of Round Lake Beach’s latest retiree — in dog years. Gunnar, a German shepherd who’s almost 9, has helped catch the bad guys for more than seven years. We wish him well in his sunset years with his handler, officer Ken Rydz.

No gimmick:

Hoffman Estates Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth wrote a check to the government, effectively cutting her pay 8.4 percent to reflect the cost of sequestration. Others should follow. It seems only right that if congressmen couldn’t get this important work done, they share personally in the cost.