The Soapbox: Daily Herald editors offer brief thoughts on suburban topics in the news.
This editorial represents the consensus opinion of The Daily Herald Editorial Board.
This week's Clippable Quote
"Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering." - Theodore Roosevelt
Sigh of relief, full Roselle Road is back
How good it is to have all lanes of Roselle Road back open through Schaumburg, after it had been down to one lane each way for months on end. Roselle Road traffic can be busy even when it's fully opened, so it was an especially tough year on this north-south thoroughfare. But now it's open and the bumps smoothed out.
The costs of good village managers
Arlington Heights' Randy Recklaus is getting a 7% raise to $263,272 a year. Buffalo Grove's Dane Bragg got a four-year contract extension that will see his annual base salary of $292,097 boosted by 3% a year, topping out at more than $325,000. Such figures bring a bit of sticker shock, but are common among school and municipal executives managing budgets in the hundreds of millions.
And imagine the work
Let's imagine the work that goes into being a village manager - especially in Arlington Heights these days. Imagine what's coming in terms of plans to review and deals to work out and infrastructure concerns and the logistics of it all. And then there's related business development. Imagine that headache. And then there's the rest of the village.
And in Buffalo Grove
Dane Bragg in Buffalo Grove has had on his plate the redevelopment of what used to be the Town Center into The Clove, a massive new mixed-use development. Plus, as Trustee David Weidenfeld said, the town "went through COVID and every other disastrous thing imaginable, and yet somehow we have a AAA bond rating" and so much more.
Smart land deal
There's a great deal of interest in what will happen to the shuttered Haeger Pottery building in East Dundee. So the village's decision to purchase the property along Maiden Lane is the right move. Owning the land will give East Dundee a final say on how it's redeveloped.
So long, Willson
It's too bad the Cubs couldn't find a way to re-sign Willson Contreras. The catcher was not only one of the last links to the 2016 World Series team, he was also a leader in the clubhouse and on the field. It's one thing to lose him, it's another thing to lose him to the Cardinals.
Potter bench gets noticed
A Facebook fan page for "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe this week posted about the book-shaped, "Harry Potter"-themed bench in Naperville that was part of a temporary sculpture exhibit five years ago. Fifteen painted book benches were installed in 2017, featuring artist designs inspired by various popular reads. Why not make them a permanent feature?
King-sized mention
How cool is it that in Stephen King's latest yarn, "Fairy" Tale, the setting is Sentry's Rest, a fictional hamlet that's cheek by jowl with Elgin and Carpentersville. We guess Washington Irving already swiped Sleepy Hollow for his best-known book.
Eagle eyes
Thanks to all of the photographers who submitted entries for our 2023 calendar, which will be included in Sunday's newspaper. Your images are spectacular.
Remembering Frank Kozak
Frank Kozak's public service career in Schaumburg began in 1983 when he joined the park board, where he would serve until 2009, when he was elected to the village board. He continued in that role - while growing his family and a life of community service in many roles - until his death last week at 78. He leaves a lasting legacy. Our condolences to his family and to the village.