Scouts honor Hoffman Estates mayor

Joane McLeod arrived quietly Monday night, sitting in back of the Hoffman Estates council chambers and chatting with audience members. Not that village meetings aren't always riveting, but the mayor's wife isn't exactly a regular fixture at village hall.

"I knew something was up," Mayor William McLeod said.

And there was no explaining people's willingness to wait around 45 minutes between the end of committee meetings and the village board meeting. Didn't they have families, televisions and beds to see?

The answer came when members of the Northwest Suburban Council of the Boy Scouts of America finally arrived to give Mayor McLeod the Silver Beaver Award.

Pray tell, what is a Silver Beaver? As described on the Boy Scouts Web site it's awarded "for outstanding service to youth within the council or for outstanding longtime service to youth by a registered scouter residing within that council."

McLeod's been taking time to attend scout meetings, and helped move the Saturday, March 13 Pinewood Derby to the village's Sears Centre arena, giving a youngsters a better venue to race their wooden model cars.

Mayor McLeod said he was left surprised and speechless - "a rare occurrence for a politician."