Dick Tracy for McHenry County Seal

I tried to get the backing of Barack Obama for Heck of a Guy blogster Alan Showalter's campaign to convince the McHenry County Board that Dick Tracy should be in the center of the county seal, but Obama must not be interesting in campaigning for the McHenry County's vote anymore.

So, because

“All politics is local,”

supporters of the idea will have to conduct a campaign.

Yesterday, the campaign button was unveiled on McHenry County Blog.

Today, you can see the yard sign designed by Showalter. (You'll have to create you own. That's a problem, I admit, but this has been a county of individual responsibility.)

The problem with selecting something to represent McHenry County is there is no symbol that epitomizes the county.

If the Fox River is used, the fields of corn and soy beans are ignored.

Emphasizing Wonder Lake or Crystal Lake misses most of what the county is all about.

I guess the county board could use a picture of row upon row of new subdivision homes, but, somehow, I don't think that would be acceptable.

That could be a reason to ignore the farms, though...since there won't be any left in the lives of some of us.

The Woodstock Square Civil War statue is great for Woodstock, but what about the rest of the countyu.

Similarly, Harvard's plastic cow Harmilda works for Harvard, but dairy farms were going out of business at the rate of about one a week during the four years I was reading auction ads in Harvard's Shoppers Service during the late 1960's.

I think the main line of the Union Pacific running from Fox River Grove to Harvard comes closest to being a unifying symbol, but what about Marengo and Richmond-Spring Groved.

You see the almost insurmountable problem that the county board faces.

So, why not do what any number of businesses have done.

Re-brand an old enterprise with something striking.

Hard to find anything more striking than the sharp chin of Dick Tracy.

I predict its adoption would result in nationwide, if not worldwide publicity. As I have said previously, it might even shame some McHenry County deep pockets to re-open the Dick Tracy Museum.

Imaginative county board members might envision a county-sponsored web site that would see enough Dick Tracy merchandise to pay for any licensing fee. (State tourism folks spent $2,000 a year for permission to use images to promote the Dick Tracy Museum.)

One final thought about yard signs. You don't have to wait until your local municipality allows candidate signs to be posted. Since this is an issue sign, you can put it up right now, just like the pro-life supporters have. I'm remembering a U.S. Supreme Court decision out of Missouri that ruled that a woman could post her opposition to the first Iraq War after the local city fathers told her to take down the 8 1/2 by 11 inch sign she had in her front window.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.