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You might expect trumpets to herald a change in the political culture of Cook County so shocking that the very earth should tremble as Democrats collectively turn in their graves.
New signs are being posted in the forest preserves of Cook County, replacing those that are worn out.
For the first time, these new signs do not include the name of the Cook County board president, who also presides over the forest preserve district.
"There was a discussion among the county commissioners some time ago, and an agreement was reached that it was a waste of money to replace the names of people on the signs every time a new person was elected president of the board," said Steve Mayberry, spokesman for the forest preserve district.
"There was a feeling that the signs were being used as political billboards."
Well, duh?
The debate occurred in the summer of 2006, after former Cook County Board President John Stroger suffered a stroke.
After Stroger announced he would resign as of July 31, 2006, the board was told it would cost the county $10,000 to install metal plates with the name of the new county board president over signs that bore Stroger's name.
The signs were just more than a year old at the time.
Apparently, new forest preserve district maps, also bearing John Stroger's name, were handed out to commissioners at the same meeting.
It's a tradition in Cook County, the city of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs for mayors and other government executives to slap their names on welcome signs and anything else that might help voters remember them at election time.
Anyway, with John Stroger out of action and the county board in full rebellion, the commissioners apparently decided it was time to put an end to the practice of branding the forest preserves with the name of the chief executive.
One news story pointed out that Tony Peraica, a Republican who eventually would run for county board president, pushed for a vote to abandon the practice in 2005, as John Stroger was preparing to order hundreds of new signs bearing his name.
At that point, apparently, the other county board members weren't ready to abandon the practice.
John Stroger vowed to veto any attempt to remove his name from county signs.
Some commissioners chided Peraica for grandstanding on an issue of little public concern.
But one year later, the political culture changed.
In July 2006, the board unanimously passed a resolution to abandon the practice of putting the president's name on signs.
According to Mayberry, stickers referring people to the Cook County Forest Preserve District Web site have been slapped over the old president's name on existing signs.
"If people go there, they will find the names of the presidents and all the commissioners," Mayberry said.
Although I thought I had seen a sign with new president Todd Stroger's name on it, Mayberry said: "Absolutely not."
"No forest preserve signs have ever been made with his name," Mayberry said.
A total of 241 new signs have been made at a cost of $1,800 each. They are made of a graffiti- and damage-resistant material.
A reader called to say he nearly drove off the road when he saw new signs without Todd Stroger's name.
"In my entire life, I never thought I would see this day," the fellow said.
Echoing the feeling of many residents, the caller said he always resented politicians using tax money to promote their own campaigns.
"And that's what it was," the man said. "Everyone knew it.
"Those guys put their names on the forest preserve district signs so large you would think they had donated the land.
"If you didn't know better, you would have thought every forest preserve was named George Dunne or John Stroger," the fellow said, naming two former forest preserve district presidents.
For decades, the Cook County assessor would send out notices to homeowners reminding them that it was time to renew their property exemption.
I always thought that was a political gimmick, as well. The notice carried the name of the assessor in large letters and would give the impression he personally was granting the exemption.
"Why not just automatically renew the exemption unless the person had moved?" I asked repeatedly over the years.
Well, one day that finally happened, under Assessor James Houlihan.
And now this.
What next?
Today, the forest preserve district. Tomorrow, Daley's name on the welcome signs at O'Hare and Midway airports.