Beehives to Steve Hopes, Kimberly Neal and Cary Woodland for stepping up as write-in candidates for Goshen Town Council. Until recently, nobody had filed to run for the two open seats. For awhile it looked as though the posts would remain empty, or that joke votes for Mickey Mouse would lead the tally. "I have always wanted to be involved with civic affairs," said Neal, a grocery deli manager. "The more I thought about it, the more I really wanted to do it." And if there aren't hot-button issues in tiny Goshen, there's always general improvement to consider. "It's a good little town and I would like to see it get better," said Woodland, who has served as town clerk. We'd quote Hopes, too, but he couldn't be reached, but we salute him anyway, along with the other two. It certainly beats apathy. Without people like these, government by the people would be, well, Mickey Mouse affairs.

Buffalo Chip to members of the Lehi City Council for playing what appears to be a game of Muffle-the-Microphone that prevented proper recording of council discussion. In a recent meeting, Mayor Howard Johnson nominated Lehi political gadfly Gordon Miner to the Board of Adjustments -- a job for which Miner, an engineer, is highly qualified. You'd think that aliens were suddenly jamming all channels. A recording of the meeting clearly reveals a hubbub behind the dais at the suggestion. Somebody (or somebodies) seemed to be tapping on the microphones as hurried consultations took place. It wasn't going Miner's way. "The man is capable, totally," the mayor can be heard saying. "But I guess you've got to be part of the club, too." Councilman Mark Johnson's microphone was suddenly restored to working condition, and he indignantly objected, citing a letter Miner wrote that was critical of the city. After that, the motion died for lack of a second. If council members want to reject a nominee, that's their right. But the least they could do is stay clearly on the record.

Beehive to Rocky Mountain Power for proposing legislation that aims to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in a realistic, affordable manner. We look at it as a simple anti-pollution measure so as to avoid the bottomless debate over the legitimacy of the greenhouse theory and whether humans cause global warming. The utility proposes that by 2025 at least 20 percent of the state's retail electric usage would be supplied by renewable resources. Despite the difficulties, Rocky Mountain Power remains undaunted. Its ideas might actually work.

Buffalo Chip to Utah County, which posted the wrong date on its Web site for early voting. Anybody can make a mistake, but this is a doozy from election central. Early voting centers are open beginning Monday, Oct. 29, the site says. The correct date is Tuesday, Oct. 23. The mistake could suppress a lot of votes. What is worse, county workers were made aware of the error, but it was uncorrected as of 9:45 Friday evening, even as the Buffalo Chip committee was in deliberations. When this nomination was received, the award was approved instantly by voice vote.

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