Lakewood Village Board candidate Gary Sexton II wearing his campaign button.

It’s that time of year again.

There are not a lot of contested races on the ballot, but signs are beginning to pop up and, glory be, what did I see the Sunday before last coming out of my Firsts United Methodist Church service by an anachronism.

It was a real button.

Not a sticker, but a metal button.

Gary Sexton II, a candidate for Lakewood Village Trustee was wearing it.

The irony is that he is running unopposed for one of the four-year terms.  There was another candidate in the race, Blake Hobson, but he withdrew.

There is a contest for the two-year vacancy.  Appointed incumbent and former Village President Julie Richardson is being challenged by Cargo Equipment Corporation President Jeff Iden.

I was an avid collector during the 1970’s when there were a lot of them.

I created a joint button to promote the candidacy of former U.S. Attorney Jim Thompson. When he first saw it at the Kane County Fair he was taken aback. It’s not that he because an outstanding campaigner right off the bat.

It was almost an “How dare you?” use my name on a campaign button.

Of course, Thompson was very well known in the Chicago media market. My district, however, went into the Rockford media market, covering parts of Boone, DeKalb and Winnebago Counties.

That’s what I told him.

He still seemed to think I was taking advantage of him.

Go figure.

I was the second state representative to endorse him. Rockford’s Tim Simms was first.