Thumbs up to all of those who volunteered their time to work at the polls for the Nov. 3 election and to everyone who did their civic duty by casting an informed vote. The contentious issues put before us on Election Day, both state and local, have caused much debate.

Hopefully, those on opposite sides of the fence can find a way to move on amicably now that the decisions have been made.

Thumbs up to the Town of Waterboro for the decision to earmark communications tower revenue for the Waterboro Land Trust. Setting aside the funds will help assure that wild land can be acquired and maintained for public use, which is at the heart of the town’s identity.

Thumbs up to the planning experts who have visited Biddeford-Saco to confer on the design plans for the mill district. The “Rail-Volution” group confirmed that many of the local planners’ ideas were valid and also contributed some of their own. This type of meeting of the minds can only serve to produce better ideas as these two mill towns seek to revitalize their downtowns.

Thumbs up to the voters’ decisions to fund major projects in local towns, from the extensive renovations at Biddeford High School to a new police station in Old Orchard Beach. Despite the tough economy, local residents place a lot of value on their infrastructure and have decided to invest with a view to the future.

Thumbs up to Thornton Academy for its ambitious plan for improvements at Hill Stadium. The list of improvements includes lights and artificial turf for the field, renovation of the track and complete rehabilitation of the tennis courts. The improvements will be financed by contributions from friends and alumni of TA.

Thumbs down to Maine’s Legislative Council for initially refusing and then tabling a bill that would help York County. The bill offered by state Sen. Richard Nass, R-Acton, would allow county government to use jail revenue to cover administrative costs at the jail and payments on jail construction debt. This would have relieved the financial pressure on the county caused by a new state law restricting the use of jail income.

Thumbs up to Dr. Jim Georgitis of Kennebunkport, a highly regarded surgeon at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford, for his determined efforts to recover from a serious cycling accident. Long hours of rehabilitation therapy offer no guarantees, but we admire his determined effort and hope we could do the same if necessary.

Thumbs up to all those in public health and health care fields who are working hard to get us through this year’s flu season. Now, as much as ever, its time to heed advice about hand-washing, a healthy routine and (if possible) getting flu shots.

— A corrected version of this article appears above. The Thumbs down for Maine’s Legislative Council has been changed to reflect that the bill was tabled. Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you would like to respond, please write the Reader’s Forum via e-mail at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford or Sanford offices.