We’re making a list and checking it twice. Or three times. Or more.

We’re examining an admirable collection of Inland Northwest citizens who are under consideration for recognition as Uncommoners.

If you’ve never heard of Uncommoners, well, that’s our fault. But you’ll get a clearer picture Jan. 1, the day this editorial space will be devoted to celebrating the community service of people who stand out in five categories.

But if you hurry, there’s time to join in the fun by passing along your own suggestions for folks you consider worthy of acknowledgement.

Uncommoners are people who may or may not be widely known. It doesn’t matter. But they extend themselves to make the region a better place to live.

It may be what they do in their work, or in their private lives, or both. Again, it doesn’t matter. If they live in The Spokesman-Review’s circulation area and exemplify civic values, they’re eligible.

The Spokesman-Review editorial board launched this concept last year, selecting Shannon Sullivan as what we then called the “Citizen Contributor of 2005.” You may recall that she waged a relentless battle, overcoming daunting legal barriers, to lead a successful recall effort against the mayor she felt had betrayed the public trust.

That inaugural effort taught us, among other lessons, that civic spirit shows up in multiple arenas, and trying to compare different kinds of achievements complicated the decision-making process. We realized that we needed to establish a variety of categories in which to evaluate outstanding citizenship.

So we did. This year we will select honorees from the fields of government, business, nonprofit work and private volunteer activity – all for accomplishments that benefited our region during 2006. In addition, we’ll note the contributions of one citizen for “lifetime achievement.”

If any of this inspires you to add more names to our list, there’s still time. (See submission information in the above box.) But not much.