As comedian Dave Chappelle said of his return to television last weekend on “Saturday Night Live”: “It's been a long time, so please be patient.”

Our editorial absence from the newspaper's opinion page wasn't quite as long, or dramatic, as Chappelle's disappearance from the comedy landscape. But, for us, it was far too long.

We view good journalism as a fundamental cog in American democracy. We believe, as your local newspaper, that shedding light and informing readers on local issues can have a profound influence on our local communities and on residents' daily lives.

Part of our role, as we see it, is to set the agenda, stand up for the community and give voice to the voiceless.

Now, based on criticism of the past election cycle, it's clear not everyone feels “the media” has lived up to its responsibility.

Some people blame “the media” for everything. In specific instances, they could be referring to CBS or Fox or The New York Times. Nevertheless, some will insist on using that all-encompassing label “the media,” which includes us.

Too critical. Too forgiving. Too liberal. Too conservative. Too inaccurate.

And in the wake of Donald Trump's Nov. 8 victory, there was criticism — hard to refute — that “the media” screwed up by presuming Hillary Clinton would triumph and by relying on polls that missed the mark and analysis from the too-cozy political establishment. Critics, even within the news industry, suggested “the media” was out of touch with the mood of large segments of the population.

We do not believe we have that problem at this newspaper. We are out on these streets, at government meetings and community events, listening to residents.

We get letters to the editor from this community, run anonymous call-in opinion columns, and receive online and social media comments from readers. We believe we are more focused on news and information from this area than any other daily news outlet.

But we can do better, engage more and facilitate dialogue about important issues to the community. For too long, our newspaper has been without local editorials that stake out a position on key matters before our readers, speaking up for the community and taking a stand against those who do not seem to have residents' interests at heart.

So our plan, on Sundays starting next week, is to reintroduce local editorials to your newspaper.

We come at this with no preordered political agenda, not liberal or conservative, not Republican or Democrat. We intend to come down on the side of common sense and the common good, in support of actions that help our communities and our people flourish, to stick up for the little guy, to advocate for good and honest governance.

Our focus will be on local issues, and on any given Sunday we might speak up for or against a tax increase request, a controversial zoning proposal, pay raises for elected officials, education or transportation initiatives, and so on. We intend to call out injustice where we see it, as well as waste, secretive government and corruption of any stripe.

We want to be your voice. But we can use your help. If there is an issue of local public interest that you think we ought to get behind, please send us a note or email or call. And if you think we blew it on an editorial, please share your opinion on where we went wrong in a letter to the editor. We want to foster more community conversation, and so we would embrace differing points of view.

We also welcome your input on the newspaper and how we can better serve your wants and needs. You can reach out to your local editors, whose contact information is on Page 2 of the newspaper, or to suburban editor Phil Jurik at pjurik@chi cagotribune.com and at 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Send letters to suburbanletters@tribpub.com.

We have no interest in fitting that stereotype of out-of-touch “media.” And as the local newspaper, we have no reason to be if we are not connecting with local residents. We are biased on this point: We think a thriving community needs a thriving newspaper, one that features healthy debate and exchange of ideas.

See you next week.