This is my own little election wrap:

• Where do these candidates buy their election material? Exaggerations R Us? I cannot even begin to outline the misrepresentations, misinterpretations, overstatements, ignored facts and personal attacks I’ve seen coming from different candidates for different offices. Really, it’s disappointing. And, I doubt that such smears will be very effective. I wouldn’t be surprised that for every voter who believes a manipulated quote or a re-cast of a news report, there’s another who is disgusted by the shenanigans and votes the other way. So, it’s a wash.


• OK, we can’t publish every single letter we get. Believe me, I try to get as many in, and online. Sorry, sorry, sorry to all those who didn’t get letters in. For next time, I offer these tips: Send election-related material early. Don’t wait until late Friday before elections, or, the day before. Stuff is booked. Space is taken. Make sure your letter fits the rules: send your contact info, keep the letter to 250 words, avoid language that adds little to the conversation, like “moron,â€? etc. My rule of thumb: If you’d get in trouble saying it a middle school, don’t say it in the paper. And also, don’t forget that you can write letters after-the-fact, to encourage a candidate who was elected to pay attention to an issue, to urge a candidate who lost to continue working on an issue.


• Here’s the gist of a great letter I received today (so it won’t run until after the election) from a mom of three young children. She had taken the kids out to a doughnut (spelled donut) shop for a snack. A campaign worker for a local candidate saw her struggling to grab tiny hands and hold little babies as she got out of the car. The woman helped her balance her stuff as she talked about her candidate. On the way out, a candidate (for another race) was standing on the other side of the glass door, as she emerged juggling the aforementioned little ones, plus all their leftovers. No help with the door; no help to the car. But, of course, there was the “vote for meâ€? statement. Ha! Guess who got her vote!


• Oh, and one more thing. There was a comment somewhere by a supporter of a hotly contested race about the “effeminizationâ€? of politics. Double Ha! Like that’s a bad thing? See above.