The devastating news caught up with me while on a Fiftieth Anniversary cruise with wife Linda, granddaughter Sophia, 95-year-young mother-in-law Dolores, and family friends Jerry and Marcia.

Now understand, there is devastating news, and then there is devastating news.

If the good ship Norwegian Breakaway had collided with an errant iceberg in the middle of the Caribbean and done a Titanic, that would certainly be devastating news.

If Indiana voters blindly cast straight ticket votes and, as a result, had a lot to do with electing to state office a candidate who had been fired from that office – twice – for nonperformance, and who had other questionable blemishes on his record, not the least of which was that he was one of those who without any credible evidence whatsoever, denied the results of the 2020 election …

And if, because of that election, that man was put in charge of the state’s election apparatus for presidential year 2024 … Now THAT would be devastating news of the first order.

Oops. Indiana voters did precisely that …

But I digress.

In my case, the devastating news was not only had I lost my bid to become a member of the Center Township Trustee Advisory Board, but I had done it with flair and style, coming in dead last in a field of six candidates.

As devastation goes, not much. Maybe a little humiliating. As a Democrat competing in what has become an increasingly red county, occasional (or even frequent) humiliation comes with the territory. I’m pretty sure the republic will survive.

The events of November 8 form a convenient end to my foray into elective politics. Because, you see, I’ve been here before.

Back in 1980, a presidential year, I was on the fall ballot as a candidate for Howard County Court Judge. That summer, the opposition had filed a candidate for the same office. Howard County had never had a female judge. She was a lovely lady named Eleanor Stein, Ellie to her friends, a group in which I considered myself. Back then political opponents did not have to be personal enemies.

Anyway, the Republican on the very top of the national ticket was a former movie actor who had the distinction of having once co-starred in a movie with a chimpanzee. His name (the actor, not the chimpanzee) was Ronald Reagan.

The results that November mirrored what happened again here a few days ago.

Ellie was swept into office with the red tide. She eventually would be inducted into the Howard County Hall of Legends primarily because of her role as the county’s first female judge.

I don’t think I have ever received sufficient credit for making it all possible for my friend Ellie.

There are a couple of conclusions that may be drawn. The first is that I may not be candidate material. The second is that I may have a lousy sense of timing running in elections that turn out to be landslides. If either, or both, conclusions are true, it does not bode well for future attempts at elective office. Which doesn’t mean I’m going away. Somebody needs to write about those elected to be the point of the spear – and I wish them all well, at least until good wishes prove to be insufficient.  

I want to thank those who allowed me to place my garish yard signs on their property, and oh, how I hope my arrangements for getting them picked up in my absence post-election worked out as planned.

Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank the 3,084 folks in Center Township were willing to take a flier on my candidacy. I am humbled by your support.

Thank you.