It's finally over

Our long national nightmare is finally over, and I'm not talking about the Browns slouching towards another frustrating season of mediocrity.

No, it's the election, which wrapped up with a bang or a whimper Tuesday, depending on whom you were backing.

Already, the respite from the constant stream of negative radio and television ads is like a cool drink of water after spending 40 days in the desert. Imagine if we were subjected to those ads all year round.

That to me is the most refreshing thing about the end of the election. Election night itself, at least for me, was a journalist's dream: Enough results were in at the Mahoning County Board of Elections that I was able to have my assignments done in plenty of time to enjoy our Election Night buffet here in earnest. And there were no curveballs such as an upset or a breaking news story, such as a homicide, which I had to deal with in Youngstown and Warren on separate election nights.

There were more people at the board this year than in years past, including in 2004. There was also more activity as they tried to contend with counting not only the electronic votes, but the paper ones as well.

I was surprised that in this economy voters in Mahoning County finally gave their approval to a 9.5-mill levy for the Youngstown school district and also passed a WRTA sales tax for a county wide transit system.

Perhaps the large turnout in Youngstown's minority precincts to vote for Obama pushed the levy over the top, but the passage of the tax baffles me. County voters, especially in rural areas, are usually loath to pass tax issues and they are not big users of mass transit.

Not really a lot of local contested races -- those were in the primary -- to get the dander up. The large turnout generated plenty of excitment, which was good to see. Too bad all elections can't be like last night's.