Write-In Candidate Clarification.

The Mornin’ Mail has continued efforts to clarify the rules involved when no candidate files for a City Council seat.

This paper published an interpretation of state statutes last Monday that has been modified since speaking with several election officials. When no candidate has filed during the regular filing period, all write-in candidates are on an equal footing.

The only time a write-in candidate can file late and block other random write-ins from being counted is if there is a candidate already on the ticket.

The article published last Monday indicated that a late filing write-in candidate would always take precedence over other write-ins.

The Second Ward has no candidate on the ballot and therefore any name that is written on the Second Ward ballot becomes eligible as a candidate for the Second Ward Council seat as long as the person meets qualifications for a City Council member.

City Council members must be 21, have lived in the City, but not necessarily in the ward they represent, for one year, and not be behind in City taxes.

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Sponsored by Curry Automotive

Not a Bad Start for Danica Patrick

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Danica Patrick, the only woman ever to win an Indy-car race, made a successful debut in stock cars by finishing sixth in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, an Automobile Racing Club of America race at Daytona International Speedway run on Feb. 6.

The event, won for the sixth time by Pennsylvania driver Bobby Gerhart, provided Patrick with needed experience in the Daytona draft.

"It’s a little harder than I thought it would be, but I felt really good," she said. "I worked on closing that distance between two car lengths and being right on them at a half a car length because, with my Indy-car experience, I thought two car lengths was on them but it’s not, which is understandable why the accidents are so big because you have nowhere to go because you are literally nose to tail.

"I think that, for a long, long time to come, it will be something that you get better and better at," said Patrick, who will turn 28 on March 25.

"A lot of these drivers are new to me. I don’t know a lot of them," she said. "There are a lot of nice guys out there, and its nice to be around some good drivers."

A native of Roscoe, Ill., and resident of Phoenix, Ariz., Patrick drives for JR Motorsports, which is aligned with Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR’s premier team. Tony Eury Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s first cousin and former crew chief, is helping her learn the ropes in stock-car racing.

"He’s a very good crew chief," she said. "In IndyCar, our engineers are crew chiefs. I’m lucky to have great engineer-crew chiefs in both places. Tony’s very talented. ... He knows what he’s doing. I tell him what the car is doing and he fixes it.

"For me, it’s a matter of learning from him and understanding about the car. The difference between Indy car and NASCAR is, a lot of things are spoken in opposites, so it’s been a little bit confusing to me, but I’m getting familiar. I’m getting into the car setup side as much as I can. It’s hard to digest it all at once, but it will take a while."

Like most, I’m just a little tired of all the calls wantin’ me ta change long distance telephone service. Doesn’t seem ta matter what time a day, them calls keep comin’.

Well, I got the topper the other day. The call came in with a different twist. They were sellin’ a service that was supposed ta put an end to harassin’ phone calls.

The person on the other end of the line seemed real upset that there wasn’t any interest in the service at this location.

We have, over the years, tried to come up with polite ways to get these callers off our line. It started with "send us the info, we’ll take a look." Then moved to "we don’t buy anything over the phone." Recently, the most effective response was initiated. Ya hang up. It ain’t too polite, but they seem ta get the message.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

Dear Tom and Ray:

Recently, there was a large recall of Toyotas because the gas pedal could get stuck on the floor mat and cause the car to keep accelerating wildly. Yesterday the pedal got stuck in my 2008 Honda Accord. What should you do if such a thing happens. ---Dan

Ray: Well, whether the gass pedal sticks because of the floor mat or because of any other reason, the first thing you do is hope that you’re wearing your brown pants.

Tom: We’ve talked about this before, Dan, but it’s worth repeating--not only because of the Toyota recall, but because this can happen on any car.

Ray: Right. Floor mats can get bunched up near the pedals. People can install thicker, aftermarket floor mats, or those thick, rubber winter mats. Or the pedal can get obstructed by something that you drag into your car, like a chunk of ice or snot, or a kid’s toy or juice box that rolled onto the floor.

Tom: So what do you do? No matter why the gas pedal is sticking, first, put the car in neutral.

Ray: Why? Shifting into neutral disconnects the engine from the sheels. So no matter how fast the engine is revving, the car will simply slow down.

Tom: By putting the transmission in neutral rather than turning the engine off with the key, you also keep your power steering, power brakes, ABS and lots of other stuff working.

Ray: Once you’re in neutral, calmly coast to a safe stop by the side of the road, and THEN turn off the ignition. Then, if you see that the pedal is clearly stuck on the floor mat, you can throw those mats out the window and keep driving.